Fourth of July Email Marketing Tips

July 4th is just around the corner. If you’re an American, this means you’ll likely spend the weekend gripping a cold beverage in one hand and a small explosive (or 50) in the other. And if you’re an American email marketer, this means…well, it depends.

Here at Mailchimp, we’re big fans of only sending email when you have something to email about. Just because it’s a big holiday doesn’t mean you have to go all out. But if you do have something to say (maybe you’re a small business brick and mortar looking to take advantage of holiday foot traffic, or an e-commerce store with an especially patriotic product to push), we’ve got some tips for you.

Embrace your independence

We love Tattly not just because they do everything—from their emails to their website to their temporary tattoos—with style, but also because it all feels so natural. Their recent Fourth of July email featured color-coordinated models and sharp, holiday-themed copy. Even though they don’t sell any typically patriotic products, they rounded up a few that fit a red-and-white striped theme. The campaign feels fun and totally un-forced.

Geolocation, location, location

For businesses that balance brick and mortar with e-commerce, holidays like the Fourth can be a tricky: You want to conduct your usual business over the internet while bringing the right people in to your actual store. Geolocation is perfect for a weekend like this. Segment your users and then send them different emails. Folks near your store get one version, folks who live in another state get a different one. This also helps you reduce irrelevance for international users by making sure they don’t receive a July 4th email. You can even use it to start a party, if the holiday spirit so moves you.

Quick photo campaigns

Take a quick Instagram of an American flag in your window, then use it to remind your customers about your 4th of July sale. You can also take photos of new or sale items, add festive captions, and send them straight to your list.

Remember the subject line

It’s worth considering if trendy subject lines are right for your business. Our comparison study found that straightforward subject lines fare better than ones that read like Sunday paper advertisements—sometimes affecting open rates by more than 40%. So try to avoid cliches like "Let freedom ring with our July 4 sale!" this year. We love the Domino email above because it’s a brand being itself, making the holiday its own, and doing so with a no-nonsense subject line: "A 3-ingredient trifle you MUST make this weekend."

And of course, you know how we feel about emojis. What better time to let that 🇺🇸 wave?✌😎