90+ Inspirational Content Ideas to Fill Your 2021 December Marketing Calendar

December is probably the champion month in terms of sales generation as it hosts the biggest shopping events of the year - Giving Tuesday (Dec 1), Hanukkah (Dec 11-18), Festivus (Dec 23), Christmas (Dec 25), Kwanzaa (Dec 26 - Jan 1) and New Year (Dec 31).

Despite the COVID-19-forced lockdown, holiday fever is spreading, and you need to plan ahead to implement your best December marketing ideas. Although your customers are driven to shop during the holidays by their mere existence, you should still find phenomenal content ideas to impress your audience and prove one more time they’ve made the right choice by subscribing to you.

Ready to reintroduce your products and win a new following? Look no further and check this ultimate compilation of practical email marketing advice supported by great examples.

Top 12 December Email Ideas 

No matter what holiday you'll focus on this December, the following tips will give you some creative impulse to get inspired by. 

• Killer December email subject lines. A subject line is the first thing people see when receiving your email, so you want to do better than just Christmas Sales. Describing all advantages of your offer in about 10 words isn’t easy, but the juice is worth the squeeze. You have only one chance to catch the attention, so don’t waste it with regular wording.
• Emoji. Relevant symbols in a subject line or preheader can help your email make it through an overcrowded Inbox. Make sure you stick to commonly accepted emojis that convey no double meaning.
• Smart animation. A well-placed GIF adds entertaining vibes even to a plain-text email. Watch the size though, as too many heavy images may distort the message layout.
• Relevant humor. A couple of sharp sentences, a custom CTA, a promo code with fun celebration references - holidays are all about laughter and entertainment, so don’t be afraid to go for a humorous angle.
• Wordplay. Get creative with the text. Let your brand personality shine using old sophisticated language of Charles Dickens’ novels, adapting a couple of lines from popular carols, or even coming up with your own short poem or haiku.
• Urgency. Countdown timers work perfectly when it comes to speeding up decision making. People don’t like missing out on opportunities, so consider reminding your customers that the lucrative deal expires in a day or even hours. Such time-sensitive phrases as Final Sale, Supply Is Limited, # Left in Stock, etc. would help get the job done.
• Promo code. Free shipping and discount codes have the best chances to be used and generate a purchase. And since most December celebrations are family holidays, consider including several codes, for your customers and their family and friends.
• Themed background. If you opt for a simple design and minimum images, a holiday-themed background may take on a role of the mood setter. Angels, bells, evergreens, garlands - even one small element is enough to create a festive atmosphere.
• Personalized product recommendations. Build blocks with recommendations based on the users' site behavior and campaign activity. Use them to direct people straight to the products they are most likely to buy at this current moment.
• Multilanguage. If your target audience speaks many languages, consider sending them holiday congratulations in their native language. According to CSA Research, 65% of users prefer content in their native language, and 40% won't buy in other languages. This is a huge reason to send multilingual emails this Christmas and incorporate the practice for further email marketing. By the way, in our platform, you can create any multilingual message (email, push, SMS) within one template and switch between them in a click.

• Omnichannel. Let your community know what you’re up this holiday season via all available channels. Site banners, Facebook and Insta posts, YouTube video announcements, podcasts, web pushes and SMS- employ a multichannel approach for a better response.
• Mobile friendliness. More than 70% of users read emails on mobile devices, and the number will only grow. Make sure your design is optimized for any device and would look as intended on both desktop and smartphone.

It's not that you have to squeeze all the above within one email. Choose one or two ideas that resonate with the message of your campaign this season and pick up the right template that would fir them best. You can find one in our service as we have 380+ email templates you can use for free and fill with your content.

And now when you’re armed with all the basic insights into cool email marketing content ideas, check this list of events, small and big, local and international, to put all the above into practice. I definitely don’t recommend you bombard your customers’ inboxes every day, but a relevant reminder applicable to your business is always to the point. After all, Christmas isn't the only occasion to reach out in December.

Day Holidays to Look for in December 2020

Dec 1

World AIDS Day;

Giving Tuesday;

Rosa Parks Day;

Teachers' Day (Panama);

Ice Hockey Day (Russia);

Eat a Red Apple Day (US);

Dec 2

World Computer Literacy Day;

2D Artist Day;

Constitution Day (Iran);

Fritters Day (US);

Dec 3

3December;

No Pesticides Day;

International Basque Language Day;

International Day of Persons with Disabilities;

Lawyer's Day (Russia);

Doctors' Day (Cuba);

Dec 4

International Cheetah Day;

International Sweater Vestival (second Friday after Thanksgiving);

National Cookie Day (US);

Navy Day (India);

Environment Day (Thailand);

Dec 5

World Soil Day;

International Ninja Day;

Dec 6

St. Nicholas Day (Western Christian countries);

Constitution Day (Spain);

Independence Day (Finland);

Sindh Cultural Day;

National Gazpacho Day;

Dec 7

International Civil Aviation Day;

National Cotton Candy Day (US);

Dec 8

Constitution Day (Uzbekistan);

Constitution Day (Romania)

Day of Finnish Music (Finland);

National Youth Day (Albania);

Mother Day (Panama);

Bodhi Day (Japan);

Dec 9

Teacher's Day (Israel);

National Pastry Day (US);

Dec 10

Human Rights Day;

Animal Rights Day;

Alfred Nobel Day;

Constitution Day (Thailand);

Dec 11

Hanukkah;

International Mountain Day;

National Tango Day (Argentina);

Dec 12

Kanji Day (Japan);

Literature Day (Kyrgyzstan);

Dec 13

Sailor's Day (Brazil);

National Cocoa Day (US);

Charity Day (Ukraine);

Dec 14

Monkey Day;

Dec 15

International Tea Day;

National Lemon Cupcake Day (US);

Bill of Rights Day;

Dec 16

National Sports Day (Thailand);

Chocolate Covered Anything Day (US);

Research Day (Iran);

Dec 17

National Maple Syrup Day (US);

Wright Brothers Day (US);

Dec 18

UN Arabic Language Day;

University Day (Iran);

Police Day (Moldova);

Dec 19

St. Nicholas Day (Eastern Christian countries);

Advocacy Day (Ukraine);

National Oatmeal Muffin Day (US);

Dec 20

International Human Solidarity Day;

National Sangria Day;

Dec 21

Yule;

Shab-e Yalda;

Dongzhi Festival (East Asia);

Pancha Ganapati (India);

Dec 22

Mother's Day (Indonesia);

National Mathematics Day (India);

Teachers' Day (Cuba);

Date Nut Bread Day (US);

Dec 23

Festivus;

Children's Day (Sudan);

Dec 24

Christmas Eve;

Eggnog Day (US);

Dec 25

Christmas;

Newtonmas;

Constitution Day (Taiwan);

Dec 26

Kwanzaa;

Boxing Day;

Father's Day (Bulgaria);

Dec 27

National Fruitcake Day (US);

Dec 28

National Chocolate Candy Day (US);

Dec 29

International Cello Day;

Pepper Pot Day (US);

Constitution Day (Ireland);

Independence Day (Mongolia);

Dec 30

National Bacon Day (US);

Dec 31

New Year's Eve;

National Champagne Day (US).

Best December Email Campaigns and What to Learn from Them

You know when to write and know what to write but still don’t quite visualize the final picture? Take a look at the below examples to get an idea of how different elements may work in one campaign. You don’t necessarily have to incorporate them all - choose those that resonate with your brand image and established communication pattern.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday, as suggested by the name, is more about contribution than commercial profit. However, it doesn’t mean that only nonprofits are welcome to participate. Any company willing to boost community engagement, run volunteer events, promote charity, declare its social position or simply say thank you can also commit.

They’ve got the job done:

Key elements:

• donation option;
• focus on giving.

Key elements:

• topical language - gift, warmth, giving;
• no evident CTAs;
• offer to forward friends.

Key elements:

• strong motto - your purchases help improve lives;
• different options to participate;
• no numbers or %, only engaging text.

Key elements:

• volunteering and donation option;
• powerful image;
• in-store events;
• sense of community commitment.

Key elements:

• no aggressive CTAs in the top part;
• Fill their stockings with love and inspiration instead of Buy now;
• holiday-themed images.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday that has the second name - the Festival of Lights. It lasts for eight days during which people traditionally exchange gifts and warm wishes. The holiday is associated with family values so make your Hannukah emails as friednly-looking as possible.

They've got the job done:

Key elements:

• Gifts for each day of celebration;
• Focus on the holiday-related product;
• Corresponding colors.

Key elements:

• Crisp copy;
• No aggressive sales;
• Minimalistic design;
• Soft colors.

Christmas

Christmas has long turned into an international holiday celebrated by almost everyone regardless of religious believes, geo location, age, and nationality. You don’t need to know the Bible by heart to make gifts to your friends and family, bake traditional cookies or decorate your house with elves and angels.

They’ve got the job done:

Key elements:

• congratulation on Hanukkah and Christmas;
• practical information on working schedule;
• cute video;
• no direct CTAs.

Key elements:

• personalized approach;
• season's greeting;
• no sale-oriented content;
• no CTA.

Key elements:

• product-focused design;
• Christmas-related product;
• animation elements;
• simple layout.

Key elements:

• themed background;
• different gift options;
• wide price range.

Key elements:

• themed GIF;
• custom CTA;
• easy-to-scan design.

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I hope you’d get inspired by at least a few of the above marketing calendar ideas. December is the month when customers are eager to buy, so it’s a perfect match for email marketing made in eCommerce heaven. Plan ahead, stay focused on your company values, craft creative campaigns and win this December.