Leverage Email Marketing to Give Your 4th Quarter Sales a Major Boost

Discover four simple ways to leverage email marketing to bring more sales into your business during the 4th quarter.

Do you have a solid plan to get the most out of your email list in the 4th quarter? Email marketing is a crucial part of the overall marketing strategy for any subscription box business or product based business. And now is the time of year when email marketing really pays off - if it’s done right. 

During the first three quarters of the year, our email content has specific goals. We are nurturing our list, providing a ton of value, and building that all-important know/like/trust factor. 

People who opt-in to our email lists receive welcome sequences where we share value-packed information about us and our subscription box businesses. We send weekly newsletters where we again serve our audiences by providing value. We send emails containing links to our latest blog posts or podcast episodes. 

Why is it so important to nurture our email lists during the first three quarters of the year? 

The answer is simple. We’re warming them up.

By spending this time building connections and sharing knowledge and resources with your email list, you’re getting them ready to buy. 

I’ve proven it time and time again inside my own product based business. Whether it’s one-off sales from my online shop or gaining new subscribers, a warm audience is SO MUCH easier to convert than a cold lead. 

So spend that time during the first nine months of the year serving and serving and serving your audience. 

But when the 4th quarter rolls around, serving your audience looks different. 

Serve your audience by selling.

The 4th quarter is different. And serving your customers during the 4th quarter is different. 

You’re still helping them solve a problem. You’re still looking to bring ease and convenience to their lives. 

But now? Solving those problems and bringing ease and convenience looks like helping them buy. 

This is the time of year when your customers’ focus shifts from buying for themselves to buying for others. Your ideal customer has a list of people to buy for and is hoping for someone to help them check people off that list as quickly and easily as possible. 

Your job is simple. Get your products in front of them. 

You’ve spent all year building your email list. Now it’s time to use that list to boost your 4th quarter sales. 

Leverage your email list.    

This time of the year is busy for any product-based business owner. You don’t need to add a bunch of things to your already too long to-do list. 

That’s why I’m keeping things simple and focusing on four things you can do to get the most out of your email list. 

1. Increase the frequency of your emails. 

During the first three quarters of the year, you should be emailing your list once a week. 

Wondering what to email your list each week. Check out this blog post. 

If you have been emailing your list once a week, increase the frequency to two of three emails a week. If you’ve only been emailing once a month, start sending at least one email every week. 

The goal of these emails is to drive sales, action, and results. 

Members of Launch Your Box have access to a training I did all about how to turn your email list into an ATM. It really is possible. Inside that training, I talked about sending two different types of email campaigns every week. 

1. Mini campaign - one email focused on one product with no follow up. Keep the copy and image simple. Examples of mini campaigns: 
• Hot deal of the week.
• Restock alert.
• Browse abandonment on a hot item.
2. Weekly campaign - one email focused on multiple products with follow up. Examples of weekly campaigns: 
• Best sellers of the week - 3-5 items.
• Special promotions.
• Repurpose a box opening. 

2. Make all emails product focused.   

Now is not the time to serve your customers with content. They can’t consume content right now. Their minds - like yours - are on their endless list of things to do and people to buy for. 

Now is when you serve your customers by solving their “what to get” problem. Now is when they need to see your products. 

The 4th quarter is the best time to serve your customers and capture sales at the same time. Send emails that highlight: 

• Bestseller of the week. 
• Top three gifts for moms, teens, dog lovers, etc. 
• New items of the week.
• Restock alerts.
• Recaps of Facebook LIVES where you promoted a product.

3. Limit the number of options.   

It can be so tempting to offer your customers a lot of choices. You feel like you’re serving them by letting them choose. The truth? The more choices you give customers, the greater the chance you’ll actually give them decision fatigue. 

Decision fatigue happens when a customer is faced with too many choices and can’t decide. Instead of making a decision and taking the action you want them to take - buying something - they tell themselves they’ll “think about it” and come back later. Most times they never come back. 

Make it easy for your customers to buy from you. Give your email a juicy subject line and limit options to no more than three. 

4. Focus on giftability.   

Serve your customers by showing them how giftable your items are. Make it clear who the item is for - is it the perfect gift for teenage girls, teachers, moms, best friends? 

Take an everyday item and make it giftable. Include an image of it folded neatly with a bow around it or peeking out of a box with a gift tag. Make it easy for customers to see that product as the perfect gift for someone on their list. 

Consider creating gift sets or bundles from fresh inventory or inventory you have laying around on your shelves. Give it new life by making it part of something special - a carefully curated gift!   

Check out this blog post to learn more about creating holiday gift boxes from excess inventory. 

The key to 4th quarter email marketing success is not to overthink it. 

• Keep the copy brief and get right to the point. 
• Include great images and a clear call to action. 
• Follow up your email with social media posts to match and send a text to your text list. 

More emails means more sales, especially during the 4th quarter. Use these four simple ways to leverage email marketing to bring more sales into your business this year!