Your Survival Guide to the Last Week of Holiday Marketing

It's the final week before Christmas, and that means plenty of last-minute shoppers rushing around looking for sales, gift ideas, anything.

Maybe you're rushing around yourself, trying to make the most of marketing your holiday promotions.

If you're feeling frazzled, don't worry. We've highlighted all the information you need to know for the next week in this handy survival guide. Pay attention to the dates and shipping deadlines to get the most out of your final marketing push this season.

December 17

Today is Free Shipping Day
Next to Cyber Monday, Free Shipping Day was the highest grossing online shopping day of the holiday season last year. Make sure you're signed up if you're participating today and sweeten your holiday deals with free shipping for a day.

Shipping Deadline:
FedEx Ground

December 18

There's one week left until Christmas. Similar to last year, 3.5% of consumers say they plan to wait for this last week before Christmas to complete their shopping. This week also brought in the most retail sales last year. Catch straggling shoppers with some extra sales.

December 19

Not only was this the biggest week for retail sales last year, but Wednesdays also had the highest email conversion rates. Take advantage of both this year by sending a quick message to get customers into your store or onto your site today.

December 20

With 5 days until Christmas, today is the deadline for most shipping options. Make sure your customers know by announcing shipping cutoffs in an email and on your social networks.

If you offer several shipping options, link to shipping deadlines in your emails like ModCloth did in their email headers last year:

Shipping Deadlines:
USPS First-Class Mail
UPS 2nd Day Air
UPS Ground
FedEx 2Day

December 21

It's the start of the weekend, which means holiday parties for your customers (and hopefully you, too!). Your readers might appreciate some helpful entertaining tips and tools to help their holiday events run smoothly, like this example from The Kitchn:

Send other last-minute holiday help ideas related to your business:

Retailers could send ideas for the perfect hostess gift.
Fitness trainers could send easy ways to stay fit through holiday feasts.
Service providers (like cleaners, professional organizers, etc.) can offer tips for an organized and stress-free holiday.

Send any kind of helpful hints that relate to your business and can make things easy for your customers this time of year.

Shipping Deadlines:
USPS Priority Mail
UPS Next Day Air

December 22

With just three shopping days left, send some easy gift ideas that your customers can purchase and send online. Downloadable gift cards, subscriptions, software or apps are great last-minute sale opportunities. Netflix latched on to these last-minute ideas last year:

Shipping Deadlines:
USPS Express Mail
FedEx Overnight

December 23

Are you extending your hours for Christmas Eve? Closing shop early to spend time with your family? What about your business hours next week for New Year's? Send your customers a quick reminder of any important changes to your hours over this week and the next.

December 24th

If you're sending a greeting to your email subscribers on Christmas Day, write and schedule it today so you can relax on the holiday.

Dress up your emails for the holidays with our easy-to-use
drag-and-drop templates!

Get them in the AWeber drag-and-drop message editor.

December 25

Your emails don't always have to make a sale. A fun holiday greeting can help reinforce your brand with positive feelings when you send good wishes to your email subscribers.

December 26

Christmas Day may have passed, but that doesn't mean your holiday marketing doesn't have to end. More than half of US consumers say they plan to spend over $100 on gifts for themselves this year, and you can take advantage of this by offering sales after Christmas.

But Wait, There's More!

We have more ideas and important dates on our Holiday Email Marketing Calendar. See all the need-to-know dates at a glance so you can plan your holiday promotions efficiently - even at the last minute.