Here are 6 tips to keep in mind as you prepare for the holiday season.

1. Get targeted
Consumers receive a lot of emails during the busy holiday months. This is especially true during the weeks leading up to big shopping days at the end of November.
Last year, Constant Contact customers sent 1.3 billion emails in the week leading up to Cyber Monday.
One of the best ways to stand out in a crowded inbox is to personalize the messages you send out. Rather than sending the same offer or information to your entire email list, look for opportunities to target your emails to the different groups of people on your email list.
Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Exclusive offer to new subscribers: Create a special offer for new subscribers who joined your list since last holiday season. Let them know how you can help them during the holidays and include details about any of the special services you offer during these busy months.
• Special discount based on click-through activity: Use your click-through reports to see who is clicking on a particular link in a recent email. For example, if you recently sent an email announcing a new line of products and saw a lot of people clicking through to your website, you can target those people with a follow-up email with a special holiday offer on those items.
• Event invitation for VIPs: Reward your most loyal customers this holiday season by giving them early access to an upcoming sale or event.

Want another reason to target your emails? A recent analysis of Constant Contact customer emails found that emails sent to 35 contacts or less received an average open rate of 55 percent, compared to a 14 percent open rate for emails sent to lists of 7,500 or more.

1. Listen Attentively
When your customer is talking to you, listen attentively to them and try to minimize interruptions while you do. Look them in the eye, nod, and smile while they're talking. This will help you hear as much as possible of what they are trying to say, but it will also encourage them to be clear because they'll feel like you're listening. But what if your customers give you feedback online?​