5 ways to bundle holiday cheer into your emails

Daylight Savings Time gets me *every* year. Seriously. I go from having evenings filled with activities, to feeling like I should be in bed by 8:15 pm. But the cool thing about this year of early evenings is it’s given me more time to delve into the bounty of holiday emails starting to roll in.

So, in the spirit of giving, I thought I’d share a couple points that have stood out in my season-laden inbox.

* Make it easy to forward. Whether it’s to pass on an invitation or drop a subtle gift hint, make sure subscribers have an easy option to move the information along.

* Keep the holiday related information at the top. You’ve heard us preach about the ‘above the fold’ importance before, but it bears repeating. Turn the top 1/3 of your email into a virtual hub of reader engagement. Which…I’m not so sure is a real thing. But you understand, right?

* Get personal. People have fairly full inboxes in general. When the holiday season hits, they get even fuller. So take a moment and find three ways to get a little more intimate with your readers. I know I’ve been more apt to click through emails that are tailored for, well, me.

* Balance those images. I’ve received more emails with one large image this month than I have any other month. While I know rich images are tempting, be careful. Find a nice balance of images and text, and be sure to make the most of your alt tags.

* Be thankful. Let your readers know they’re important to you. Whether it be a white paper, discount, or even a separate campaign, don’t miss the opportunity to let your subscribers know what they’ve done to help you out over the past year.

So, happy holiday season, Emma blog readers. I hope you’ve latched onto a few ideas that will take your communication efforts to infinity. And beyond. Which is not a hint that I want anything Toy Story related this year. Or is it?