Memorial Day is an excellent opportunity to not only show your support for the heroic men and valiant women of the United States military, but also to promote your products and service to engaged customers.
A well-thought-out, personalized, and, above all, respectful email campaign can get people’s attention, showcase your brand values, and increase your customer base.
In this article we’ll share 10 things to consider when planning a Memorial Day email, as well as some Memorial Day email examples to kick-start your next campaign.
Why create a Memorial Day campaign?
When you think of national holidays that inspire customers to spend money, you may think of Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even Independence Day.
Memorial Day is also a great federal holiday to capitalize on with your marketing efforts.
As it’s observed on a Monday, many Americans celebrate with a long weekend. People travel to see loved ones, carry out gardening and home improvements, and enjoy community activities like festivals, parties, and sporting events.
Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial start of the summer season. People celebrate with barbecues, beach visits, pool parties, and camping trips.
This means that if you sell products relevant to any of these activities, you can use Memorial Day email campaigns to appeal to potential customers.
How to develop the perfect Memorial Day email campaign
There are a wide range of benefits to using emails in your Memorial Day campaigns.
You can send highly personalized messages to customers, appeal to them whether they’re on the go or at home and offer valuable content that builds brand loyalty.
Here are a few steps to help you create engaging Memorial Day messages that increase sales and raise brand awareness.
Step #1: Understand your target audience
Before you begin drafting your Memorial Day email, you need to understand who you are writing it for.
Knowing your target audience and what they want to see will mean a higher email open rate, a higher click-through rate, and increased sales.
Your chosen audience will determine your email’s:
- Tone of voice: For example, will your email be casual and playful, or formal and serious?
- Subject line: You’ll want to create a subject line that appeals to your audience and resonates with their pain points.
- Design: What images and videos will you include in your email? Your audience will also influence your email’s branding and style.
- Call to action: What is the ultimate goal of your Memorial Day email? Do you want your audience to buy a product, find out more about your services, or get in touch with you for a quote? We’ll talk about calls to action in more detail later.
Step #2: Capitalize on the start of summer
As Memorial Day marks the start of summer, you can use this to your advantage in the Memorial Day emails you send.
For many, summer is synonymous with festivity, freedom, and new beginnings. The days get longer, the weather gets warmer, and people can enjoy the great outdoors at any time.
You can evoke these positive emotions in your Memorial Day emails. By telling stories and using supporting images and videos, you can forge a genuine connection and inspire your audience to buy your products.
Here’s a great example of a Memorial Day email that paints a powerful narrative about summer:
Subject line: Summer adventures await you this Memorial Day
Hi [First Name],
The scent of pine needles in the air, the warm crackle of a campfire, looking up at a purple star-studded sky. This Memorial Day, we celebrate the start of summer and the call of the wild.
Whether you’re conquering a new summit or toasting s’mores with friends, summer is truly a time of exploration. With our range of camping products, we’re here to make your adventures a reality.
As you celebrate Memorial Day, take a moment to reflect on the past but also to look forward to the future. It’s time to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Wishing you a summer filled with discovery,
Peter at [Organization]
Step #3: Be respectful
Memorial Day is a time to honor fallen soldiers and remind ourselves of their ultimate sacrifice for our country.
While it’s OK for your Memorial Day messages to be light and promotional in tone, it’s still essential to express gratitude for the military personnel who have died serving.
If your email is overly salesy, flashy, or insincere, you can risk angering your customers.
Here are some ways you can promote your Memorial Day deals while ensuring a sincere tone:
- Ensure the primary focus of your email is remembering and honoring those who died protecting the country.
- Incorporate the American flag and its red, white, and blue colors.
- Consider sending multiple emails as part of your campaign. For example, you can send an initial email that’s more solemn in tone and send your Memorial Day deals later.
- Many businesses include Memorial Day quotes in their emails to express their values and inspire recipients. Quotes by Mary Roach and Joseph Campbell are popular choices.
Step #4: Use segmentation
Customer email segmentation is when you divide your email list into smaller groups using the data you already have about each subscriber. This means you can send highly personalized emails they’re more likely to engage with.
You can segment your Memorial Day messages in 4 different ways:
- Geographic segmentation: This is when you divide your customers based on where they live or work. For example, you may send different emails to customers living in urban areas to those living in rural areas.
- Demographic segmentation: This is when you divide your customers depending on age, gender, income, or family status. For example, you may send different emails to customers with children than those without.
- Psychographic segmentation: This is when you divide your customers based on their personality traits, interests, and lifestyle choices. For example, if you operate a camping supplies store, you may send different emails to customers who camp in an RV compared to those who use tents.
- Behavioral segmentation: This is when you divide your customers depending on how they interact with your business, your emails, and your website. For example, you may send a different email to customers who buy from you regularly compared to customers who have never bought from you.
Step #5: Create a memorable subject line
Your email subject line can determine whether a prospective customer opens your message. This means it needs to be clear and engaging and tells recipients what they can expect to see.
Here’s what to consider when creating Memorial Day subject lines for your business:
- Keep it short. Shorter subject lines are easier to read and less likely to be cut off on a mobile device. We recommend a maximum of 9 words or 60 characters.
- Personalize your subject line. For example, you can include the recipient’s name or the organization they work for.
- Emojis can work depending on your audience and what your email is about. Stick to one and don’t use them to replace words.
- Take advantage of your preview text, which sits below your subject line. Your preview text gives you an extra line to provide context about your message to customers.
- A/B test your email subject lines to see which ones lead to the highest open and click-through rates.
Step #6: Offer a clear call to action
Your call to action (CTA) is the prompt you want customers to take after reading your email. For example, if you’re holding a Memorial Day sale, your CTA could be to view your products on your website.
Your CTA must be easy to understand, relevant, and eye-catching. If you use a specific color in your email, consider having your CTA button in a contrasting color so it stands out.
A/B testing is excellent for identifying which CTAs generate the most conversions. For example, you can use “Buy Now” in a specific Memorial Day sale email and “Shop Now” in another and see which drives the most sales.
Step #7: Consider your email design
While you need to think about your email’s subject line, copy, and CTA, you also have to consider its overall design.
A clear and eye-catching email design will encourage recipients to read through your email and convert. Think about not only the colors, images, and typography, but how easy your email is to scan through. Headings, bullet points, and white space can make it easier to understand your message.
It’s also important that your Memorial Day email theme is consistent with your overall brand. This helps with brand recognition and assures customers your sales message is legitimate. For example, you may use the traditional red, white, and blue colors of Memorial Day alongside your more established brand colors.
Here’s a helpful tip: Look at Memorial Day emails you’ve received in the past. Which designs, colorways, and themes have inspired you to read on and take action?
Step #8: Make your email mobile-responsive
Many people check their emails on their mobile devices. If they’re celebrating Memorial Day in the garden, in the forest, or on the beach, the chances of them checking their emails on their smartphone are even higher.
Ensuring your Memorial Day email is mobile-responsive means customers are more likely to read, understand, and react to your message. You can do this by:
- Making your email subject line short
- Optimizing images and videos so they load quickly
- Using large CTA buttons that are easy to click
- Choosing an email template that automatically resizes to fit a mobile device
- Testing Memorial Day emails on a mobile device before sending them out
Step #9: Keep your message short
Your customers will receive many Memorial Day celebration emails from companies over the long weekend. To ensure your email is memorable and actionable, especially on a mobile device, keep it as concise as possible.
What is the optimal length of a Memorial Day email? It depends on who you’re targeting, what you sell, and the purpose of your message. Aim for 200 words or fewer.
If you have a lot you need to say, consider multiple shorter emails instead of one long one. For example, you can send an initial Memorial Day email on the Saturday and a reminder email on the Monday.
Step #10: Partner with SMS marketing
Email campaigns are a fantastic tool in your Memorial Day marketing strategy, but they’re even more powerful when you pair them with SMS marketing.
People check their SMS messages quickly, and, like email, you can send highly personalized and segmented messages. Customers also don’t need to be on a mobile internet or WiFi connection to receive texts, which is ideal if they’re exploring the great outdoors on Memorial Day!
SMS marketing also provides a great opportunity for 2-way communication, meaning you can ask customers engaging questions like “What’s your favorite Memorial Day tradition?”
When you pair Memorial Day emails and SMS messages, you can double down on the CTA you promote, increasing the chances of your customers seeing it and taking action.
However, you need to get explicit consent to send customers promotional text messages, in line with data privacy regulations. You can do this by adding a lead capture pop-up to your website, asking people to provide their mobile number and providing links to your terms of service and privacy policy.
Memorial Day email examples that drive clicks
If you’re unsure what to include in your Memorial Day email, here are some free templates to inspire you.
Just change the details in the email so it’s relevant to your specific business and what you sell.
Example #1: The sales email
If you’re holding a Memorial Day sale, your email must be concise and personalized and encourage the recipient to visit your website.
Using FOMO (the fear of missing out) can boost sales too. Emphasize any limited-time offers or Memorial Day specials and make your email subscribers feel like part of an exclusive group.
Subject line: [First Name], our Memorial Day deals end soon!
Hi [First Name],
Memorial Day weekend is set to be a sizzling one, and so are our deals.
Don’t miss out on the perfect barbecue to honor the holiday and enjoy time with loved ones.
We’ve got scorching deals on charcoal, wood chips, and meat rubs, as well as 30% off our most popular grilling accessories. These exclusive promotions end at midnight tonight—once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Don’t miss out this Memorial Day. Stock up now and make the weekend truly unforgettable.
Happy grilling!
Bob at [Organization]
Example #2: The discount offer
According to a study conducted by Edelman DXI on behalf of Mailchimp, holiday promotions and discounts are very or extremely important to 62% of customers.
Offering a coupon code, promotion, or even free shipping can entice customers who might not have otherwise bought from your website to make a purchase.
Here’s a tip when providing Memorial Day savings and discounts—segment your mailing list so you offer a more personalized deal. For example, if a customer regularly buys a specific product, give them a coupon code for that item.
Subject line: [First Name], your special discount is waiting for you!
Hi [First Name],
Celebrate Memorial Day in style with our fantastic range of summer shorts. Whether you’re hitting the beach, hosting a backyard barbecue, or relaxing with friends, you’re sure to find the perfect pair.
We’re kicking off the holiday weekend with a special Memorial Day discount—20% off all our shorts! Just use MEMORIAL20 at checkout.
This offer is only valid through Memorial Day, so don’t wait!
Wishing you a warm and wonderful Memorial Day celebration,
Peter at [Organization]
Example #3: The charitable tie-in
Memorial Day isn’t just a time for savings and promotions. It’s a time to pay tribute and express eternal gratitude to the fallen heroes who fought and died for our country.
You can use your Memorial Day messages to showcase your company values to your loyal customers and give back to the community.
Subject line: Honoring our heroes this Memorial Day weekend
Hi [First Name],
This Memorial Day weekend, we at [Organization] remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
In their memory, we are dedicating 50% of all bakery profits from Friday through Monday to [Veterans Charity]. This organization provides vital support to veterans and their families, as well as scholarships for the children of fallen soldiers.
Join us in honoring their legacy by enjoying your favorite treats and supporting a worthy cause that’s close to our hearts.
Thank you for your support.
Peter at [Organization]
Key takeaways
- Why have a Memorial Day email campaign? As Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and is held on a long weekend, you can appeal to customers looking to buy seasonal products including party-planning equipment, DIY items, and camping gear.
- It’s vital to get the tone of voice right: While it’s fine to promote your Memorial Day deals, ensure your email message is respectful and honors those who have fought for our country’s freedom.
- Use segmentation to send highly targeted and personalized emails: You can segment your email list by location, age, family status, interests and hobbies, and previous website activity.
- Think about the entire email experience: Understand the key message you want to convey in your Memorial Day email, and reflect it not only in your subject line, CTA, and email copy, but your colors, theme, and overall design.
Experiment with A/B testing: Use A/B testing tools to see which subject lines, CTAs, offers, copy, and images customers like most.