Ready to sleigh your holiday marketing goals? Export your nice (marketing) list and send emails that subscribers can’t wait to open by copying these winning BFCM strategies. 

As the holidays approach, brands are gearing up to capitalize on the season of giving—and spending. 

With inboxes filling up fast, crafting engaging, personalized, and strategically timed emails is key to standing out from the crowd. 

Let's dive into some festive strategies to help your brand shine bright in the holiday inbox.

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1. Offer a free gift with purchase

‘Tis the season of gifting, and that means offering gifts to your loyal customers. Supergoop! emailed subscribers to tell them the BFCM sale was bigger and better than ever by offering 20% off sitewide. And if shoppers hit a purchase minimum, they’d also get a free mini product. 

Not only is the free gift a fun extra, it’s also a great way to introduce shoppers to new products they may purchase on their own in the future. 

This is an excellent opportunity for an A/B test to see if your audience is more likely to click knowing what the gift is, or whether they like an air of mystery and don’t want to find out until it’s time to checkout.

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2. Trim the cost of shipping

Globally, 50% of consumers would give out their number for a complementary gift or free shipping, highlighting the value of these incentives. To make the buying decision easy for their subscribers, Beachwaver promoted their free shipping offer right at the top of their holiday email campaign. For customers who might be on the fence, eliminating the added cost of shipping increases the likelihood they’ll convert.

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3. Give subscribers early access to Black Friday deals

Beauty brand Victoria Beckham conveyed urgency by giving early access to BFCM deals and reminded subscribers to not miss their chance at snagging these bestsellers before everyone else. 

Giving early access to Black Friday sales rewards existing customers and subscribers with exclusive perks, fostering a sense of VIP treatment that strengthens their connection to your brand. Early access also helps you manage inventory more effectively by spreading out demand, reducing the risk of selling out during peak sales periods. It also allows you to capture sales from eager shoppers who want to secure deals before their fellow shoppers.

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4. Support other like-minded brands on Small Business Saturday

Thread Wallets launched an eye-catching email campaign to promote Small Business Saturday, and remind customers that they could still shop and enjoy discounts of up to 60% off. They spotlighted some of their favorite small businesses, offering customers the chance to discover new brands. 

Promoting other brands can build goodwill and foster a sense of community. The other benefit, of course, is cross-promotion—each participating brand gets to reach new, engaged audiences. This approach also adds value to your content, providing your audience with varied and interesting recommendations.

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5. Share a list that isn’t for the man in the red suit

Blenders Eyewear helped customers prepare for the shopping frenzy by emailing them a checklist and telling them when the sale would start. The checklist featured actionable to-dos, such as saving items in their cart, adding the sale to their calendars, and signing up for texts for real-time notifications. Following their example, you can increase email engagement by drawing the eye and making content more scannable.  

This email generated excitement for the sale and eased customers’ minds that they could add their favorites to their cart early and be notified when exclusive collections drop.

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6. Give thanks to your subscribers

Revel Nail sent an email wishing customers a happy Thanksgiving to express their gratitude and extend an invitation to customers to join their post-holiday event. This is a great example of a warm and engaging gesture that can help build a stronger emotional connection with your audience. It humanizes your brand and fosters a sense of community around your brand and its values. 

Our email marketing experts say that how recently someone opened your email affects whether it shows up in their inbox. By investing in making that connection with your audience, you’re more likely to keep that engagement going and increase the likelihood your BFCM deals land in their primary inbox, too.

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7. Promote new items added to the sale

Gimme Beauty sent subscribers an email revealing new additions to their Black Friday sale, giving customers a limited window to snag these items at a discount. By calling out the best-selling detangling brushes, it gave subscribers a compelling reason to shop as soon as possible. 

This strategy can be doubly effective by segmenting audiences based on past purchases or browsing behavior. Including vivid imagery can further entice customers, while clear calls to action guide them seamlessly to the point of purchase.

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8. Highlight a BOGO deal

A Buy One Get One (BOGO) deal ranks at number two for consumers’ preferred promotional offers during BFCM. Territorial Seed Company emailed subscribers for Black Friday announcing their BOGO gift card promotion. When subscribers purchased a $50 gift card, they’d automatically get a $10 gift card too. But, they had to hurry as the sale was only valid through the weekend.

They made it even easier for shoppers as they offered both physical and digital gift cards.

Offering gift cards meant they could attract a wider range of customers, including those who may be uncertain about what to purchase or are buying for others. Gift cards can also have a big impact on BFCM revenue as there’s the gift card purchase and then the bonus that customers often spend more than the card's value.

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9. Pair discounts with helpful content

Kodiak Cakes sent an email that announced their biggest sale of the year, recommended best-selling products, and shared some helpful recipes that tied right into the holiday. Even if subscribers weren’t ready to shop, they could still engage with the brand. 

By sharing valuable, informative, or entertaining content, you can establish trust with your brand—beyond the immediate transaction. Non-promotional content, such as educational articles, behind-the-scenes stories, or customer testimonials, can engage customers on a deeper level, making them more receptive to future promotional messages. This approach can improve email open rates and click-through rates, as customers come to anticipate and appreciate the valuable content. It also helps brands maintain a balanced communication strategy, ensuring customers don't feel overwhelmed by constant sales pitches.

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10. Share the love on Giving Tuesday

OLLY sent an email to customers to call attention to their support of Project Healthy Minds for Giving Tuesday. If subscribers shopped on the day they got the email, they could play a role in supporting the organization as well—and stock up on their favorite vitamins at the same time. 

Giving Tuesday offers your brand a meaningful opportunity to connect with customers on a deeper level, demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility and community engagement. By encouraging customers to participate in charitable acts and supporting causes aligned with your brand's values, you can foster a sense of shared purpose and goodwill.

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11. Alert subscribers to restocked items

There’s nothing worse than waiting all year for BFCM deals and then having an item be sold out. JAXXON used email to alert subscribers that their best-selling styles were restocked—and on sale for 50% off. 

The scarcity tactic encourages quicker decision-making and can significantly boost conversion rates.

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12. Notify subscribers of their last chance to shop

Trixie Cosmetics had a lot going for the brand with this BFCM email campaign. They reminded subscribers that it was the last day to shop and get 30% off without needing a coupon code. They also offered free shipping on orders over $70, and then linked directly to product categories so subscribers can shop ASAP for their needs. 

Sending a last-chance email can nudge indecisive shoppers to make a purchase, helping to boost sales.

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13. Lead with pricing

Piper Lou knew customers were on the hunt for savings, so they included pricing right in the email. Shoppers could know what categories to shop for depending on their budget, or quickly assess what type of deal they were getting on Piper Lou’s products. 

‍Including pricing in emails provides transparency and can improve click-through rates and conversions, as customers are more likely to engage with offers when they know the cost upfront. By clearly displaying prices, you can reduce uncertainty, build trust, and streamline the purchasing process.

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14. Emphasize your brand’s values

Purity Coffee celebrated Green Friday instead of Black Friday. They offered subscribers some great deals when they shopped, including free shipping, carbon offsets, two times the loyalty points, all on top of 20% off. Their Green Friday promotion reaffirmed theirs and their customers’ commitment to sustainability. 

By aligning deals with core values, you can reinforce your brand’s identity, enhance customer loyalty, and attract like-minded consumers. This approach not only drives sales but also builds a strong brand image, fosters meaningful connections, and differentiates your brand in a competitive market.

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Improve your BFCM email and SMS efforts based on subscriber preferences

The best approach to your BFCM campaigns (both email and SMS) starts with knowing your customers—and what their communication preferences are. Globally, 85% of shoppers say that when they subscribe to a brand’s SMS program, they also sign up for their email. But, those channels will be used in different ways. Let’s see how:

• Keep your sign-up forms up during Black Friday. Some brands turn off popups, but we’ve found that brands that left their sign-ups live in 2023 grew their list by an average of 5.2%. An easy way to collect both an email address and phone number is to highlight the benefits subscribers get, such as free shipping or early access to BFCM deals.
• Send your first Black Friday message to your entire list. Plenty of subscribers are inactive the rest of the year but re-activate for BFCM.
• Announce BFCM deals via SMS first. Consumers tend to see their texts sooner than they see emails, so send your initial announcement as a text message. SMS is a great first touchpoint for cart abandonment journeys, especially during BFCM. The customer has high intent, and reaching out within a few minutes of them placing an item in their cart can seal the deal. 
• Use email for more detailed follow-ups. Send an email with more details or even more visuals to encourage shoppers to visit your website. 
• Mix up your sends. Especially during promotional periods, customers can experience fatigue from repeated email sends. In these times, SMS can be a great tool to send a “final hours” or “sale ends soon” message.‍
• Segment your sends on both channels. Even the most loyal and engaged customers still want an experience that feels thoughtful and personalized. Use exclusions, engagement metrics, intent, and location information to tailor your message flows. If certain subscribers are more engaged on a particular channel—or only subscribe to one—segment to account for individual behavior. You could also use AI to power your personalized messages and identify the right audience for those messages.

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Bookmark these additional resources

Looking for guidance as you craft other parts of your BFCM marketing campaigns? Here are some resources to help you plan your holiday marketing strategy or take your current strategy to the next level. 

• Discover when you should send your texts and emails during the busy holiday shopping season. We’re talking both the most popular times and the times with the highest conversion rates. Check out our BFCM message sending guide. 
• The countdown to BFCM is on and we’ve got a guide that outlines everything you need to do 60 days before the shopping holiday to craft a unified messaging strategy. Read the 60-day guide.
• Your strategy is set. In the 30 days leading up to BFCM, it’s time to draft and schedule your marketing campaigns, update sign-up units, and make edits to triggered sends to capitalize on the shopping frenzy. Explore the 30-day BFCM guide. 
• Give yourself the gift of saving time this holiday season by downloading these plug-and-play BFCM templates, toolkits, and checklists. 
• Want to test new copy in your SMS campaigns but don’t have time to draft it? Borrow some messaging from our copy-and-paste holiday marketing ideas that increase sales.