February is an attention-grabbing month for e-mail entrepreneurs.
On one hand, it traditionally sees the lowest retail gross sales of any month. That’s not perfect.
However that doesn’t inform the total story. Knowledge from GetResponse exhibits that February enjoys higher-than-usual e-mail open charges—at 20.66 % vs. a full-year common of 19.66 %—and click-to-open charges which can be 27.5 % increased than the common month.
So shoppers usually tend to open your emails in February—and, once they do, there’s additionally a a lot higher probability they’ll click on via to your web site.
This tells me two issues:
- Gross sales are at a premium early within the 12 months, with many shoppers actively striving to save cash…
- …however there’s an actual alternative for e-mail entrepreneurs to drive opens, clicks, and gross sales in the event that they get their messaging proper.
To make half #2 a little bit simpler, I’ve rounded up seven of the most effective February publication concepts from Drip’s exhaustive e-mail advertising archive.
High 7 February E-newsletter Concepts
Bean Field: Share Valentine’s Day Present Inspiration
Valentine’s Day is an enormous deal for retailers—particularly on-line ones.
Figures from the Nationwide Retail Federation present 53 % of US shoppers have a good time the event. Deliberate Valentine’s Day spending climbed to $23.9 billion in 2022, with the common American dropping over $175 on presents.
The very best information for ecommerce manufacturers? On-line is the highest purchasing vacation spot for Valentine’s Day purchases, with 41 % of shoppers shopping for on-line—in comparison with 32 % who shopped at department shops, 28 % at low cost shops, 18 % at native small companies, and 17 % at florists.
My colleague Seray has beforehand rounded up a bunch of high-quality Valentine’s Day e-mail examples, so I’d suggest checking them out if you’d like a deeper dive into V-Day advertising.
However final time I checked, the celebration of affection occurs on February 14th, inserting it squarely inside this text’s jurisdiction, so I’ve included a few Valentine’s Day examples right here too.
First up is espresso subscription service and presents model Bean Field, which reached out to its viewers with a V-Day purchaser’s information. It opened with a persuasive e-mail topic line promising inspirational concepts for Valentine’s buyers:
This can be a good play, as a result of it seems quite a lot of us really feel fairly anxious about shopping for Valentine’s Day presents. A survey from eMediHealth revealed that 28.5 % of shoppers fear about being judged primarily based on their alternative of present, whereas 24.5 % admit V-Day purchasing is a supply of monetary stress.
Bean Field’s e-mail comprises a bunch of coffee-themed Valentine’s presents, every accompanied by product imagery, a brief description, and a “Purchase Now” CTA:
And for those who don’t like what you see, there’s additionally an above-the-fold name to motion prompting clients to browse Bean Field’s full present choice:
Greetabl: Ship a Valentine’s Day Reminder Electronic mail
Sticking with the Valentine’s Day theme, it’s value remembering that whereas all of us method present shopping for with good intentions, life typically will get in the way in which.
Positive, we’d all love to purchase and wrap the proper current for our vital different weeks upfront. However subsequent factor we all know, it’s early February, and we’re determined to seek out one thing—something—that can arrive on time.
Google Traits knowledge exhibits that search exercise round Valentine’s Day climbs steadily all through January earlier than accelerating sharply because the day approaches:
That means there are quite a lot of last-minute V-Day buyers on the market.
For that purpose, your viewers will positively respect a reminder or two as the large day approaches. Particularly one which warns them of the deadline for on-line deliveries.
As a customised gifts retailer, Greetabl is effectively conscious that buyers are determined for his or her Valentine’s Day purchases to reach on time.
Forward of V-Day 2022, it shared an e-mail urging subscribers to purchase now to keep away from their presents turning up late.
The topic line grabbed consideration with actionable messaging that burdened the urgency of ordering straightaway:
As you may see, all of it additionally featured an emoji—a tactic that has been proven to seize consideration in a crowded inbox.
The theme of urgency continued within the e-mail physique, with Greetabl including a countdown timer displaying how a lot—or, reasonably, how little—time clients needed to place an order for assured Valentine’s Day transport:
Clearly, you shouldn’t add countdown timers to each e-mail you ship—they’ll lose their impression. However used sparingly, they’re a extremely efficient solution to drive motion, with knowledge from Sale Cycle revealing that countdown timers in emails and on-site messages end in:
- 30.49 % increased click-through charges
- 200 % increased conversion charges
These figures sound too good to be true. A 200 % upturn in conversions, simply from including a countdown timer to your emails? Absolutely not.
Nevertheless, we found one thing comparable in our evaluation of 20+ million on-site popups. Our analysis revealed that popups with countdown timers see a 113 % increased conversion fee than these with out timers, in order that they’re clearly a potent software for prompting clients to take motion.
The Physique Store: Supply a Free Present With Buy
As you’ll recall from the introduction of this very article, February is historically a gradual month for retail gross sales.
When shoppers aren’t within the shopping for temper, the very last thing you want is a excessive quantity of returns consuming into your backside line.
Fortuitously, there’s an answer: providing a free present with buy.
Analysis revealed within the journal Psychology & Advertising and marketing revealed that it’s higher for retailers to place a promotion as a “free present” reasonably than a “bundle”.
Why? As a result of free presents enhance the perceived loss felt by clients excited about returning a purchase order, thereby decreasing return charges.
Apparently, this technique is particularly efficient when the free present with buy is obtainable by a well-known model. Which makes it an ideal tactic to leverage in your February e-mail advertising campaigns.
That’s precisely what The Physique Store did in my subsequent instance:
Positive, the free present—a sheet masks—isn’t a big-money buy in its personal proper. As you may see from the e-mail copy, the promotion solely saves clients as much as $6. Nevertheless it seems that, from a psychological perspective, we simply love presents.
Whereas I’ve included this instance as one in every of my February publication concepts, you may clearly use it at any time of 12 months to drive down these pesky returns.
Oribe Hair Care: Share Your Greatest Product Evaluations
Decreasing returns is all effectively and good. However what are you able to do to enhance gross salesat a time of 12 months when shoppers simply aren’t seeking to spend their hard-earned money?
One tried-and-trusted tactic is to share buyer critiques of your hottest merchandise.
Mix a top-selling product with a convincing, persuasive, user-generated overview and also you’ve basically created a license to print cash.
Truth is, even for those who’re the world’s finest copywriter, you’ll by no means write something as convincing as a testimonial from a real buyer.
In accordance with Tint’s State of Consumer-Generated Content material 2022 report, 72 % of shoppers really feel customer-submitted critiques and testimonials are extra credible than branded content material. What’s extra, a staggering 93 % of entrepreneurs agree that customers belief user-generated content material (UGC) greater than content material created by manufacturers.
Oribe Hair Care is one model utilizing UGC to its benefit. On this instance, it showcases no fewer than 5 real-world buyer testimonials to advertise its anti-humidity spray (together with the one within the screenshot):
And, after all, it wraps the entire thing up with a name to motion encouraging clients to purchase now.
For an much more actionable technique, contemplate selling a limited-time low cost code, free transport, or gift-with-purchase provide alongside your product critiques to present your viewers an added incentive to purchase.
Chubbies: Promote Summer season Trip Merchandise
February isn’t precisely famed for wonderful climate (no less than, not within the northern hemisphere).
Even sun-drenched California will be grey, gloomy, and moist.
So it won’t sound like the neatest time of 12 months to advertise summer season vacation-related merchandise, like Chubbies did in my subsequent February publication instance:
Belief me, there’s technique to the insanity.
Google Traits knowledge exhibits us that mid-to-late February is definitely a peak interval for vacation-related searches, with spikes in exercise round phrases like:
- All-inclusive trip packages
- Greatest trip packages
- Hawaii trip
When you consider it, all of it provides up. Customers are sick of staring out the window and seeing drab, dreary skies, so they begin day-dreaming about sun-kissed seashores and cocktails across the resort pool.
Subsequent factor they know, they’re frantically Googling flight data and resort offers.
So it is sensible for manufacturers promoting vacation-centric merchandise—from attire to equipment to skincare—to succeed in out when clients have journey on their thoughts.
Mavi Denims: Showcase Your Spring Assortment
Talking of sunnier occasions, February can be the proper month to raise the lid in your spring assortment.
Our trusty companion, Google Traits, suggests there’s a reasonably small window wherein shoppers are interested by spring purchasing tendencies, with a peak in search exercise stretching from late February to early April:
In different phrases, if you’d like most consideration in your spring product vary, it is best to begin selling it by the tip of February on the newest.
It appears Mavi Denims obtained the memo. This e-mail, despatched in late February 2022, presents subscribers a glimpse at its not too long ago launched spring assortment, with loads of product imagery and persuasive copywriting that highlights key promoting factors:
Then there are two calls to motion pointing readers within the path of its “for him” and “for her” collections.
Mavi Denims makes this e-mail much more persuasive by including a 15 % low cost code for patrons who join its SMS advertising listing:
This can be a good play, with Shopify analysis revealing that multichannel advertising can enhance income by 38 %, 120 %, and 190 % for every further channel a buyer engages with.
Fabletics: Honor Black Historical past Month
February is US Black Historical past Month—a chance to acknowledge the struggles and successes of African People all through the nation’s historical past.
This represents a dilemma for entrepreneurs.
On one hand, you need to display your help for African American communities. Particularly on condition that four-fifths of shoppers favor a model’s values to align with their very own, in keeping with analysis from Google.
However on the opposite, no model desires to be accused of leaping on the Black historical past bandwagon in a cynical try to drive gross sales. Certainly, Google’s analysis additionally revealed that three-quarters of shoppers have “damaged up” with a model as a consequence of a battle in values.
Fabletics obtained issues proper in 2022:
Not solely did it be a part of forces with two Black creatives, nevertheless it additionally pledged to donate 100% of web proceeds to grassroots organizations focusing on that help Black communities.
For those who’re going to become involved in Black Historical past Month, bear in mind: it’s not all about you.
Make sure you’re centring Black voices. Don’t fall silent the second Black Historical past Month ends. And don’t use the occasion as an try to spice up your income.
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