SPECIAL SERIES: Marketing in January (Are you doing a Blue Monday campaign?) | Bathroom Break #37 🚽

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Marketing Millennials Episode: SPECIAL SERIES: Marketing in January (Are you doing a Blue Monday campaign?) | Bathroom Break #37 🚽
Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Jay Schwedelson
Release Date: January 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this special episode of The Marketing Millennials, host Daniel Murray teams up with Jay Schwedelson from the Do This, Not That podcast and SubjectLine.com for an engaging session titled "Bathroom Break #37". This episode delves into effective marketing strategies tailored for the month of January, exploring unique opportunities and challenges that marketers face during this period. The conversation is light-hearted, sprinkled with personal anecdotes about New Year's resolutions, yet remains deeply insightful for marketing professionals looking to optimize their January campaigns.

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Key Topics Discussed

1. The January Marketing Landscape
2. Performance Metrics and Email Marketing
3. Blue Monday Campaigns
4. Leveraging January for Networking and Personal Branding
5. Reigniting Cold Leads
6. Personal Resolutions and Their Marketing Parallels

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1. The January Marketing Landscape

Daniel opens the discussion by highlighting the distinct nature of January in the marketing calendar. He notes that while the first two weeks often see a slump in promotional email and newsletter performance due to the post-holiday mentality, the latter half of the month tends to perform significantly better.

Daniel Murray [03:21]: "I think marketers get confused because they send out stuff in the first two weeks because they're hyped about the new year. It does terrible. It's just the mentality that people are in."

This observation sets the stage for exploring strategies that can navigate the initial downturn and capitalize on the subsequent uptick in engagement.

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2. Performance Metrics and Email Marketing

Jay underscores the importance of understanding performance metrics, especially in email marketing. He points out that January presents a unique opportunity due to the emptier inboxes, allowing marketers to implement changes that stand out.

Jay Schwedelson [04:06]: "People's inboxes are particularly low. This is a time to do the little changes you've been planning on doing from last year and also do things like letter format emails because they'll stand out."

Daniel adds that focusing on conversion rate levers, such as refining landing pages or reviving dormant email sequences, can yield substantial improvements when the bulk of campaigns ramp up later in the month.

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3. Blue Monday Campaigns

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the concept of "Blue Monday," touted as the saddest day of the year—the third Monday of January—when people supposedly abandon their New Year's resolutions.

Jay Schwedelson [05:12]: "We are working with our clients to come up with campaigns around the saddest day of the year with subject lines like, 'Don't be sad, we have this great offer.'"

Daniel supports the idea, emphasizing that marketers can harness such events to connect with audiences by addressing their emotional states and offering solutions.

Daniel Murray [05:12]: "I think as a marketer we like to use any event. It's a low hanging fruit event because I didn't know what that was."

They discuss leveraging trends like "Dry January" to create relevant and timely content that resonates with the audience's current mindset.

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4. Leveraging January for Networking and Personal Branding

Jay brings attention to LinkedIn's data indicating that January is the peak month for new connections, making it an ideal time to build and expand one's personal network.

Jay Schwedelson [06:01]: "January is the month where people do more connections than any other month. It's a great time to build your personal network."

He advises using personalized notes with connection requests to increase acceptance rates and suggests reaching out to lapsed contacts with genuine New Year greetings to rekindle relationships.

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5. Reigniting Cold Leads

Daniel highlights the opportunity to reengage with leads that may have gone cold during the holiday season. He recommends personalized outreach, perhaps tied to upcoming events like Valentine's Day, to reignite interest.

Daniel Murray [07:31]: "This is one of the best times to do personalized outreach to leads that went cold. Do that Blue Monday offer or prepare that Valentine's Day offer that's coming in the month."

This strategy aims to refresh connections and breathe new life into previously inactive leads, setting the stage for sustained engagement in 2024.

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6. Personal Resolutions and Their Marketing Parallels

The conversation shifts to a more personal note as Daniel and Jay discuss their New Year's resolutions. Daniel shares his experience with Pilates, humorously noting its challenges, while Jay recounts his overzealous culinary adventures in Japan.

Daniel Murray [07:47]: "I did my first Pilates class. It was rough. But I lifted into Pilates, so I'm starting off strong."

Jay Schwedelson [08:38]: "My resolution was to not eat the entire world. And unfortunately, Japan does no longer exist because I ate it all."

They draw parallels between sticking to personal resolutions and the discipline required in marketing, emphasizing the importance of consistency and adaptability.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Daniel Murray [03:21]: "It's just the mentality that people are in."
• Jay Schwedelson [04:06]: "This is a time to do the little changes you've been planning on doing from last year."
• Jay Schwedelson [05:12]: "Don't be sad, we have this great offer."
• Jay Schwedelson [06:01]: "January is the month where people do more connections than any other month."
• Daniel Murray [07:31]: "This is one of the best times to do personalized outreach to leads that went cold."

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Insights and Conclusions

This episode offers actionable insights for marketers navigating the unique challenges of January. Key takeaways include:

1. Timing is Crucial: Recognize the temporary dip in engagement during the first half of January and strategically plan campaigns to align with the subsequent increase in audience activity.

2. Optimize Email Marketing: Utilize the relatively empty inboxes to implement and test changes that can enhance visibility and engagement, such as letter-format emails or refined subject lines.

3. Capitalize on Seasonal Events: Leveraging events like Blue Monday and trends like Dry January can create timely and emotionally resonant campaigns that connect with the audience's current state of mind.

4. Expand and Rekindle Networks: January's propensity for networking makes it an ideal time to build personal brands and revive past connections, fostering relationships that can benefit long-term marketing efforts.

5. Reengage Cold Leads: Personalized outreach during this period can effectively reignite interest among previously inactive leads, setting a strong foundation for the year ahead.

6. Consistency in Resolutions: The discussion on personal resolutions underscores the importance of perseverance and adaptability—qualities that are equally vital in successful marketing strategies.

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Conclusion

In "Bathroom Break #37," Daniel Murray and Jay Schwedelson provide a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, and practical marketing advice tailored for the month of January. By understanding the behavioral patterns of audiences during this time and strategically aligning campaigns to these insights, marketers can navigate the post-holiday landscape effectively. Whether it's leveraging low inbox activity, capitalizing on Blue Monday, or reigniting cold leads, the episode equips listeners with the tools and inspiration needed to kickstart their marketing efforts for the new year.

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Transcript

[Daniel Murray]

Foreign. Welcome to a new special series called the Bathroom break. That extra 10 minutes you either have to listen to marketing tips or use the bathroom. Or both. But I don't recommend both. But that's your choice.

[Jay Schwedelson]

This collab is going to be super fun. We have Daniel Murray from the Marketing Millennials and me, Jay Schwetelson from the do this, not that podcast and subjectline.com each episode in the series we are going to go over quick tips about different marketing top. And if you want to be in the bathroom, fine, just don't tell us about it. Thanks for checking it out. We are back for the Bathroom Break. This is Jay Schwedelson. I'm here with the marketing millennial, Daniel Murray. And it is a new year, new calendar. Daniel, is it a new year, new you? Do you love that saying or what?

[Daniel Murray]

Oh, I love when people say new year, new me. It's the best timing. I do think though, it is a good mentality switch for yourself. Even though it's kind of funny, it's just like another day, but people's heads just switch during this time period. It's very interesting.

[Jay Schwedelson]

But do you, when you see motivational posts and stuff like that, does it hype you up or you're like, come on, this is ridiculous?

[Daniel Murray]

I think this is one of the best times to put out inspirational things because people are need that inspiration to do things. So I don't get annoyed, but I think the best. I know this is a little late to say this, but the best time to start that habit is probably a month before the year.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Well, that would have been helpful a month ago. I mean, we could do that now.

[Daniel Murray]

Let me ask you a question before we get this. What did you do over this holiday break?

[Jay Schwedelson]

I took my family. We went on a massive trip to Japan and we crushed it. I ate an incredible amount of sushi. I learned to be a samurai. I had a man bun on the top of my head to be a samurai. I even did this thing with a falcon that landed on my arm. I mean, I did it in Japan, so that was what I did.

[Daniel Murray]

For people who don't know, Jay's an experienced traveler. He likes to set his vacation jobs based on the experiences he could do. So he did every experience he could do in Japan.

[Jay Schwedelson]

That's true. I did. I like that. I like the experiences more than historical stuff, which makes me a horrible, not intellectual person. But we're about to get intellectual right now. We are going to talk about what you can do in the month of January. In marketing and overall for your business that maybe you can't do any other month. I'll kick it off and then. And then we'll see what you got. So one of the things that we always look at is performance metrics and especially in the world of email. And one of the things that we know is the first two weeks of January stink for regular promotional email performance and even newsletter performance for the most part. But the second two weeks of January do really, really well. And I think marketers get confused by that because they send out stuff in the first two weeks because they're hyped about the new year. It does terrible. And they think that that's because their marketing stinks. It's just the mentality that people are in. And so what is it about that mentality? How else should we factor that into what we're doing?

[Daniel Murray]

Daniel I think so if you're in that mentality of things are not working. I think the best things to start right now is the low hanging fruit. And I like to look at middle of levers you can pull of conversion rate. So that landing page that needed tweaking that you spent all year not doing that or that email sequence that should have been revived, this is the best time to start doing those little tweaks because those little tweaks start adding up and then you're going to have so many big campaigns going on. So right now we'd focus on those conversion metrics. We're lagging behind. In 2024, I would start tackling the low hanging big impact tasks that you could do right now.

[Jay Schwedelson]

I think it's a really good point because the start of the year people actually have a little bit more free time than normal. Their inboxes are a little bit more empty than normal. And so this is a time to do the little changes that you've been planning on doing from last year and also do things like letter format emails because they're going to show up more in a person's inbox than they normally would because they will stand out. Because people's inboxes are particularly low. We are setting up to do the most random test. You're going to make fun of me about this. So I don't know if you know this, but the do you know Blue Monday is the third Monday of every January that's called Blue Monday. It's supposedly the saddest day of the year. That's what it's called, like a thing. The saddest day of the year because that's when Everyone gives up on their New Year's resolutions and all this nonsense. So we are working with our clients to come up with campaigns around the saddest day of the year with subject lines like, you know, saddest day of the year, question mark. Well, don't be sad, we have this great offer. Or well, this is sad, but you don't have to be sad, blah, blah, blah. So we're doing all these different campaigns around the saddest day of the year. Do you buy into this nonsense?

[Daniel Murray]

I think as a marketer we like to use any event. So I, and I think that's a low hanging fruit event because I didn't know what that was. I think it is a very. I think there's also all these things that you could do where you can update things and say things for 2025 you can tackle into the dry January trend. There's so many trends that are big right now that you can capitalize on as a marketer. So people are trying to get better right now. So anything that you could say help them get through the first month of the year because that's. They went from vacation mode, a lot of marketers to now I have to go into full steam until my next break is it's great to get that type of content out there.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Yeah. And you know, one of the things I saw that LinkedIn put out is that January is the month where people do more connections than any other month, which makes sense to me. It's like, okay, I'm going to build my personal brand and build my network. I'm going to do whatever. So this is actually a great time. People are more open to receiving those connections than they normally are. They have a little bit more time to look at them. And absolutely, when you do send out more connection requests, use the custom note because that helps out a lot in terms of increasing your acceptance rate. But this is a great time to build your personal network. It's also a great time to reach out to people that maybe you've lost a little touch with. It's the easiest thing in the world to reach out to somebody, say, hey man, happy New Year. Just want to check in on you, see what your plans are for the year. Do those things, as cheesy as they may seem, because this is the time, this is the month to do it.

[Daniel Murray]

I also think on that note is a lot of people probably had a lot of leads that went cold over the holidays and probably some of them weren't on purpose because they were out of office or there was the holiday season. Their inbox got swamped. So this is one of probably one of the best times to do personalized outreach to leads that went cold. Do that offer. You could do that Blue Monday offer, Prepare that Valentine's Day offer that's coming in the month. It's the best time to reignite these types of people. That went cold two weeks, three weeks ago.

[Jay Schwedelson]

All right, before we wrap up, when we last spoke, you told me your resolution was, which was that you were going to be lifting weights consistently. Here we are. We're about a week into the year. How are we doing? Are we lifting weights? Are we Arnold Schwarzenegger? What's happening with your resolution?

[Daniel Murray]

So I've lifted. I lifted twice. And everybody wait for this. Jay's going to laugh at this one. I did my first Pilates class.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Oh, my God, that's embarrassing. I want video of that.

[Daniel Murray]

I don't know. And I looked. You know, I feel like Pilates instructors likes to make fun of, like, the big guy in the room. Like, I literally. The Pilates instructor was like, look, he's shaking. Look at him.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Daniel's like, six, five. He's a giant dude. I mean, I want to see you on a Pilates reformer. That's what I think.

[Daniel Murray]

Oh, my goodness. It was rough. It was rough. It was rough. I give it to all the Pilates people out there. It's a hard exercise. But I lifted into Pilates, so I'm starting off strong. I probably blew Mondays when I'm gonna give up. Started strong. What about you? What about your New Year's resolution?

[Jay Schwedelson]

Well, my resolution was to not eat the entire world. And unfortunately, Japan does no longer exist because I ate it all. So I need to. I need to. I got a lot of work to do, so.

[Daniel Murray]

It's hard when Boca Food talk is always in your.

[Jay Schwedelson]

That's right.

[Daniel Murray]

Feed all the new restaurants popping up.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Oh, you got to try them all. You gotta. You gotta help out your community, help out the local economy by ordering all new pizza, which is what I do. All right, we've covered a lot, as usual. Everybody go and follow Daniel's show the Marketing Millennials. It is an incredible podcast. Leave that guy a review, tell him how great he is, and we'll see you at the next one.

[Daniel Murray]

And make sure you update your Apple software, because if you go into the Apple podcast, you'll see in Marketing Podcast, Jay's do this. Not that podcast is in the most popular podcast.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Yeah, it's something apple that. That's happening. Obviously. All right, later, Daniel. Come on, man. I gotta get back to work. Get out of there. All right, while he's still in there. This is Jay. Check out my podcast, do this, not that, for Marketers. Each week we share really quick tips on stuff that can improve your marketing and hope you give it a try. Oh, here's Daniel. He's finally out.

[Daniel Murray]

Back from my bathroom break. This is Daniel. Go follow the Mark and Melanie podcast, but also tune into this series. It's once a week, the Bathroom Break. We talk about marking tips that we just spew out. And it could be anything from email, subject line to any marketing tips in the world. We'll talk about it. Just give us a a shout on LinkedIn and tell us what you want to hear. Peace out.