Cyber Monday’s online sales hit an all-time high in 2018, capping out at a record $7.9 billion, according to Adobe Analytics. That’s an increase of 19.3% from the previous year — and sales are only expected to go up this December.
Are you ready to hit “go” on your Cyber Monday email campaign? Here’s a content calendar you can use to make sure you’re maximizing your promotion.
Your 5-Email Campaign for Cyber Monday 2019
November 29: Send your “teaser” email. Tease your promotion with a “preview” email sent out three days* before Cyber Monday. Let your subscribers know something big is coming on December 2 — but don’t tell them what. Get them excited for the announcement.
*You don’t want this email to go out more than three days in advance or you might cannibalize your sales leading up to the promotion going live. People may be hesitant to purchase if they know a better deal is just a few days away.
December 1: Send a countdown email. The night before your promotion goes live, send a 12-hour countdown email to your audience. (The anticipation!) You can schedule this ahead of time inside your AWeber account.
Don’t have an AWeber account yet? Sign up for a 30-day free trial, and get your Cyber Monday emails scheduled!
December 2 (morning): Launch your promotion. Send your promotion — whether it’s a coupon code that gives your subscribers a certain percentage off their purchase, a free gift with their purchase, or a special giveaway for the first 200 customers who purchase — on Cyber Monday.
Related: Automatically Create Your Own Beautiful, Branded Email Template in Seconds!
December 2 (afternoon): Resend your promotion. Not all your subscribers will engage with your email. That’s okay: Their inboxes are flooded on Cyber Monday with deals. That’s why I recommend resending your message to anyone on your list who didn’t open or click later in the day. It’s another opportunity for you to reach them.
December 3: Post-promotion email. With AWeber, you can “tag” subscribers that go from your promotion emails and hit a certain page of your website. The next day, send that group of subscribers that made it to a certain product page or the checkout — but never ended up making a purchase — a followup email. Let them know the product is still available, reiterate the benefits of purchasing, and tell them that you’ll extend the promotion another few hours just for them!
Creative Cyber Monday Email Examples
Below are a few of our favorite Cyber Monday email marketing ideas from years past. Use them as fodder to create and launch your own email marketing campaign with AWeber this Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday Email: Chubbies
Chubbies, the brand that’s known for short shorts (think: “Larry Byrd” short shorts…i.e. lots of skin), had fun with their Cyber Monday email campaign. They called it Thighber Monday, and turned it into an event.
A new free gift — like duffle bags, blankets, hats, and more — was revealed every hour of Thighber Monday via email. If you bought a product on their site, you would receive that hour’s free gift along with your purchase.
The campaign kept people coming back to their inbox hour after hour to check out which free gift would be unveiled next.
Cyber Monday Email: Melyssa Griffin
Digital marketer and coach Melyssa Griffin helps bloggers and entrepreneurs grow their audiences and incomes. For Cyber Monday, Melyssa bundled all her online courses together for a fantastic deal. Bundling or packaging certain products can make the promotion feel larger and more impactful than giving a discount for each separate item.
Cyber Monday Email: Taco Bell
Taco Bell didn’t offer a Cyber Monday promotion. Instead, they banked on how hungry you’d be after a long day of online shopping. Taco ‘bout a novel idea.
Related: 5 Powerful Ways to Drive More Sales Through Email
Cyber Monday Email: Everlane
Remind your customers of how good they always have it! That’s what Everlane did with their “No sale here” email. They called out the fact that their prices are already 50% lower than most retailers, day in and day out.
Cyber Monday Email: Lewis Howes
Motivational speaker and coach, Lewis Howes, focused on “exclusivity” for his Cyber Monday deal. He played up all the benefits of being part of the elite, members-only program and offered a significant discount on his monthly coaching program.
Quickly launch your Cyber Monday email campaign
Try AWeber for free for 30 days, and get access to all of our powerfully-simple email marketing solutions. You can set up an effective, beautiful, branded email campaign for Cyber Monday in minutes!