Why January is the most important month for your email list

There's no denying that email is the number one channel for revenue. A busier than normal holiday season sent email volumes through the roof, from discounts and deals from our favourite retailers, to last second appeals from nonprofits we love. As consumers and donors, we've been conditioned to gobs and gobs of email is November and December. We expect it, embrace it, and know in January that we'll eventually delete all of it. 

But what we sometimes forget is that email is a relationship channel. It's not a push notification, and it's definitely not a tweet, it's one corner of the internet where we expect personalization and are actually okay with it. So while chasing ROI and the highs that coming with it might be enticing, cultivating a relationship with our consumers and donors should be our number priority for email, and there's no better month to start that than the month of January.

Here are some reasons why January is the time to do so.

“Dads at Sephora” - aka new non-traditional donors and consumers

Doesn’t it feel good heading into a New Year with a bunch of new email subscribers? Ask yourself this, how many new donors or consumers fit into a non-traditional profile of your subscribers? Enter the Dad’s at Sephora example. The Stripe Facebook Group, hosted by Grace Atwood, had a thread recently where readers shared what gifts (with links) were okay to send to family members to purchase for the holidays. One reader mentioned how easy online shopping at Sephora was for her Dad, she sent him the exact link to the product she wanted, he purchased it easily, and it arrived and was gifted to her with no problem. Great, right? But then she went on to mention that her Dad forwarded the purchase follow-up email from Sephora with instructions on how to use the actual product. This “how to use your new stuff” follow-up email is genius, but is Dad really the one that should be receiving it?

As marketers, how can we learn that our shopper was “Dad at Sephora”? How do we know our new donor only donated because they were supporting a peer? Use your January communications to ask these relationship building questions. You’ll find ways to connect, nurture and steward these non-traditional subscribers, which might open up new, untapped revenue streams down the line.

Breaking through the New Year’s Resolution-ers

How many of us have made a resolution in the past to get organized? To reduce clutter? To get our sh*t together? And how many times has our inbox been included in this resolution?

It’s no secret that January is unsubscribe season. Which we might not think is a big deal coming off the high of a successful holiday season, that is until next year’s holiday revenue targets come out and we really wish we could get all those subscribers back.

That’s why your January communications should be about VALUE. For non-profits, show your donors how their gift is creating capacity to impact new things for those you serve and thank them for it. For consumers, show them products that can supplement or work with a previous purchase, to create longer value out of their investment. Whatever you send, make sure it shows you value the time of your subscriber reading it, so that they find value in your messages and relationship and stay subscribed.

Make your first impression full of expectations

You only get one first impression.

That phrase wouldn’t have been around forever if it wasn’t true. Consider your first message of the year your reader’s first impression of you for the new year. Sending a donation appeal first thing? Your readers will assume you’ll be asking for money all year long. Pushing new products? Your emails will essentially become window shopping until it’s time for your reader to make a purchase (hopefully with you).

This January, why not tell your reader’s what they can expect from you this year? Share with them how you hope to inspire and encourage them, how together you’ll help them achieve a goal. And most importantly, share that this is a journey we’re on together.