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Alright, we’ve talked a little bit about how to make the most of your post-holiday marketing efforts in the remaining weeks of the recently concluded year, but we didn’t really dig into the nitty gritty of new year’s number crunching (time to move on!). If you guys read my award winning (read: boss said it was cool) Stat Central series, you’re probably chomping at the bit to start putting some of that data to use, right? Definitely. So, let’s see how some of that analysis can be applied during one of the most underwhelming marketing periods of the calendar year.

Watch Your Opens

Now, the main thing we’re going to look at here is demographics. By putting the magnifying glass on your “Opens”, you can get a quick feel for who is opening your emails, and how often they’re doing it. Check out your five most recent email newsletters, and copy the list of subscribers who opened each one. Combine all five lists in a spreadsheet, eliminate the duplicates, and upload that list into a subscriber category for a new holiday campaign (I know this sounds like a lot of work, but you can get it done in just a few minutes –promise).

Sweeps Week

With your new category ready to go, gear up for a week-long promotion series specifically designed for your best customers – those who have been reading your newsletters regularly. We all like to hear that we’re special, appreciated, handsome, smart, fun–you get the picture. All that to say our frequent readers should appreciate the extra thank you.

An Offer They Can’t Refuse

So, the plan here is to grab all of these frequent readers’ attention by offering them an opportunity soooo good they can’t afford to let it go. For your business, this may mean employing some kind of loss-leader sale or monster discount to keep them interested. Once you’ve got your plan in place, issue one email on Sunday night with an super exciting subject line and, something like “Week-Long Extravaganza”, “A Special Thank You for An Incredible Year”, or “Look Out Behind You” (Right? You’d have to open it).You can also grab some extra eyes with a well placed header.

Short, Sweet and To the Point

From there, draft a simple, visually intriguing email newsletter that tells your loyal subscribers about a week of one-day only deals, and include a link to the daily deal listing – it could be your brand’s Facebook page, your website, or a promotional blog. Next, update your chosen medium each day for one full week to include a new deal or savings opportunity, ensuring regular returns.

Know Your Limits

Some businesses, when running an email campaign, can send newsletters daily blasts to make sure their readers see the deals each day. However, this can be really dangerous for smaller businesses. Even though you’ve selected a group of readers that seem to be opening your newsletters consistently, bumping up to daily sends could lead to some quick unsubscribes. If your subscriber base is relatively small, or you’re new to email marketing, it’s best to stick with a one-time send. Too many might make you seem needy. Don’t seem needy. That’s sad.