Holiday Marketing Campaigns: Tis the Season to Sparkle

We just went to our first Christmas Market here in Europe, and it’s barely November 15th!  The festive piazza in Asti was packed with little wooden cottages, each decorated in red, white, and green.  The smell of cinnamon, evergreen, and fresh Christmas pastries wafts through the chilly evening air.  Personalized stockings and ornaments, mugs of mulled wine, and a little bit of holiday cheer.  Small, local brands with well-designed holiday marketing campaigns are capturing seasonal shoppers, and you can too.

We all remember those Budweiser holiday ads with the majestic Clydesdales pulling a Budweiser carriage through snowy landscapes.  The Hershey’s kisses in Christmas tree formation, ringing out ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ with the last kiss ringing the hardest, then wiping his ‘brow’ with the little Hershey logoed paper.  Or my personal favorite, the Folgers’ ‘‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ ads, where a young man or woman makes it home for the holidays, sneaks in, and brews a pot of coffee as the whole house wakes up to the aroma and they share a holiday moment together.  Sniff, sniff.

These holiday marketing campaigns make you smile.  They make you feel something for the brand while capturing the sentiment of homecoming, warmth, and family bonding that the holidays are known for.

Shopping Holidays: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, and Giving Tuesday

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend, are still heavy hitters when it comes to holiday sales.  In Italy and the rest of Europe, Thanksgiving is not celebrated.  It’s a normal workday with no traditions, no turkey, no long weekend.  However, there are still promotions for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales!  Therefore, if you are targeting an audience outside the U.S., include Black Friday and Cyber Monday in your marketing strategies.

In addition, there are several other ‘shopping holidays’ you can take advantage of:

• Small Business Saturday:  Started by American Express, encourages you to ‘Shop Local’
• Giving Tuesday: The Tuesday after Cyber Monday is a day for non-profits to start their end-of-year campaign push.
• Women-Led Wednesday: Supporting Women-owned businesses.

With so many opportunities to create a promotion that aligns your brand with the holidays, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get creative!  Our Holiday Marketing Campaign Guide is packed with lots of ideas you can start using today.  We’ve included holiday spending projections, top advertising channels, seasonal themes, pop-up events, and more.  Don’t wait for the snow to fall to start planning.  Let’s start under the mistletoe trailhead together!

Holiday Spending Projections in the U.S. and Europe

This year’s holiday spending is expected to continue an upward trend, but this is in part due to inflation, not just increased spending.  Total U.S. holiday retail sales are projected to hit $1.01–$1.02 trillion.  That’s a 3.7%–4.2% increase compared to last year.  Spending on gifts for yourself, or ‘self-gift spending’, is up, along with spending on travel and wellness.

In Europe, holiday spending is expected to grow 3% from last year.  Europeans are favoring “affordable luxuries”, such as beauty products, travel, vintage clothing, and live experiences.

Here’s more categories expected to see an increase:

• Experiential Purchases: Consumers are prioritizing adventures, wellness retreats, and travel.
• Outdoor Gear: Hiking gear, skiing equipment, all the gear for those family adventures!
• Sustainable Gifts and Giving Back: Eco-friendly, second-hand, and gifts that give back

In addition, there is a tug at the heartstrings of consumers, and they are more likely to contribute during end-of-year giving campaigns.  If you haven’t read our giving back blog, ‘Make a Charitable Donation and Get a Tax Write-Off’, bookmark it to read next!

All these holiday spending projections indicate a prime opportunity to tap into consumer demand through thoughtful holiday marketing campaigns.  Now is the time to gather the wagons and get creative!

The 4 Best Channels to Advertise Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns

Choosing the right channels for your holiday marketing campaigns is essential for reaching your target audience.  Especially during the busy holiday period!  Here are the top options that travel operators, outdoor and lifestyle brands should consider for the holidays:

1. Social Media Ads

Save a portion of your marketing budget to run more robust ads around the holidays instead of spending on social ads year-round.  Use Meta Business Suite to set up social ads across Facebook, Instagram, and all Meta platforms.

Keep in mind, Facebook is great for reaching an older demographic (45–60+ years old) who might be purchasing high-dollar travel or tour packages as gifts.  Instagram, however, is ideal for a slightly younger demographic who may be searching for discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales for items $200 or less.  Finally, use TikTok to appeal to younger audiences, with video tutorials, gear reviews, or family adventure stories that resonate.

For your holiday marketing campaign assets, begin collecting visually appealing festive product shots and holiday-themed storytelling.  Lean on user-generated content by reaching out to your brand ambassadors to create holiday collaborations!

2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

As people search for gifts for mom, dad, or the family pet, using Google Search Ads, PMax Campaigns, and good SEO can help get your products in front of those holiday shoppers.  Set up ads using keywords and key phrases to target those searching for the best gifts for outdoor lovers (yes, we’ve written a blog about this!), or last-minute holiday travel deals.  Write a blog with key phrases you want to rank for, like ‘best ski holiday packages’ and ‘winter vacation spots’!

Here’s a list of some other favorite key phrases you might want to start ranking for:

Gift Shopping & Ideas

• “Best holiday gifts for [specific person: mom, dad, kids, boyfriend]”
• “Unique Christmas gift ideas”
• “Last-minute holiday gifts”
• “Personalized gifts”
• “Gift cards online”

Deals & Discounts

• “Black Friday deals”
• “Cyber Monday deals”
• “Shop Small and Save”
• “Best online holiday shopping sites”
• “Cheap holiday flights”

Holiday Travel

• “Best winter vacation spots”
• “Holiday travel tips”
• “Holiday travel deals”
• “Warm places to visit in December”
• “Christmas market trips”

3. Email Marketing

That email list you’ve worked so hard to build is priceless.  Email remains one of the highest-converting channels for holiday promotions.  Outdoor brands, travel agents, and tour operators can create segmented campaigns based on past purchases, open rates, or reward their most frequent customers with an extra discount during the holidays!

If you are running a holiday fundraising campaign, email is your best friend in this effort.  Ensure you have a holiday marketing campaign strategy for Giving Tuesday!  Create engaging storytelling around the impact someone can have by making a tax-deductible donation before the end of the year.  Read more about why end-of-year giving is so important for non-profits and learn more about the best 501c3 organizations in the outdoor industry!

4. Tap into Brand Ambassadors & Partners for Holiday Marketing Campaigns

Partnering with outdoor and adventure-driven brand ambassadors as you enter into the holiday season can be highly effective, especially when promoting travel or adventure experiences!  Ambassadors can create authentic content, showcasing their trip with you, or using your products in a festive and engaging way.  Read more about how to find the right ambassadors and content creators for your brand! 

When it comes to brand partnerships and affiliate marketing, consider partnering with bloggers, podcasters, and industry publications or websites that specialize in adventure travel.  Find out if they will be putting out a holiday gift guide!  Create a collab with a special offer for their listeners or readers!

5 Holiday Marketing Campaign Themes and Trends

Understanding the trends shaping holiday marketing campaigns can give you a competitive edge.  Here are some key themes to consider as you plan:

1. Sustainability and Ethical Marketing

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their purchases.  Highlight eco-friendly practices, sustainable materials, and ethical production in your messaging.  Emphasize durability, repair services, and recyclable packaging in your holiday promotions.

2. Personalization

Tailor your holiday promotions to individual consumers.  Use customer data in Mailchimp or your preferred email marketing platform to send personalized product recommendations based on previous purchases or browsing history.  Did you just sell someone a pair of skis?  Maybe they need a new ski bag, ski straps, or mounts for their car.

3. Early Shopping

With concerns about shipping delays and inventory shortages, consumers are shopping earlier each year.  This trend began during the pandemic and is expected to continue in 2026.  Therefore, plan and launch holiday campaigns earlier.  Offer “early bird” discounts and encourage customers to buy now to ship to their loved ones before the holiday rush.

4. User-Generated Content

Customers trust other customers.  Encourage your audience to share their adventures, and tag your products or your tour on social media!  Offer incentives, such as a special discount.

5. Experience Over Products

Many consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, are prioritizing experiences over physical products.  If your brand offers adventure tours, guided experiences, or a coaching clinic, market them as the ultimate holiday gift.  Highlight how these experiences create lasting memories and unique moments rather than just things.

5 Unique Holiday Marketing Campaign Ideas

To stand out as a special snowflake in a crowded holiday market, consider these creative marketing strategies:

1. Gift Packages:

Bundle your most popular gear and accessories into holiday gift packages.  Create themed bundles like “Winter Biking Essentials” or “Ski Adventure Package,” offering them as ready-to-go gifts for outdoor enthusiasts.

2. Gift Cards for Activities + Experiences:

Promote gift cards, not just for gear, but also for experiences, such as guided tours, adventure trips, or lessons.  If you do not have digital gift cards set up for sale on your website yet, do it now!  This allows your customers to give the gift of adventure, which can be a more personalized and memorable gift option.

3. Holiday-Themed Giveaways:

Run a social media giveaway that encourages users to share their favorite outdoor holiday moments. This can drive engagement and increase brand visibility.  Consider offering a prize like a free tour or a premium outdoor gear set.

4. Christmas Gift Guides:

Besides pitching industry publications to cover your offerings in their gift guide, develop your own holiday gift list!  An online holiday gift guide can make it easier for customers to find you in search.  In addition, a Christmas gift guide can help you build partnerships with like-minded brands by featuring them on your Christmas wish list.  Here’s our holiday gift guide.

5. Seasonal Outdoor Events:

Host or sponsor outdoor events during the holiday season.  Ideas might include a winter hike, nighttime bike ride, polar bear swim, snowshoeing excursion, Christmas market, or outdoor photography workshop.  Make it festive by asking attendees to don lights on their bicycles or wear ugly Christmas sweaters!  These events not only promote your products in action but also create community engagement and share that holiday spirit!

Final Thoughts on Holiday Marketing Campaigns

For travel, wellness, outdoor recreation, and lifestyle brands, the holiday season offers a significant opportunity to drive sales and engage with consumers.  By understanding the expected spending patterns, leveraging the right marketing channels, and staying ahead of trends, you can create a holiday marketing campaign that resonates with your audience and boosts your brand visibility.

Set your brand apart this holiday season and be creative in your approach!  Here are a few more blogs with festive strategies and marketing campaigns that you can use this winter:

• Giving Back: Make a Gift That Supports Your Favorite Outdoor Non-Profit
• Gifts for Outdoor Lovers: The Best Gifts for the Adventurer in Your Life
• How to Promote a Fundraising Campaign
• Email Marketing: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Sending Better Emails

Thanks for reading, and happy gift-giving season!

Meredith Caccese McConvill, Top Rope Media

Marketing Costs for small businesses and non-profits who want to outsource

One of the first questions a potential client asks us is, “How much will our marketing costs be if we work together?” This is because spending conservatively is more important than ever for small businesses and non-profits. 

We know this well, as we’re not only a small business, but we’ve also been supporting mom & pop brands in outdoor recreation, travel, and action sports for over 20 years.  Tight budgets, limited staff, rising costs, and competing priorities can make it difficult to spend on things like marketing and advertising, especially when you are just trying to stay afloat!

Marketing can often feel like both a necessity and a luxury.  You want to be smart, cost-effective, and gain expert support without the overhead of a full-time employee.  But how much should you spend, who should you hire, and what are the trade-offs?  Let’s dive in!

In this blog, we’ll cover the following:

• Benefits to Outsourcing Your Marketing
• How To Determine Your Marketing Costs
• Who Could You Hire and What Should You Expect to Pay
• What Services are Included in Your Marketing Costs

benefits to outsourcing your marketing 

When you outsource, you’re hiring external professionals, freelancers, or an agency to handle some or all of your marketing needs. This frees up your time to work on other projects.  Marketing tasks an agency or freelancer can handle include:

• E-Commerce management
• Content creation, videos, graphics
• Paid advertising
• Email marketing
• SEO and search engine marketing (SEM)

For small businesses and non-profit organizations, outsourcing some of your marketing needs provides flexibility and access to specialized skills without the commitment of a full-time salary or benefits.  Before we move on, if you’re curious about working with a small agency like ours, take a peek at our marketing services and pricing!

How to determine your marketing costs

In order to figure out what your marketing costs might be, whether you are a bike shop or a tour operator, start by deciding which marketing tasks you can continue doing easily and which ones you need to offload.

Taking a look at the marketing services listed above, which are you most comfortable continuing to manage?  Which ones do you need help with?  If you’re a one-man or one-woman show, it’s critical to be honest with yourself about the amount of time you can dedicate to marketing.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Are tasks like daily social media management or sending weekly email newsletters something you enjoy?
• Do you have the time to manage these tasks?
• Should you be spending your time elsewhere where it is of more value to your business?

For example, if you are an executive director at a non-profit organization, you should not split your time between managing fundraising and marketing tasks.  Instead, you should be out having meetings with big donors, making phone calls, and pitching corporate partners to bring in high-dollar gifts!

Who Could you hire and what should you expect to pay?

There are four main options for small businesses and non-profit organizations who want to outsource some or all of their marketing:

1. Connect with a Freelance Marketing Specialist
2. Hire a Digital Marketing Manager (full-time or part-time)
3. Hire a Marketing Agency
4. Work with a CMO or Marketing Consultant

We’ll review each below.

1. Connect with a freelance marketing specialist

 A freelance marketing specialist is Ideal for individual tasks like blog writing, social media management, or graphic design.  Expect to spend $700 – $1,500 a month for a good freelance marketing specialist.  Sites like Fiverr, Freelancer, or Upwork can help you find freelancers in your price range.

Best for: One-off projects or small ongoing needs
Pros: Affordable, flexible, specialized
Cons: May lack strategic guidance or availability for fast turnarounds. May need to share your logins and passwords with a complete stranger.

2. Hiring a Digital Marketing Manager

As a small business or a non-profit, you may be ready for a full-time or part-time digital marketing manager.  As long as you can provide the overall marketing strategy and structure, your digital marketing manager can handle things like social media management, copywriting, email marketing, and website updates.  Marketing costs for a full-time digital marketing manager range between $55,000 to $85,000 a year here in San Diego, California.

Best for: Regular, ongoing support
Pros: Can work independently on projects once given direction
Cons: Expensive and will require standard employee benefits and compensation

3. Hire a Marketing Agency

What about hiring a marketing agency?  The benefits include a better ‘package deal’ where you can add on more services, you’ll have more resources at your disposal, and more experience in tough areas like SEO.

However, hiring an agency to manage your marketing costs between $850-$4,500 a month, which might be steep for a small business or non-profit.  Of course, these costs can be as high a $20K or more, depending on your goals and your budget!

Best for: Regular, ongoing support
Pros: Can offer a package deal, provide access to resources, and has more experience
Cons: May require a larger upfront investment or a long-term contract

As an example, at Top Rope Media, we work with many small businesses and non-profits on a monthly retainer to help them manage their marketing needs, such as SEO, email marketing, and paid advertising. 

We allow for flexibility in the marketing services we provide each month; you’ll never pay for something you don’t need, and we do not require a long-term contract.  Read more about our marketing services and get a range of pricing here!

4. Work with a CMO or marketing consultant

Thinking a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) or marketing consultant might be better suited to help your small outdoor brand or non-profit grow its wings?  A Marketing Consultant or CMO, whether part-time (often called a fractional CMO) or full-time, can build you a comprehensive marketing strategy, define your KPIs, and lead your outsourced team.  This is the perfect choice if you do not know where to start.  However, their services do not come cheap. Expect to pay between $150-500/hr for a marketing consultant.     

Best for: High-level support and startups
Pros: Great for audits or company restructuring
Cons: Will not execute and dig into the details, expensive, and not invested in your business long-term

So, while the short answer to “What will our marketing costs be?” is ‘it depends’, these key choices above will help you narrow things down. Below, we’ll address a few other areas you’ll want to think about when you search for marketing help. 

What services are included in your marketing costs 

As a small business owner, when you search for a service you need, you want to know early on how much it will cost.  However, when you start your search for marketing help, you may feel like you have reached a ‘gatekeeper’.  They will not give you the pricing details, but are more than happy to set up a sales call.  Grrr…this can feel incredibly frustrating.

If you’re wondering why there’s such secrecy in marketing costs, this is because an agency may not want its competition to know its pricing.  Or, they may feel like they could be leaving money on the table if they provide you with upfront pricing.  As we loathe those sales calls as much as you do, we’ve created a Services & Pricing page to give our customers a better idea of their marketing costs if they decide to work with Top Rope Media.

To further complicate marketing costs, several services fall under the marketing umbrella.  Prices will range greatly depending on the services you need.

First, let’s talk about what should be included in your pricing.  Your typical marketing manager, freelancer, or marketing agency should be expected to perform the following tasks:

• Social Media Management
• Content Production and Blog Writing
• Email Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Paid Social, and Google Advertising

A big plus if they also have experience in the following areas:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Graphic Design
• Photography + Videography
• Web Development
• Public Relations

Look for a marketing partner that is well-versed in the marketing tools you need, whether that’s Instagram advertising, SEO, or email marketing.

final thoughts on marketing costs for small businesses and non-profits

Now that you have a better idea of what your marketing costs might be if you outsource and what they include, you are ready to take the next step!  Remember to ask lots of questions.  Become familiar with the current marketing trends and platforms before you bring someone in to manage them for you.

If you’ve got a question, drop us a line and let’s navigate the marketing wilderness together!  Lastly, if you’re seeking more tips on do-it-yourself digital marketing, check out these posts:

• Best Email Marketing: Improve Clicks and Open Rates 
• How to Use Your Website to Generate Better Leads
• 8 Steps to Kickstart Your Online Advertising with Facebook and Instagram

Until next time, happy marketing friends!

Meredith, Top Rope Media

Get to Know Your Competition: 5 Easy Steps to Conduct Market Research & Create a Competitive Analysis

As a small business in travel and tourism, action sports, or outdoor recreation, how do you know what your competitors are up to?  You need to start by understanding the landscape- not just the literal one your customers explore, but the competitive landscape for your product or services. 

Conducting market research and doing a competitive analysis might seem daunting.  However, in this blog, we’re walking you through 5 easy steps to conduct market research and create a competitive analysis.  Here are the 5 Steps we’ll cover to help you craft better marketing strategies:

1. How to Examine Competitor’s Customer Reviews
2. Analyzing a Competitor’s Messaging and Branding
3. Studying Your Competitor’s Social Media and Digital Marketing Channels
4. How to Monitor Brand Engagement
5. How Attending Industry Events and Tradeshows Can Help You Spy on the Competition

Why Perform Market Research?

From email marketing to paid ads, we can teach you all the tricks to be strategic with your marketing efforts.  However, it’s often time spent getting to know the demographic you’re targeting, and what your competitors are up to that will give you an edge.  Standing out isn’t just about having a great product or destination.  By performing market research and studying your competitors, you gain insights that allow you to differentiate your brand, anticipate trends, and meet your audience’s needs better than anyone else!

Here are 5 actionable ways to analyze your competition and examples of how travel, tourism, and outdoor industry brands can apply these strategies effectively!

1. Examine Competitor’s Customer Reviews as Part of Your Market Research

Online reviews are a key aspect of market research as they provide a goldmine of information about what customers love and dislike about your competitors.  Pay attention to recurring praises and complaints—these highlight strengths to emulate and weaknesses to avoid or capitalize on.

Where to Look for Your Competitor’s Product Reviews

• Google Reviews
• Reviews on their website
• Yelp Reviews
• Trip Advisor, Viator, Hotels.com, Airbnb, and other review sites
• Industry Publications and Journalists

Example #1: An adventure travel company might read competitor reviews and find frequent complaints about slow or unclear check-in processes.  By streamlining your check-in experience through digital tools or concierge services, you can promote “hassle-free tours or vacations” as a key differentiator.

Example #2: Glowing reviews about your competitor’s tour guides being exceptionally knowledgeable could inspire your creation of a quarterly team training to ensure your team matches or exceeds the standards!

Ask the Locals

Lastly, you can get reviews of your competitor’s products or services firsthand from locals in the particular region you operate in or are targeting.  How do you do this?  Rent mountain bikes at the local bike shop.  Pick up a guidebook at a gear or tackle shop.  While at the shop, ask for recommendations on the staff’s favorite gear, what tour operators are in the area, best hotels nearby…whatever space you play in, get some feedback on what they like and what sells.

Trip Advisor and Yelp will show you competitors’ reviews, but the locals will give you better feedback!

Horseback riding across the high windswept plains in Cotopaxi National Park was a breeze thanks to the team at Tambopaxi Lodge! They brought us gloves, ponchos, a guide, and two horses right to our accommodations all for $40US dollars per person for a 90-minute ride. 5 stars for hassle-free day trips and activities!

2. Analyze Competitor’s Messaging and Branding as part of your Market Research

What tone and messaging do your competitors use?  Are they adventurous and bold, family-friendly, or luxurious?  Understanding how your competitors position themselves helps you find opportunities to carve out a unique voice in your industry.

Here are a few ways to become more familiar with your competitor’s messaging and branding

• Sign up for their Email Newsletter and read it
• Use SEO tools like SEM Rush
• View their Website

Example #1: As an outdoor gear or adventure travel provider, you might discover that competitors market rugged, extreme adventures in their blogs and emails.  To stand apart, focus on the casual outdoor enthusiasts by emphasizing ‘comfort’, ‘accessibility’, and products or tours that are ‘beginner-friendly’.  A tagline like “Adventure Made Easy” can resonate with a less intense, yet substantial market segment!

Example #2: We work with a client in the avalanche education space and we noticed that so many people cross through the backcountry gates at resorts like Vail and Park City, yet do not have avalanche safety gear.  We then conducted some market research and found that Black Diamond, Patagonia, Salomon, and Burton…all these outdoor brands make gear for backcountry adventures yet offer no avalanche education piece to go with it.  We decided to get educated, took an Avalanche Education Class, and then wrote a blog on how to stay safe while traveling in avalanche terrain.  In addition, we supported our clients at the American Avalanche Institute by helping them create educational videos, blogs, and Instagram Live pieces for backcountry travelers.

Invest some time getting to know what messaging and branding your competitors are featuring this season and look for the gaps.  For more on market research tools, marketing technologies, or how to improve SEO on your website, read our blog: How to Improve SEO and Why It’s So Important.

These climbers not only kick ass, but they’re also helping their favorite brands, like Petzl, create brand awareness and showcase products in use.

3. Study their Social and Digital Marketing Channels

Start your market research by exploring where your competitors are most active.  Are they dominating Instagram with breathtaking travel photography?  Are they leveraging brand ambassador content or using SEO to rank high for adventure travel keywords in their blogs?  By identifying which channels your competitors prioritize, you can refine your strategy and uncover gaps they’re leaving unaddressed!

We know spending time on social media can be exhausting.  Yet by investing an hour each month into a few key competitors, you can develop knowledge to drive marketing strategies.

Digital Marketing Channels to Use for Market Research on Your Competition

• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• X (Twitter)
• TikTok

Example: A travel agency specializing in eco-tourism might notice that a competitor’s blog ranks for “best sustainable travel destinations” but has minimal YouTube presence.  By creating a YouTube series featuring eco-friendly travel tips and tours, you can capture an audience that prefers video content, filling a gap in the market.  We helped our client High Mountain Gear start up a YouTube Series so people could get to know the Founder, Kyle Willis, and the why behind his products!

If posting authentic and engaging photos and videos is a weak area for your travel or outdoor brand, we’ve got two DIY blogs that can help:

• How to Take Good Photos to Market Your Business
• How to Create Videos for YouTube or Social Media

As a small business, you may not have the budget to work with a photographer or videographer on a regular basis. So you and your team need to learn how to take better photos and videos!

4. Monitor Brand Engagement in Your Market Research

Analyzing a competitor’s marketing not only reveals what they post but also what engages their audience.  Look for patterns in the types of posts that generate high engagement and note the comments and questions.

Where to Find Engagement Metrics

• Social media accounts
• Review sites like TripAdvisor and Viator
• Travel forums

Example: You may notice that a competitor’s wildlife photos or landscape shots receive higher engagement than posts with people or products.  Armed with this insight, you could plan regular posts showcasing the scenery, animals guests might spot if they sign up for your tour, or furry friends that come to visit your destination with their human counterparts. Or, if you’re pet-friendly, make this a priority to feature it as so many people travel with their fur babies these days!  Build emotional connections with followers and encourage conversations.

Additionally, identifying where a competitor’s audience engages the most should be a part of your market research in this category.  If their Facebook page outshines their X (Twitter) account, it’s a sign of where their audience’s priorities lie.  For more on how to engage on social, read: Best Social Media Practices.

Beautiful imagery of your destination with hints of things to do while a guest visits can immediately inspire. Draft engaging copy for your potential customers to go along with the photos or videos. Ask your audience if they’ve been, and if so what was their favorite part!

5. Attend Industry Events, Tradeshows, and Local Happenings as Part of Your Market Research

Tradeshows, expos, and local networking events are prime opportunities to learn directly from competitors and conduct market research. Take note of your competitors’ booth designs, giveaways, presentations, and interactions with attendees. Observing how your competitors market face-to-face can provide valuable inspiration for your campaigns!

Example #1: During a trip to Ecuador’s Andes Mountain Range or to the Costa Brava, the ‘Wild Coast’ of Spain, we ride bikes, hike, and rock climb, but we’re also looking at what’s trending.  From gear bags to apparel, climbing shoes to kombucha.  This is adventure travel and networking, but it’s also market research as it gives us fresh ideas for upcoming client campaigns. Make time in your travels to visit local bike shops, talk to mountain guides, and browse the brochures at your hotel to see what adventures and activities are being promoted.

Example #2: As an adventure travel company attending Outdoor Retailer or ITB Berlin, you might see a competitor with a plain-looking booth and just a banner with one person standing in front of it.  To help you stand out, your next booth could showcase videos of your destinations or tour packages in the background. You could create interactive 360-degree videos for both live events and digital campaigns!

If you haven’t yet had a chance to read our blogs about the Best Tradeshows and Events, check ’em out below:

• Best Tradeshows in the Outdoor Industry
• Top 10 Travel Tradeshows for Tour Guides, Travel Agents and Destinations 

Take note of what your competitors are doing at tradeshows and events. These therapy dogs drew in so many visitors to a booth, and kept people engaged and at the booth longer during presentations!

Next Steps in Your Market Research and Competitive Analysis

Once you’ve gathered insights from these 5 approaches, it’s time to put them into action!  Here’s how:

Create a document with your findings for each of the steps mentioned above.  Use this information to differentiate or improve your offerings. Use what you’ve learned in your market research and competitive analysis to highlight what sets you apart.  If competitors focus on extreme adventures, emphasize family-friendly activities.  If they’re hands-off, AI-driven, and tech-forward, go the extra mile in personalized customer service!

Optimize your marketing spend and utilize digital marketing and social media channels that can give you more engagement.  By understanding which channels your competitors prioritize, you can focus your resources on areas with high potential returns or underutilized opportunities!

Refine your customer experience and gain more 5-star reviews.  Insights from reviews and social media can help you understand what customers value most.  Double down on delivering exceptional service to build loyalty and earn positive reviews!  For more on improving your product reviews or to find out what the public is saying about your brand, read our blog: How to Generate Good Press: The Power of Public Relations.  You can also use tools like:

• SEM Rush
• Google Search Console

Final Thoughts on Finding Success Through Market Research and Competitive Analysis

Several brands have excelled by closely analyzing their competition.  For instance, Airbnb’s rise involved studying traditional hotel chains and targeting unmet needs such as authentic local experiences and unique accommodations.  Similarly, REI has thrived by recognizing a gap in the outdoor recreation market where people want to go into a store to touch, feel, and try on products before they purchase.

In the travel, tourism, and outdoor industries, success often hinges on identifying what others are doing—and what they’re not.  When you understand your competitors deeply, you can position your brand to offer something truly different.  Whether you’re promoting destinations, gear, or experiences, knowing your competition isn’t just smart—it’s essential. Take the time to explore your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, then channel that knowledge into creating campaigns that inspire your audience.

Ready to outpace the competition? Let’s make it happen.  Drop us an email and let’s chat about how we can support you with market research and creating a competitive analysis!

Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media

Interested in More Information?  Download our Email Authentication Whitepaper today!

best email marketing for successful campaigns 

If you’re searching for the best email marketing strategy to generate more revenue for your outdoor brand or non-profit, you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve jam-packed this blog with easy, actionable steps to help you be more strategic and improve your email marketing.  

Did you know that whether you sell bicycles or board shorts, email marketing converts better than social media??  It’s also the best way to remind potential customers about a product they might be interested in, to make a donation, or if they’ve left an item in their cart!

Therefore, this email marketing blog will focus on how to design your email, the types of automated emails you should set up, when to send your emails and at what time.  We’ve also included a whole section on brand partnership emails and brand collab emails as we get this question a lot from our clients about how best to handle.  But first, got a question that can’t wait??  Drop us a line! 

email marketing fun facts

Now then, here are a few quick facts about the best email marketing campaigns:

• More than 60% of emails are opened from a mobile device

   

• The average open rate for marketing emails is 20-25%, however since the Apple iOS 15 update, we’ve seen rates as high as 45% on average!

   

• Tuesday is the best day to send!
  

Did you know that more people are opening emails from their mobile phones than from their desktop computers?

best email marketing: 10 tips to sending better emails

We are big fans of DIY tips!  And the best email marketing is often done in-house.  Therefore, here are steps you can implement today to improve your emails!

1. SET UP YOUR EMAIL AUTOMATIONS

All of the best email marketing platforms will allow you to set up automated emails.  Whether you use SalesForce Marketing Cloud, Shopify, Klaviyo, Mailchimp or others, you will have automations available.  Keep in mind, they may be called email automations, but can also be referred to as customer journeys, drip campaigns, push notifications, etc.

Here are just a few examples of email automations you can create:

• Welcome email 
• Abandoned cart email
• Reengagement email
• Repeat customer email
• Email nurture series

While email automations are labor-intensive it is worth your time to set these up!  Think about how you receive that reminder email from a brand you like, “Looks like you’ve forgot something…don’t worry, we saved it for you.”  It may seem cheesy but it is effective!

2. BEST LENGTH FOR EMAILS: Keep ‘EM short

Your readers will spend an average of 2-10 seconds reading your email.  So, keep ’em short and to the point!  If your subscribers see long paragraphs of text, will they keep reading or unsubscribe?  Will they save your email for later, but then never read it?

Therefore, here are a few tips to tighten up your email copy: 

• Use no more than 3 main sections per email. 
• Keep each section to 2-3 sentences max. 
• Create calls to action and linked text. 
• Direct traffic to your website to read a full blog or view product specs!
• Make it easily skimmable! 

finding it hard to trim that email campaign Copy? 

If you do have a lot to say, then revisit your email goals and your email frequency.  Perhaps you need to send a weekly email instead of 2x per month?

As an example of a short and sweet email we love, see AFAR Magazine‘s Daily Wander email below.  We receive 1-2 a week (you can receive them daily if you’d like), and we open them 99% of the time to read about new destinations, travel tips, and get inspired!

Other things we love about AFAR Magazine’s emails:

• There’s big, beautiful imagery
• A small amount of text
• Links to read more if you’re interested
• 2-3 main sections
• Even a weekly trivia question!

Here’s another example of a section in AFAR Magazine’s recent email that caught our attention:

As we’re in Europe at least once a year, you bet we’re clicking to Read More…especially because we want to be at Tour de France this summer!!

3. use visuals throughout your email campaign

Even the best email marketing campaign you roll out may not be as exciting and eye-catching as a travel piece.  Therefore, use visuals throughout your email. These can be graphics, embedded videos, lifestyle images, ambassador spotlights, and product shots.

In addition, unique, branded graphics at the top of each section can give your readers an easy way to identify the topics covered in your email.  Remember, your emails must be easily skimmable!  Not good with graphic design?  Or not familiar with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop?  Try Canva! 

Remember to use alt tags and link each image in your email back to your website so your readers can learn more about that image quickly!

In addition, visuals could also mean a colorful section divider and calls-to-action (CTA) buttons.  More on these in a bit!  However, keep your paragraph text to black or grey to make it easy to read.  Lastly, leave white space to give your readers’ eyes a chance to rest! 

4. segment your email list

Segmenting your email list can help you to customize your message, target specific audiences, and improve your conversion rates!  Here are a few ideas for list segmentation for your email campaigns:

• Location segmentation: send different emails based on the location of your readers!
• Send a more personalized message, or a promotional offer from your Founder to your most active subscribers.
• Resend to non-openers: resend your monthly email (a few days later) to anyone that has not opened it. Remember to change both the Subject Line and preview text.

Here’s an example of a graphic we created for our clients at Source Endurance, a coaching company that offers training plans, camps, and one-on-one coaching.

5. include calls to action in your emails

A call to action or CTA in your email campaigns helps your reader learn more, buy your product, or make a donation.  Don’t assume they will click on your website link, and search for the items mentioned in your email.  Or make their way to your donate page, and make a gift.

Instead, give your reader highlighted (or underlined) links to click on, and CTA buttons in each section.  Include these throughout the email.

Another reason we strongly recommend adding CTA’s?  The new email privacy protections in place for Apple iPad or iPhone users!

6. Up Your Font Game

Although Arial and Times New Roman are the most common fonts, today there are thousands of options to choose from!  Use an easy-to read font for the email paragraph text.  A sans-serif is best here, one without those little ‘feet’ hanging off the letters.

A serif font, the ones with the ‘feet’ or cursive in nature, can be used for titles or headings.  But, ensure it’s legible on both a desktop and mobile phone.  All email platforms will let you preview your email before you send it!

Another tip is to play around with font size.  A 10 or 12-point font might be great for your internal text only emails.  However, for your email marketing campaigns, we suggest bumping up the font size to 14-point or 16-point at a minimum!  This is because so many readers will check their email from a mobile phone. 

Also keep in mind, if your audience skews a bit older (50+) they might find a small or cursive font very hard to read!

A sans-serif font and a larger font size makes Recreation.gov’s email easy to read. In addition, the CTAs give you even more incentive to engage! 

7. create short, intriguing subject lines

Here’s where you can really make an impact in your email campaign open rates.  Take some time to word-smith that Subject Line!  And, use no more than 6-9 words. 

In addition, you can use CAPITALS to help your email stand out in someone’s inbox.  Words like SALE, SAVE 50%, COMING SOON, and SAVE THE DATE all work very well.  Use emojis sparingly, 1 is often enough.

Lastly, make sure to include some preview text to let your reader know what else you’ve included in your email that might make them open it. 

8. best days to send marketing emails

Are you also wondering what the best days are to send a marketing email?  Well, we see the highest open rates on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. 

However, if we are launching a weekly sale or a holiday campaign, we may drop emails on other days as well.  

Here’s a quick example of why the subject line and an emoji or two can help. Which email in my inbox above stands out to you the most?  Yes, I remembered to get a Valentine’s Day gift! 

9. best times to send marketing emails

What time should you send your email?  We typically send marketing emails between 7-10am.  However, consider what time zone you are sending your email to.  If most of your opens come from the east coast or Europe, set your email campaign to drop during their early morning hours. 

If you use Mailchimp, tools like Time Warp or Time Optimization are amazing!  Mailchimp not only helps you determine the best time to send your email based on previous email results, but they can also drop your email at the same time in each time zone.  Therefore, everyone on your list will get your email campaign at say 8am their time.

10. create ways for people to sign up for your email list

Now that you’ve got lots of DIY tips to send the best email marketing campaigns, how do you plan to grow your list??  It’s okay if you haven’t thought of this yet! 

After you’ve set up a list or created a new audience in your email marketing platform, you need to establish methods to add new people to the list in the future.  Here’s a few ways we add new people to email lists for our clients:

• Social media posts that send readers to a newsletter sign-up landing page (and yes you should sign up for our newsletter if you’re not already on the list!!)
• Point of purchase option for email list sign-up (in store or online)
• iPad stations at events and conferences
• Newsletter sign-up box in your website footer (a must!!)
• Website pop-up

Whatever you decide, make it easy for potential customers to opt-in, as well as opt-out should they decide your emails are no longer relevant.

 11. EMAIL MARKETING x BRAND PARTNERSHIPS

Okay, I know we said Top 10, but this goes to eleven because it’s that important.  People know a brand partnership email when they see it in their inbox.  They can smell it a mile away.  ‘Yeti + Red Bull’, ‘Burton and Big Agnes’, ‘Surfline x Solento Tequila Collab’, ‘Tour de France and STRAVA Sweepstakes’. 

While brand partnerships can help boost your brand, and expose you to hundreds or thousands of potential new customers, tread carefully when it comes to sending a brand collab to your loyal email subscribers!  

Branded Email Partnerships

need help with your email MARKETING?

Need help getting started, or want us to create and manage your email marketing campaigns?  Let’s chat!  Also, check out other posts we’ve written about email marketing:

• How Your Email Marketing will be Affected by Apple’s iOS15 Updates
• How to Send Better Emails
• Types of Email Marketing Services 

To learn more about what we do on the regular, follow Top Rope Media’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Until next time, happy emailing!

– Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media

HOW YOUR EMAIL MARKETING WILL BE AFFECTED BY APPLE IOS 15

EMAIL MARKETERS NEED TO PLAN FOR CHANGE

Email marketing is one of the top marketing tools for many outdoor and lifestyle brands.  Why?  Because email campaigns are more than 40 times more effective than social media!  So, when we heard about the increased privacy protection Apple was planning to roll out with the iOS 15 update, we began writing this blog post to share what we’re seeing, and how we recommend you adapt!

Yes, increased privacy policies make our job as a digital agency more challenging.  But, it helps put consumers back in charge of their data.  We saw these types of changes begin when the EU rolled out the GDPR: the General Data Privacy Regulation in 2018.  And, we’ll no doubt continue to see more of this to help individuals decide if, when, and how their private information is shared online.

When Apple iOS 15 TakeS Effect 

In June 2021, Apple made announcements of how they would be increasing email privacy protection for those that use an Apple device.  So this means iPhones, iPads, Mac computers.  Basically anyone using Apple products.  Rollout of these new email privacy protection changes began in late September 2021 when the iOS 15 update was made available for all users. 

what is changing?

With the rollout of Apple’s iOS 15 update, anyone that uses an Apple product will have the option to select 3 new and different ways to protect their identity online.  First, will be while using email through Apple Mail.  Second, will be entering email addresses to a form or email newsletter opt-in.  And finally the third privacy protection feature can be used while browsing the web.  Below is a breakdown of each. 

1. Apple Mail new privacy protection

Once iPhone, iPad and Mac computer users update to iOS 15, they will be asked to choose from 2 options upon opening their mail via Apple Mail:

1. Do you want to protect your mail activity?  Meaning hide your IP address and privately load all remote content.  Or…
2. Don’t protect mail activity.  Show IP address and load any remote content directly on your device.

Basically, Apple’s new mail privacy protection works by hiding your IP address and loading remote content privately in the background. Even when you do not open the email.  This makes it harder for businesses to follow mail activity from Apple mail users.

For email marketers, you will see a higher than normal open rate from anyone that uses Apple mail.  Even if they never open the email you sent them, your mail program may show that they’ve opened it.

2. Hide My Email

With the new iCloud+ subscription, at just an additional $0.99 a month in the U.S., users can opt-in to even more privacy features.  One such feature is titled Hide My Email.  And, it does exactly that, allowing you to use a fake email address when you sign up for a newsletter or fill out a form on the web. 

The Hide My Email feature is built into Mail, Safari, and iCloud settings.  It enables you to instantly create a fake email address that will forward to your real email address.  So, email marketers will not know your real email address, unless you choose to share it with them.  

3. iCloud Private Relay

In addition, to Hide My Email, there is also iCloud Private Relay.  This functions like a VPN so your IP address is hidden while you search the web.  

iCloud Private Relay will serve as an additional cloaking feature, so all traffic leaving your Apple device will be encrypted.  It will use two separate internet relays so that no one can use your IP address, location, or track your browsing activity to create a detailed profile of you.  iCloud Private Relay is currently still in Beta testing mode as of October 2021. 

What This Means for Email Marketing and beyonD

You can begin to see how these changes by Apple will not only affect email marketing, but also your website traffic data, and applications like Google Analytics and Google Ads. 

We’ve already begun to see this with the new Facebook and Instagram privacy policy changes that rolled out this Fall.  If you haven’t read up on the latest, the Washington Post did a great job of summarizing it in their ‘Facebook Privacy Settings to Change Now’ article.  

How will Apple iOS 15 affect my email campaigns?

increase in EMAil open rates
 

As we mentioned, emails sent to Apple Mail users that are on your email list will show as opened.  Even if they NEVER opened your email.  In addition, if you use A/B testing, or list segmentation, this will certainly skew your campaign results, automations, and other email sequences.

How to cope with inflated open rates?  Well, first of all, look more closely at your email list.  How many people on your email list are actually opening from Apple Mail or an iPhone?  Not sure where to find this?  In Mailchimp, go to Audience -> All Contacts -> Overview.  Scroll down to Top Email Clients.  Here’s where you will see what mail applications users on your list are opening campaigns from.

In the example below, 9.8% of users are opening email on their Mac using Apple Mail.  But then, look to the left for mobile opens.  34% are opening from an iPhone.  So combined that’s 43.8%, almost half of your email subscribers.  However, do not discount the other 46.2% of openers.  These potential customers will still continue to give you valuable data!           

Where to Shift Focus within your Email Marketing strategy

Since open rates are not the only data point you should be looking at, here’s a few other areas to focus on when reviewing your email marketing: 

1. Click Through Rates– Have your click-through rates changed?
2. Total number of Clicks– What does your click count or click map look like?  What items are most important to your readers? 
3. Unsubscribes and Bounces– are these the same as past email campaigns?  Higher or lower?
4. Subject Line and Preview Text- now is really the time to word-smith those subject lines and the preview text, and review your past campaigns to see which ones have performed best!

How is Mailchimp Handling this Change to Email Marketing?

While everyone is still adjusting to these new privacy features from Apple, Mailchimp has already begun to make changes that will help you dial in your email campaigns.  One of the new features Mailchimp has added to its platform to help you better optimize your email campaigns for success is called Content Optimizer. 

Within your Campaigns, click on View Report, then scroll down to the new Content Optimizer section.  Here Mailchimp will show you how your campaign performed in 4 areas: Skimmability, Text & Visuals, Links and CTAs, and finally, Typography.  From here, you can view a full report on each area, with tips on how to improve your email!

more ideas for how to cope with the change

Keep in mind, other email clients may soon follow suit with their own privacy protection changes.  So, in addition to focusing on email marketing metrics, now is a good time to review all the potential ways you can distribute your content. 

What do we mean by content distribution?  Here are a few ideas: a blog post shared to Reddit or Medium, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Podcasting…Need a refresher?  Click below to read some of our recent posts on lead generation, sending better emails, and best social media practices.

is email marketing still effective?

Yes!  Whether selling surf lessons or snowboards, email marketing is a channel that will convert your fans into customers faster than Facebook or Instagram. 

• Two-thirds of customers have made a purchase as a direct result of an email marketing message.

   

• When it comes to customer acquisition, email is 40X more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined.

   

• Globally, for every $1 spent on email marketing it returns $36. That is a 3600% ROI!

Therefore, this change that Apple has instituted will certainly affect your email marketing results.  But it should not be the only way you are reaching out to potential customers.  Need help with content creation or email marketing?  Drop us a line!

Until next time, happy emailing,

Meredith

Need a refresher on how to send better email marketing campaigns?  If so, we’ve boiled down the process to 8 easy steps!  These steps will help you be strategic, keep focused, and improve your email marketing.

Is Email Marketing Dead?

First, rumors of the death of email as a marketing tool are nothing new.  In fact, the numbers tell a much different story:

• Two-thirds of customers have made a purchase as a direct result of an email marketing message.

   

• When it comes to customer acquisition, email is 40X more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined.

   

• Globally, for every $1 spent on email marketing it returns $36. That is a 3600% ROI!*
  

At Top Rope Media, we firmly believe in the power of email marketing.  Therefore whether selling surf lessons or snowboards, email is a channel that converts.  Before we dive in, if you have a question that can’t wait, drop us a line!

drop us a line

EMAIL MARKETING Example: Summer Cycles, A More Personal Approach

The email marketing example below is from an email campaign we created on behalf of Summer Cycles, a custom bicycle shop in Del Mar, California.  They work with more high-end, ‘luxury’ cycling brands like Pegoretti, Gaulzetti, and Seven Cycles. 

In addition to selling bicycles, service, and repairs, we needed to build out their brand identity.  Tell stories.  Introduce people to the owners, Jeff & Craig.  We did this through blogging.  So, the email not only provides us with a distribution channel to share our blog, it allows us to hand-craft a message that showcases services, promotions, and let the readers feel like Jeff & Craig were speaking directly to them.  This in turn generated higher open rates and click-through rates than our regular newsletters!   

With Summer Cycles, we want their emails to sound very personal, like the owners, Jeff and Craig are writing directly to you.

8 Steps to Creating great email campaigns

You came here for action steps, and without an email marketing platform, you will not get very far.  Therefore, let’s look at email marketing software.

1. Choose Your Email Marketing Platform

We recommend Mailchimp more than any other platform.  Why?  You can get started fairly quickly on you own.  Or with our help, thanks to easy-to-use templates for email campaigns, pop-up forms, and landing pages.

In addition, you can often start with Mailchimp for free, or sign up for one of their reasonable monthly packages!  These, and many other reasons, are why we are a Mailchimp Partner and have been using the platform for over 10 years with close to 2 dozen clients! 

BEYOND MAILCHIMP

Looking for something besides Mailchimp?  Or want a platform that is integrated with your CRM or fundraising platform?  Then there are other options.  We have clients that use Every Action, MemberLeap, HubSpot, Marketo, Constant Contact, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and Infusionsoft.

However, compared to Mailchimp, many of these email marketing platforms are quite expensive!  In addition, if you choose to go with one of these more robust systems, ensure that someone will manage this for you.  Need help with this process?  Give us a holler!

Who’s Managing Your Email Marketing?

Why do we recommend that someone manages your email marketing other than you?  Because we often have clients that come to us with an email marketing platform already set up but is seldom used.  They are wonderful people and have the best intentions.  Sometimes they’ve set this up through their website host or a deal they bought into.

In most cases, they’ve uploaded an email list, or have their customer’s email addresses automatically pushed to a list.  However, they often do not have the time to create and send out two emails per month.  Never mind use all those insights into their customers that they’ve been collecting on the platform!

You may be in the same boat here. Therefore, we recommend reviewing your goals, your monthly budget and the time you have available each week to work on this.  Only have about 2 hours per week?  Start with Mailchimp, or another easy-to-use platform like Constant Contact.

example: moving kradl’s email marketing from wix to mailchimp

Our clients at Kradl, creators of a bicycle storage device that lifts your bike up to the ceiling with no electricity, used Wix for both their website and email marketing.  However, there was no way for us to track loyal customers or frequent email openers.  In addition, we could not segment our list to target people who did not open.  Furthermore, we could not see who opened the campaigns most often, what part of the country they were from, etc.

As their list was under 2,000 subscribers, we set Kradl up on Mailchimp, imported their email list, and began sending emails for free!  Again, spend some time researching each platform.  Determine what your pricing will be to get started based on the size of your email list, and how often you plan to email them.

If your products costs $149, a plan for $14 per month may be well worth it, especially if you are converting even just 2-3 customers with each email campaign you send!  

2. Establish Your Goals

Is your goal to generate more sales?  Book appointments?  Do you want to tell your brand story to potential customers?  Maybe you are a non-profit and have important more longer form information you need to convey weekly to your member base?

Whatever the case may be, the goals you establish will usually be a combination of brand building and revenue-generating items.  The most effective goals are measurable through a specific metric.  And, are focused on content that delivers high value to your audience.

Example: Goals for Summer Cycles

As an example, with Summer Cycles, our email goals included:

• educating consumers about why they should invest in a custom bicycle
• increasing the booking of bicycle fit services and repairs
• introducing readers to Craig & Jeff
• selling custom-built bicycles

 Your emails should be a good mix of sales and services offered, along with good story-telling about the brand, your ambassadors, and fans.

3. Build A List By Giving People A Way To Sign Up For Your Emails

In some cases, you may already have a list of emails from individuals who have made purchases from you in the past.  Or, perhaps you have been using a CRM or similar platform to collect email contact info.

Whatever you do, make sure you have permission to send emails to those individuals first.  There are a ton of reasons for this.  But, more than anything, you want to establish a highly engaged list.  Those that want to hear about your latest blog or holiday promotion.  Not flag you for sending them something they never signed up for.

For more information on setting up email marketing permissions and things like General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), check out our blog posts: How Does GDPR Affect Me and How to Prepare My Website.

SECURING MARKETING PERMISSIONS AND GDRP 

In addition, make sure to check out how Apple’s new iOS15 update will affect your email campaigns.

email sign-up and opt-in examples 

After you’ve aggregated your list in Excel, a Google sheet, or Mailchimp, you’ll also need to establish a method to add new people to the list in the future.  What are some common ways to let people know you are going to be sending out awesome content via email?  And, to give them an opportunity to opt-in?  Here’s a few:

• social media posts that direct people to an email sign-up landing page 
• point of purchase option for email list sign-up
• iPad stations at event activations
• Newsletter sign-up box in your website footer
• website pop-up

Whatever you decide, make it easy for potential customers to opt-in, as well as opt-out should they decide your emails are no longer relevant.

An example of a simple landing page created in Mailchimp that you can share on other marketing channels, like LinkedIn or Facebook, to drive more email signups!

4. Commit To An Email Frequency

Will you be sending emails 3 times per month?  Once a month?  Or, once a quarter?  The rate at which you distribute emails depends on a number of factors.  Therefore, here’s some tips on how often to send emails:

How often does your audience want to hear from you?

You may already know who your audience is, and as a result, know how often they want to hear from you.  Most likely, it is not every day.  But, probably more than once every quarter.  If you are unsure, start with a goal of 1 email per month.

Do You Have meaningful and relevant content?

Ok, this one is probably the most important.  Maybe you have an army of brand ambassadors generating a ton of content that your audience is hungry for.  Or, your business is built on limited quarterly product releases. 

Perhaps like a non-profit we work with, the San Diego Mountain Biking Association, you have trail access issues that need to be communicated to your membership on a weekly basis. Regardless, you should identify the 1-3 items that are driving your content production and determine how these should drive email frequency.

Are you writing a weekly blog or Vlog?

Each time you publish a new blog or vlog, you can have this set up to automatically send out an email to your customers and fans!  Read more about how to share your blog posts with Mailchimp.

5. Email Automations

Create a set of automated emails that kick in when someone signs up or is added to your list.  These will most likely begin with a Welcome message and include an educational piece about your company or the products you sell.

With some clients, we set up a series of Educational emails.  For example, with the American Avalanche Institute, after the welcome email, a week later a subscriber will get a gear check email with a short video that shows them how to check their backcountry gear to ensure it’s ready for their next trip!

Other email automations you can set up:  

• Abandoned cart emails
• Recommended product email (based on a previous purchase)
• Re-engagement email
• Emails to request a review or testimonial  

Here’s Shopify’s take on the Best Email Practices, including some great ideas for email automations.

6. create your emails and test them

First, set a deadline for your email to drop, and work backward from there.  Then, determine when you need assets (photos, video, copy, links, landing pages) to meet those email campaign deadlines.  We recommend creating a content calendar and sharing it with everyone on your team so that they know when the emails will drop.  You can also use a content calendar to track PR campaigns, social media posts, and events!

Once you have all the approved assets, and the copy, add these into the email template.  If you are starting from scratch, use one of templates available within your email platform, purchase an email template design, or ask for help! 

Tips to create good emails:

• Use no more than 3 sections per email.  Why?  Your readers will spend an average of 12 seconds reading your email.  
• Keep each section of your email to 2-3 sentences max. Make it skimmable! 
• Create clean section headers by using dividers and images at the top of each section.  Then, use alt tags and image links so readers can learn more about the image quickly!
• Include good CTA’s (calls to action) throughout the email.  CTA’s include both highlighted links and buttons.
• Leave lots of white space or negative space to let the reader’s eyes rest. 
• Use easy-to-read fonts that compliment each other.
• Select complimentary colors for dividers, headings, buttons, and within the images you select.  However, keep your paragraph text to black or grey to make it easy to read.
• Create short but intriguing Subject Lines and Preview Text. No more than 6-9 words for your Subject Line. Use an emoji for emphasis on your Subject Line. In addition, you can include capitalized words in your copy like SALE, NEW, SAVE, COMING SOON, HOLIDAY SPECIAL, etc. to grab attention of your readers.

Too Much Copy? 

If you are constantly trying to cut down paragraphs of copy, then revisit your email goals and your email frequency.  Perhaps you need to send a weekly email instead of 2x per month?  Or, maybe you send a monthly general newsletter that’s more sales focused, and then a more personalized one that’s written from the owners or CEO of your company?

preview and test your email campaign

Either way, once you draft your email, preview it on both desktop and mobile.  Most email opens happen on mobile devices these days.  Send test emails to your boss, your co-worker, anyone that can review and provide feedback before you click to your full list. 

See what your emails look like in Outlook vs. Gmail.  And keep in mind, Outlook will not render images, so use those Alt tags! 

7. best times and days to send your email

Clients always ask, what are the best days and times to send an email?  Well, we see the highest open rates when we send email campaigns on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  However, if we are launching a weekly sale, or a holiday campaign, we may drop emails on Sundays as well.  

What time should you send your email?  We typically drop email campaigns between 7-10am.  However, consider what time zone you are sending your emails to.  If most of your opens come from the East Coast, and you live on the West Coast, set your emails to drop earlier during their morning hours. 

You can also use Mailchimp’s tools like Time Warp or Time Optimization to not only determine the best time to send, but also drop your email campaigns at the same time in each time zone.  Therefore, everyone on your list will get your email campaign at say 8am their time.  Pretty sweet!   

8. measure the results of your email campaign

• First, stick to a schedule of creating and sending your emails for 2-3 months. 
• Second, pay attention to your email campaign metrics.  Do these fall short of your industry’s standard open rates?  Do they surpass them?  Once again, with Apple’s new iOS15 update, your open rates will be inflated, so you will want to account for this.
• What links are people clicking on the most?
• Are you trying new things over time? Asking for feedback?  
• Did you resend your email to non-openers? Meaning did you segment your list and resend your email to anyone that did not open the first email?  We often do this sales and marketing emails.  However, before resending, you should change the Subject Line and Preview Text.
• If your open rate and click-through rates are still well below the industry average, revisit your email goals and review your email list.

need help with your emails?

Need help getting started, or want us to create and manage your email marketing campaigns?  Let’s chat!  Also, check out other posts we’ve written about social media and paid advertising:

• 8 Easy Steps to Kickstart Your Online Advertising

• How Your Email Marketing will be Affected by Apple’s iOS15 Updates

• Using Photography and Videography to Marketing Your Business

• How to Find the Right Brand Ambassadors and Influencers for Your Brand

• 15 Ways to Create Higher Conversions Using Facebook Ads

To learn more about what we do on the regular, follow Top Rope Media’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Until next time, happy emailing!

– Meredith McConvill