Here are some key ways that email marketing can help your brand:
Read on to discover exactly how you can quickly change an incorrect link in your email after sending.
Sending your staff a holiday email spreads positivity and is a great way of boosting morale during the busy holiday season. Here are some ideas of holiday emails to send to your employees this December...
As almost 20% of the world's population, China accounts for a huge proportion of the world market. This makes it super important for any business operating globally or in the Asian market to recognise Chinese culture in their marketing efforts. Here are some great tips and examples to help you create a Chinese New Year email campaign.
What is Chinese New Year?
In China (as well as a few other Asian countries) New Year is celebrated according to the Lunar calendar. In China, the first day of the New Year begins when a new moon appears. This does not have a fixed date and traditionally occurs between 21st January and 20th February.
Here are a few interesting facts about Chinese New Year:
- Each year has a zodiac animal which serves as a symbol for the entire year, as well as anyone born in that year. In total, there are 12 zodiac animals. This year (2024) is the Year of the Dragon.
- Chinese New Year is also known as Spring Festival and lasts for 15 days. In this time, it is common for everyone to return home and celebrate with their families. This causes the busiest travel period in China.
- The color red is believed to bring good luck during the start of a new year. Most people decorate their homes red and wear red clothing. Money is also commonly gifted to children in red envelopes for good fortune.
- Certain flowers are are always associated with the start of a New Year and often used as decorations. For example, the narcissus flower symbolises prosperity and blossom represents luck.
- The Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide. Celebrations are held in major locations all around the world. London hosts the biggest celebrations outside of China and events are held throughout the city; including a huge parade.
Chinese New Year email campaign examples
Many big name brands send out a Chinese New Year email marketing campaign each year. Here are 5 of the best examples we've come across. Hopefully they'll inspire you to create one of your own!
Brand: Kate Spade
What we love: Aside from being super cute, this campaign is also really unique and creative. Kate Spade used their email campaign to promote a limited edition range especially for the Year of the Dog (back in 2018.)
Brand: Clinique
What we love: Here we can see another limited edition product being promoted which was created especially for the Year of the Rat. The red, gold and white color scheme is also well fitting to the occasion.
Brand: Harney & Sons
What we love: This campaign is not only super informative, it also manages to creatively use the zodiac animal (in this instance the horse) to connect the product to the celebration. Pairing this with an interesting main graphic and classic Chinese font made the email a winner.
Brand: Sunuva
What we love: This design is big on blossom - which is a traditional symbol associated with the Chinese New Year celebration. Putting together this edit was a great way for Sunuva to make their products relevant for the occasion.
Brand: La Mer
What we love: Gold goes hand in hand with any big celebration. This email campaign perfectly combines red and gold for a classic Chinese color scheme. We also love the subtle integration of the monkeys (zodiac animal for 2016) on the centre graphics.
Tips for your Chinese New Year email campaign
Remember the zodiac animal
Centring your campaign around the zodiac animal is a really smart way to stay relevant. Find ways to reference the zodiac animal of the year in your email; either through design (e.g. illustration, motifs, graphics) or text (subject line, puns, email copy, etc.) The more creative, the better!
Use traditional colors and symbols
As seen in the examples, the color red is a massive part of Chinese New Year celebrations. It's important to try and use this in your design. A red background, or red text are both good ways to add some color and stick to the theme.
In addition, other symbols such as the dragon, or the flowers we mentioned earlier would also be great to include in your design.
Concentrate on the theme of new beginnings
In all cultures, the start of a new year is synonymous with new beginnings. This is also the case with the Chinese New Year. Whether it's a new product range, a sale or promotion, or tempting your customer to try a new service, there are many ways you can incorporate this theme into your campaign.
Everyone can get involved
Even if you don't have a huge Chinese customer base, Chinese New Year is still well known enough to warrant an email campaign - just make sure to go about it respectfully. Find a way for your business to celebrate Chinese culture. This could be anything from art, cooking, language, film, fashion, etc.
Holding a special event or launching a promotion on Chinese-themed products are both good ways to get involved and share the celebration with your customer base:
Remember you have time
While the start of the New Year is what's most commonly celebrated, Chinese New Year celebrations actually last for 15 days. Don't panic if you haven't started on your campaign yet, as you still have time to celebrate with customers!
Hopefully you have found these tips and examples inspiring and will consider creating a Chinese New Year email marketing campaign of your own.
Looking for a place to get started? Mail Designer 365 offers you all the creative tools you need for your Chinese New Year email campaign:
- Download Mail Designer 365 for Mac free
- Edit our ready-made Chinese New Year email template or drag and drop to create your own
- Click on Start Campaign to send to your audience via Delivery Hub
New user? Send to up to 200 contacts for free! Learn more.
HTML Email Template for Chinese New Year
Exclusively available in Mail Designer 365! Send your audience a warm greeting for the Chinese New Year using this bold, fiery template.
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A good email marketer always needs to be two steps ahead in terms of planning. Using a calendar to map out content and campaigns is a great way to stay motivated and reach your 2024 marketing goals.
Now is a great time to start looking at your email marketing plan for 2024. When deciding on your campaign ideas throughout the year, it’s useful to have a clear overview of all key events taking place over the next 12 months. This will help you create email content which is relevant and interesting to your target audience.
Our 2024 marketing calendar will help you get started with your email marketing planning for the coming year – available for you to download free!
Your free 2024 marketing calendar:
Use your free, interactive 2024 marketing calendar to view all the most important dates, holidays and sales periods coming up in 2024. You can edit the template to add any additional events you want to include to start planning your 2024 email strategy.
Carry on noting down todos, campaign ideas, important links, etc. throughout the year and keep track of all your campaign planning in one key document. We’ve already provided you with some useful links to help you get started.
Create email campaigns for 2024
- Download Mail Designer 365 free
- Explore and edit 240+ ready-made sales and seasonal email templates
- Email design ready? Click Start Campaign to send directly to your audience via Mail Designer 365 Delivery Hub
Want more inspiration for 2024? Keep reading to discover more unique marketing opportunities you can get involved in this year…
12 dates you need in your 2024 marketing calendar
Every year has those key marketing dates that a marketer can't do without, such as Valentine's Day, Halloween, Black Friday, etc. What really sets your business apart from the rest is getting involved with unique holidays and events that keep your campaigns fresh and interesting to your target audience.
Here's a monthly breakdown of exciting events coming up in 2024 that you can adapt for your own creative campaigns.
January 11th - International Thank You Day
January 11th is International Thank You Day and poses the perfect opportunity for your business to show your gratitude to customers in whichever way you see fit.
One idea could be to launch a "thank you" sale or promotion, allowing customers to save money after the costly holiday period. You could also hold a special event in store, offer a free gift with every purchase, or simply send out a warm thank you email to all your subscribers. Tip: Here are some great ideas for thank you emails.
Say thank you to your customers this January on International Thank You Day
February 10th - Lunar New Year 2024
The Lunar New Year is a major celebration throughout China and the rest of the world and coincides with the first new moon of the lunar calendar. According to tradition, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon!
If you or your audience are also celebrating, take a moment to recognize this significant event by sending a New Year greeting or organising a promotional email campaign.
Use this fiery Mail Designer 365 Design Idea as inspiration for your Chinese New Year campaigns or get more tips in our dedicated marketing guide.
March 23rd - Earth Hour
There's never been a more important time to raise awareness about climate change and sustainability. The Earth Hour movement is all about taking time out to reduce our impact on the planet and switching off the lights to reduce global energy usage.
There are so many ways your business could get involved in raising awareness for this cause, for example by using your platform to share tips and ideas and to get the word out there. The Earth Hour website also has plenty more ideas and resources for you to explore.
April 12th - Coachella weekend begins
Coachella is known worldwide for being one of the biggest music festivals of the year and for many, marks the start of the summer season. With major stars headlining each year, thousands of celebrities, influencers and members of the public flock to this huge musical event, taking place over two weekends in the California desert.
As well as music, festival fashion is also a hot topic during Coachella. Perhaps your business can find a way to incorporate some of these themes into your April marketing campaigns. Some ideas may include organising a special event, creating a Coachella lookbook consisting of your products, or sharing travel tips.
May 6th - Met Gala
For years, the first Monday in May has been well known by the fashion community to mark the date of the Met Gala – considered by many to be "fashion's biggest night". The Gala is held annually in support of the New York Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute.
Each year there is a theme which invitees (largely consisting of prominent celebrities and influencers) are expected to reflect in their outfit choices. For 2024, the theme is "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion".
As one of the most talked about events of the year, this could be a unique campaign opportunity for your business, especially if you are operating in the fashion or lifestyle industries. Met viewing parties or live commentaries are growing in popularity, or you could try creating content that provides insight on this year's theme.
June 1st - LGBT Pride Month begins
In the USA, and many other countries worldwide, June 1st signifies the beginning of LGBT Pride Month. During this time, events and parades are often held to celebrate LGBT people and promote tolerance and equality.
In recent years, more and more businesses have been getting involved and showing their support for the LGBT Pride movement. Whether that be for their LBGT members of staff, LGBT customers, or simply to demonstrate the company's overall values.
Consider taking this opportunity to hold a special Pride event, give LGBT voices a platform, or simply share a few words with your email subscribers about the importance of acceptance and tolerance.
The Mail Designer 365 Pride Collection contains a selection of bold email templates you can use to celebrate love and equality for everyone this Pride Month.
July 26th - Start of the 2024 Olympic Games
Held every four years, the Olympics are without a doubt one of the world's biggest sporting events and have people worldwide glued to their TV screens. In 2024, the Olympic Games will take place in Paris, France.
Like any major sporting event, the Olympics offer a great amount of marketing potential for your business – whether you're creating a special product range, holding an event or viewing party, or encouraging people to get active. See how you can incorporate these themes into your marketing strategy from July 26th - August 11th!
August 26th - Women's Equality Day
Most have heard of International Women's Day (March 8th), but August 26th also marks another important occasion for women in the US. Women's Equality Day is an annual day of recognition, commemorating the anniversary of women receiving the right to vote in the USA.
If a percentage of your audience is based in the US, this is a great opportunity to show your support for equal rights by sending out a dedicated email campaign. Need inspiration? Check out our marketing guide.
September 21st - Oktoberfest begins
Taking place annually in Munich, Germany since 1810, Oktoberfest is the world's largest beer festival (Volksfest). Each year, millions of visitors travel from within Germany and abroad to Munich to join in the celebrations which usually take place during the last two weeks of September up until the first Sunday of October.
Oktoberfest or Wiesn is renowned for its fun, party atmosphere – something which you could try incorporating into your campaigns during this period. For example, an Oktoberfest themed menu at your restaurant or a community beer festival.
October 10th - World Mental Health Day
The importance of taking care of your mental health is something which is being emphasised more and more. World Mental Health Day allows your business to use your platform to raise awareness.
You could run a social media campaign inspiring people to open up and support one another, or set up a charitable campaign encouraging donations to leading mental health organisations. Alternatively, sharing tips and resources on dealing with common mental health problems is another useful way your business can help show support.
November 25th - Small Business Saturday
Everyone's heard of Black Friday but have you heard of Small Business Saturday? As the name suggests, this is a day to show support for small, independent businesses in the run up to the holiday sales season.
If you are a small business owner, this is a great focus for your main seasonal sales campaign to drive more customers to your physical store or website.
Taken from the US Chamber of Commerce website:
"Small Business Saturday... encourages consumers to support local businesses by shopping small. American Express launched this shopping holiday in 2010, at the height of the Great Recession, as a way of redirecting holiday shopping to local stores. A decade later, it’s observed in all 50 states, and in 2011, the Senate passed a resolution recognizing Small Business Saturday."
December 6th - St Nicholas Day
St Nicholas Day is a Christian celebration based on the origins of Father Christmas. The holiday is celebrated in many countries throughout Europe, including France, Germany and Belgium, and provides a chance for your business to get super festive in early December. Especially if you have a big target audience in Europe, holding a sale or special event around this time could be a great warm up for Christmas.
Getting started with Email Marketing in 2024
We hope we have given you some ideas and inspiration for your 2024 email marketing calendar. Alongside the regular holidays and events in your planner, these events should give you some fresh and interesting new subject matter to create engaging emails with in 2024.
Want to get started with your campaigns asap? Check out Mail Designer 365! Download the app free today to discover all the Design Ideas, creative tools and resources you need to create and send amazing emails in 2024…
Until next time,
Your Mail Designer 365 Team
Get started with your 2024 email campaigns today
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In email marketing, the term "email service provider" or "ESP" gets thrown around a lot. For a beginner looking for the best email service provider to start sending marketing emails with, the amount of options out there can be daunting.
To help make the choice a little easier for you, we're taking you through all you need to know about getting set up with an email service provider, plus going over all the key features to look out for.
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What are the benefits of an email service provider?
- Cost-effective
- Gives you full control of your email marketing strategy
- Helpful tools like email segmentation for highly engaging emails
- Improves your email deliverability
- Track your email performance
- Tells you more about your target audience and their behaviour
First, try to figure out what are the main criteria that are important to you. To help you out, we've listed the features and other key points to consider when choosing your email service below.
Next steps:
- Go through the list of questions
- Create a checklist of ideal and must-have features
- Go through the different email service providers and check them against your criteria
Email design:
- Does the service offer ready-made email templates or do I need to provide my own HTML?
- Do they offer an email editor so I can create my own email designs?
- How do their designs look on mobile devices?
Budget:
- What is my email marketing budget?
- Are free plans available?
- Does the price of the service plan fall within my budget?
- Does the plan that falls within my budget give me access to the tools that I need for my email campaigns?
- How much are the next tiers?
Email Volume:
- What is my projected monthly email volume?
- How fast is my subscriber list growing?
- Do I foresee my volume surpassing the limit of my budgeted plan anytime soon?
Tools Available:
- What are the types of emails I plan on sending to my subscribers list? Are they mostly one time promotional emails, or transactional emails?
- Does the email service provider cater for the types of emails I want to send?
- Can they host my images?
- Can I create sign up forms?
- Does the email service provider allow me to segment my list?
- Can I schedule emails?
Deliverability:
- Can I send test emails before sending to my list?
- Does the email service provider have good reporting tools for deliverability issues?
- Am I only allowed to send permission-based emails?
- Will my emails get through spam filters?
- Does the email service provider review my email campaigns and make sure that they are compliant with spam laws?
- Does the email service provider have good deliverability scores with major email providers?
Opting-In and Opting-Out:
- Can I create my own opt-in form and customize it?
- Am I able create my own opt-out form and can I customize it?
- Can I choose whether I want a single or double opt-in?
- Am I able to design landing pages for opt-ins and opt-outs?
If not, then:
- Can I integrate opt-in/opt-out form generator apps with my account?
- Am I able to integrate landing page generator apps with my account?
- Will new opt-in/opt-out addresses be automatically updated on my list?
List Management:
- Can I manually manage and alter my subscribers list?
- Does the email service provider automatically take out opt-out requests or do I have to do it manually?
- Is there an automatic deletion system for email addresses that always bounce?
- Can I add details about each contact?
- How many details can I add per email address?
- Does the email service provider check for errors and autocorrects things like typos?
- Can I upload my contacts via a .csv file or a .txt file?
- Can I add my contacts by copy & pasting from a spreadsheet?
- Are new opt-ins automatically added to my list?
Metrics:
- Can I do real-time tracking?
- Am I able to track opening rates, email bounces, click-through rates, conversion rates, and other data that is important to me?
- Can I see which email addresses did not receive the campaigns and which ones did?
- Will the email service provider tell me if the email was delivered to the inbox or to the spam folder?
- Am I able to track the number of new unsubscribers?
- Does the email service provider allow me to gather data on why people unsubscribed?
Support:
- Can I get support whenever I need it?
- Will I be able to get support in my preferred language?
- What kind of support does the email service provider provide?
- Are there additional tools and guides available online from the email service provider?
- How long is their average response time?
Ease of exit:
- Does the email service provider automatically renew my plan with them?
- Can I manage my plan online?
- How long ahead of time do I need to notify them if I want to end my plan?
- Will I be able to export my email list(s) easily?
Key Takeaways:
- Prioritize what are the most important features
- Create a checklist and see if the email service provider meets your requirements
- Try out multiple ESPs before you make your final decision
As well as a fully integrated sending service, Mail Designer 365 supports all leading email service providers and marketing automation tools.
Get started with Mail Designer 365 today
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Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds! Our guide takes you through all the basics of setting up DKIM for your email domain, so you can continue sending awesome (and spam compliant!) email campaigns in the new year and beyond.
From utilising AI to checking over your spelling and grammar to creating fun email content, there are many free marketing tools out there with a wide array of different functions available. Sometimes, you can even benefit from using free marketing tools as a useful supplement to the tools that you are already using.
Keep reading to discover some of our favorite, free marketing tools to help your email campaigns:
For a lot of businesses, Halloween is one of the most exciting events on the marketing calendar. Building a Halloween email campaign gives you the chance to get super creative and try out loads of exciting new ideas. Like all holidays, it's also a great opportunity for holding a sale or special promotion.
However, it can also be daunting to try and come up with a new idea when the stakes are so high. To help you get inspired, we've collected some of the very best Halloween email campaign examples, as well as easy-to-follow tips and tricks on how to recreate them...
P.S: Don't forget to check out our spooky Halloween template collection - ready for you to edit in Mail Designer 365 on your Mac and send via Delivery Hub...
Halloween Email Template Ideas for Your Business
1. Uber
This tarot themed email design by Uber is a great way to kick off our examples. Although not necessarily a traditional Halloween theme, Uber still manage to incorporate some spookiness into their email to keep readers interested.
What we love: Including Halloween survival tips is something many customers will massively appreciate.
2. JackThreads
In this email promotion, JackThreads have opted for the classic Halloween sale. 70% off is impressive and will instantly pique readers' interest. The funny pumpkin graphic is also a clever way to grab the attention of the reader and get them in the Halloween spirit.
What we love: The skeleton font is super unique and perfect for Halloween. We also love the blood spatter effect they've used on their logo to make the email even more scary.
3. Hotel Chocolat
Bring on the first of the GIFs! This simple yet effective email by Hotel Chocolat is super clever and plays on the classic trick or treat theme which everyone associates with Halloween. The spooky ghost in the background paired with the creepy "ring, ring, ring..." makes the design extra exciting.
What we love: The playful CTA button (call-to-action) is smart in this email design. Using a less serious CTA makes readers more willing to play along at Halloween.
4. thredUp
This email by thredUP is a bit less on the scary side, but still seriously cool. Dressing up and having fun is what Halloween is all about so these DIY costume ideas are ideal for kids and parents alike. The CTA links are also easy to locate, making shopping for the perfect costume even easier!
What we love: The costume tips are really inspiring for parents planning a fun Halloween for their kids. thredUp also stresses how the clothes can be worn again and again (not just on the big day) which we think is super productive.
Tip: Build a similar layout in Mail Designer 365 using combi text-image layout blocks:
5. Graze
Graze are making us hungry with this snack-themed Halloween email! Concentrating on the health benefits of pumpkin seeds is smart at this time of the year and gets readers hungry to find out more about this nutritious snack. The little pumpkins scattered throughout the design also help add to the seasonal theme without going overboard.
What we love: The pumpkin shaped eye-catcher at the top of the design instantly introduces the Halloween theme and helps Graze show off their special offer.
6. Boohoo
Boohoo also get creative with GIFs in yet another trick or treat inspired email design. Although the rest of the email is pretty simple, the main eye-catcher is the heaven vs. hell GIF animation at the top of the design which instantly makes the theme clear.
What we love: As well as the really clever GIF, the retro Halloween font choice in this email is also great. Using all of these aspects together helps Boohoo create the perfect basis to advertise their Halloween competition.
Tip: Try out the range of web fonts in Mail Designer 365 to create cool text effects like the one in this email. We personally recommend "Nosifer" or "Creepster" for this time of the year!
7. Sainsbury's
This email from Sainsbury's is yet another example of how you can use your Halloween email campaigns to offer customers practical tips and advice. The email has a great balance of text, images, fun graphics and CTA buttons.
What we love: The call-to-actions in this email work perfectly with the rest of the design. The orange stands out against the dark background, but also is completely on point for the season. It's also super effective how they're placed under eye-catching, Halloween themed images.
8. Land's End
Land's End have pulled out all the stops on this email design. The 31% offer paired with the spooky ghost and the "Boo" discount code makes it no secret what the theme of this campaign is...
What we love: The ghost, obviously! The ghost feature image made out of clothing is a clever way for Land's End to incorporate Halloween into their usual branding.
9. Pizza Hut
We've found yet another food-themed email! Pizza Hut have embraced the Halloween theme with this vibrant email design. The CTA is super tempting and makes the reader want to click straight away to discover their exclusive deal.
What we love: In this email, it's the color combination of red and black which stands out the most. We also love the fun pizza GIF which helps get readers in the party mood, as well as subtly making them crave pizza!
10. Kohl's
Kohl's have hit the nail on the head with their Halloween themed discount draw. There is a lot going on in this promotion. As well as the mystery discount offer, they also offer money off a threshold spend. All of these offers go along with the exciting nature of Halloween and encourage readers to get shopping.
What we love: Including a sense of urgency was a great way for Kohl's to make sure they attract as many customers to their website as possible. After all, it's now or never! The three pumpkins are also a great, central eye-catcher to keep the email in line with the theme.
11. Unidays
This email by Unidays is a similar concept to the previous email. In this example, there is even more of a sense of mystery thanks to the question mark graphic. The glowing green CTA button is also super prominent and entices the reader to click.
What we love: Thanks to the bats, the whole vibe of this email is really creepy mysterious. This adds even more to the overall effect of the promotion. The orange border paired with the headline font also helps make the design pop; giving it that Halloween feel.
Tip: Recreate this unique border effect in Mail Designer 365 with the borders tool. Customise the color, width and style of your border to suit your spooky email.
12. American Eagle Outfitters
Look away now if spiders aren't your thing! This design by American Eagle Outfitters is pretty simplistic, but perfectly captures the Halloween theme thanks to the spooky spiderweb graphic. Also notice the little bat icon in the top left corner which they've swapped their usual eagle logo for. Just small changes like this can be super effective during the holidays.
What we love: The 31% off discount is clever because it differs from the norm and relates perfectly to Halloween. They have also managed to create a sense of urgency with the "only on Halloween" tagline.
13. BKNR
Last but not least, BKNR have gone for a more laid back approach in this email rather than concentrating too much on horror and spooky imagery. The subtle, orange accents throughout the email are great for Halloween and the trick or treat theme is also super effective.
What we love: The email is bang on trend for the Halloween season without going overboard. The quirky orange frames and bold CTA buttons mean customers are instantly drawn to the new products. We also give 10/10 for the Halloween kitty!
Tip: Use the shape creator in Mail Designer 365 to create a similar frame and CTA effect for your images. The color picker will give you exactly the shade of orange you are looking for to make your design Halloween ready.
Awesome HTML Email Templates for Halloween:
We hope you've enjoyed these great examples of Halloween email designs. We've also got two exciting, Halloween templates for you over in Mail Designer 365! Get inspired and edit them in the app today!
Hungry for more Halloween tips? Check out our other awesome guides:
- 5 Things You Can Do to Build Devilishly Good Designs this Halloween
- 10 Spook-tacular Tricks for Halloween Email Campaigns
Happy Halloween!
Your Mail Designer 365 Team
Get started with Mail Designer 365 today
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