Most Brisbane business owners treat seasonal email marketing like a frantic game of whack-a-mole. Valentine’s Day pops up? Send a discount. EOFY arrives? Blast the list. Christmas? Send a generic 'Season’s Greetings' with a stock photo of a reindeer that looks nothing like a Queensland summer.
Here’s the hard truth: If you are only emailing your list when the calendar tells you there’s a public holiday, you aren’t marketing—you’re begging. You’re competing in the loudest, most cluttered inboxes of the year with the exact same '10% off' offer as everyone else. It’s lazy, it’s wasteful, and it’s killing your margins.
The Fallacy of the 'Holiday Blast'
The industry standard is to 'blast' your entire database for every major event. I’m telling you to stop. 'Blasting' is a relic of 2012. In 2026, the inbox is too competitive for generic noise. When you send a one-size-fits-all seasonal email, you aren't just ignoring your customers' needs; you're actively training them to delete your emails without opening them.
Instead of chasing the holiday, you should be chasing the intent behind the season. For a Brisbane-based pool maintenance company, the 'season' isn't just December 25th; it's the first week of September when the humidity kicks in and everyone realises their filters are clogged. That is where the money is.
Aligning Tactics with Real Business Goals
Seasonal marketing should serve one of three goals: clearing inventory, increasing customer lifetime value, or re-engaging 'ghost' subscribers. If your email doesn't clearly map to one of those, keep it in the drafts.
1. The 'Anti-Holiday' Strategy
While everyone else is screaming about Black Friday, try moving your 'season' forward. Australian consumers are savvy; they know the sales are coming. By the time the actual date hits, their wallets are empty and their patience is gone. Win the season by owning the anticipation period. Use dynamic data to show them products they’ve actually looked at, rather than a generic catalogue of clearance items.2. Context is King (and Weather is the Queen)
In Queensland, our seasons are defined by the elements. A sudden heatwave in November or a week of rain in February are 'seasons' in their own right. If you have an automation set up to trigger based on local weather patterns, you aren't just a business; you're a solution. This level of micro-segmentation allows you to be relevant when your competitors are still stuck talking about 'Spring Savings' while it's 35 degrees outside.Stop Overcomplicating the Creative
I see so many SMEs spend thousands on flashy, image-heavy HTML templates for their Christmas campaigns. They look like digital flyers and, frankly, they perform like them too. They get caught in promo tabs or blocked by image filters.
If you want to actually connect with a human being during a busy season, try sending a personal, plain-text style email. It cuts through the corporate glossy noise. It feels like a message from a local business owner to a local customer. Authenticity scales better than Photoshop ever will.
The Compliance Reality Check
Before you ramp up your seasonal volume, let’s talk about the 'Spam Act Trap.' Many businesses think that because it’s 'Christmas,' the rules around consent are relaxed. They aren't. In fact, the ACMA is more active than ever. Sending unsolicited seasonal 'updates' to a list you haven't touched in twelve months is the fastest way to get your domain blacklisted. You need to understand legal compliance before you hit send on that 5,000-person blast.
Your Seasonal Action Plan
1. Map your own calendar: Ignore the 'National Day of [Insert Food Here]' calendars. Identify the 4-5 times a year your specific Brisbane customers actually need you. 2. Segment by past behaviour: Don't send a 'New Season's Gear' email to someone who just bought that exact gear last week. Exclude recent buyers from your discount blasts to protect your brand equity. 3. Test the 'Early Bird' approach: Start your EOFY or Christmas messaging 14 days earlier than the 'industry standard.' Capture the budget before the noise peaks. 4. Audit your triggers: Ensure your 'Welcome' or 'Abandoned Cart' flows reflect the current season. A winter-themed welcome email in January looks like your business is on autopilot.
Seasonal marketing isn't about the date on the calendar; it's about the mindset of your customer. Stop being a noise-maker and start being a problem-solver.
Ready to stop 'blasting' and start building a profitable email engine? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s build a strategy that actually moves the needle for your Brisbane business.