In case you didn’t know, Juneteenth is a pretty big deal. After all, it's the day that celebrates the end of slavery in America.
If you’re second-guessing about running an email marketing campaign for this event, consider this as a sign that you should. It makes total sense since 54% of consumers expect brands to take an active role in conversations about social causes.
But don’t do more harm than good by attempting to appear woke. There are a few things to keep in mind to make your Juneteenth emails successful. Keep on reading to know all the details.
What Should Juneteenth Marketing Look Like and Shouldn’t Look Like?
The retail giant, Walmart, found itself in hot waters after people pointed out how its Juneteenth special ice cream was problematic. People were quick to call them out for cashing in on the holiday, and eventually, Walmart had to discontinue selling the ice cream.
The above situation is exactly what you want to avoid with Juneteenth marketing. Don’t make a joke of yourself in an attempt to become woke. If you’re aiming to earn quick revenue from Juneteenth sales, then be ready to face the wrath of your audience.
Juneteenth email marketing should look something like the following:
Thoughtful as you bring more awareness about the holiday.
Celebratory as you highlight the work of the African-American community.
Helpful as you highlight organizations doing good for the masses.
What Kind of Emails to Send on Juneteenth?
With that out of the way, let’s look at some Juneteenth email campaign ideas that won’t backfire.
Celebrate the work of African Americans
The safest yet most impactful thing that you can do is highlight the work of African Americans in the emails you send.
So, an ecommerce store featuring multiple brands under its umbrella can showcase Black-owned brands. This can be done by giving them a shoutout, featuring their products, or offering incentives, like free delivery when one buys from them.
Following this campaign idea will shift the focus away from you and to those for whom the day is being celebrated.
Donate/Commit to a good cause
Corporate philanthropy isn’t something new. But it is still very effective. As brands, the more you’ll give, the more customer loyalty you’ll achieve.
In your Juneteenth email design, you can talk about donating to Black-led nonprofits or companies empowering Black communities. This can come in the form of donating a big chunk of money or a portion of every sale made.
But if your business cannot afford to do that, you can still highlight how you’re participating in making things better. Your team can participate in charity races, collaborate with African American influencers, and hire a more inclusive team.
Create more awareness
Even though people have been celebrating Juneteenth since 1865, it became a federal holiday in 2021. It may be the longest-running African American holiday, but 62% of Americans still know “nothing at all” or a “little bit” about it.
Perhaps the most impactful thing you can do this year is creating greater awareness regarding Juneteenth. You’ve created a large email list - you might as well put good use to it.
In your emails, you can talk about the history of Juneteenth, the efforts made to end slavery, influential personalities, etc.
Trust me, this effort would be greatly appreciated by the Black community as you’re honoring the holiday in its truest meaning.
Promote the community aspect
People celebrate Juneteenth by organizing picnics, praying, and participating in parades and street fairs. You’ll notice that all of these celebrations are collective in nature. Take inspiration from this and promote community in your Juneteenth emails.
You can talk about different ways people can celebrate and how your products/services can help them do that. But ensure this is done in a non-salesly way. You can even sponsor an event or participate in one (more on this below).
Show how you’re celebrating
One campaign idea that I totally stan is when companies show their humanistic side. And the best way to do that is to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what actually is happening in your office.
In your Juneteenth emails, you can highlight the different ways your team members are celebrating the holiday, be it by giving your employees a day off or participating in parades or events.
You can even share what Juneteenth means for your African American employees and how truly one can celebrate this event.
4 Tips to Make Your Juneteenth Emails Successful
I’m sure your mind is flooded with multiple ideas, but before you start designing your Juneteenth campaigns, follow the below tips so that your emails are nothing short of successful.
1. Write thoughtful copy
Writing email copy isn’t as easy as people think it is. Actually, it’s not easy at all. You have to be watchful of the content you write since it can make or break your campaign.
The copy for your Juneteenth emails should be thoughtful yet attention-grabbing. The best way you can do that is by stepping in your audience’s shoes. How do they speak? What words do they use when talking about social causes?
You should also make use of storytelling. The latter, if done good, hooks your reader till the very end and convices them to take your desired action.
2. Make your email design worth looking
You’ll not be the only brand sending your subscribers Juneteenth emails. How do you stand out? Through an attractive email design.
Plain text emails are easily ignorable, so you should send HTML emails - aka the nice kind of emails you’re used to looking at. Include powerful imagery, embed a helpful video, or share links to your website.
Designing HTML emails can be tricky, which is why you should use premade Juneteenth email templates. The ones we have at Unlayer can be easily customized in a matter of minutes, display well on every device the email is viewed on, and are integrable with your favorite email service provider.
3. Go for the holistic marketing approach
With Juneteenth marketing, you’re trying to make an impact. That can’t be done through a single lone email. The best way to achieve your goals is to follow the holistic marketing approach.
Launch a campaign across all marketing channels you’re active on. But, don’t just copy-paste the same message on different mediums - that’ll appear repetitive and lazy. Your message should be different yet similar enough that your entire marketing campaign appears cohesive.
4. Spend some good time editing
I can’t stress this point enough. And I don’t just mean doing a simple grammar or spelling check. Think big and check if you’ve not played into stereotypes, used offensive words, or capitalized on the occasion.
One common misconception is the Juneteenth flag. No, it’s not the green, red, brown, and yellow flag you’re used to seeing. In reality, the flag includes blue, red, and white colors and features a star.
Edit your emails thoroughly and brownie points if you can get your African American colleagues to vet them for you.
Inspiring Juneteenth Emails to Follow
You’re all equipped to create successful Juneteenth email campaigns. But there’s nothing wrong with sharing some good old inspiration. We love (and approve) the following Juneteenth emails:
Skillshare
Subject line: Honoring Juneteenth
This vibrant email design is good to look at and delivers an impactful message as well. From explaining what Juneteenth is to sharing what Black creators think about the holiday, this email deserves a 10/10.
The Little Market
Subject line: Join Us in Honoring Juneteenth
This email features a simplistic infographic that describes the events that took place for slavery to finally end. We love how this email doesn’t try to do multiple things at the same time but rather focuses on one single message - educating its subscribers.
Shokz
Subject line: What Juneteenth Means to Black ShokzSquad Members
This email sheds light on how the team at Shkoz is celebrating this occasion. You can see pictures and messages of their employees as they describe what Juneteenth means to them. A simplistic design that gets it right.
In a Nutshell...
Executing a Juneteenth email campaign is a powerful way to show you’re more than just making money. Just follow the campaign ideas and tips mentioned in this article, and you’ll design an email that is appreciated by all.
