If you start today, you have less than a hundred days before that annual holiday shopping season. If you plan wisely it’s just enough time to get your e-mail and online marketing in gear.

Don’t let today’s gloomy economy discourage you. Online consumers are predicting a growth from last year’s $33 billion dollars spent, spurred on by the cost of gas and online price comparison tools. This could be a big year for e-mail marketers to reach customers seeking to pinch pennies at the pump and at check out with holiday e-mail promotions. For online business owners the countdown has already begun and it’s never too early to start preparing for your piece of Christmas pie.

For smaller online and specialty retailers e marketing plays a crucial role in winning holiday sales. Make no mistake you are in competition. You must play to win.

The surest way to win anything is to have a plan for success. What follows are a few steps you can take to ensure your e-mail marketing programs are optimized for the 98 days of the holiday retail season:

Being Prepared Can Help Ensure Holiday Success

Pre-planning is the first step in any e-mail marketing program. You should look at the trends, failures and successes of the previous year -- for yourself as well as your competitors -- and use that information to determine what you want to accomplish this year and to define your campaign message.

ForeScene can help create a tailored package that peeks at your competitor’s current and past online marketing performance. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Now Is The Time!

Make sure to start early. E-mail marketers need to begin outreach to their lists as early as September with advance discounts and information on new products.

While brick and mortar retailers experience their largest sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Online consumers have come to expect promotions and specials on certain day: Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, and Green Monday, the second Monday of December. Don't disappoint them. Use e-mail to create buzz and anticipation about your Cyber Monday and other big promotional days and make your specials available to your subscribers before the public.

Incidentally, there are not the 98 days to be overly inventive. If you are planning to introduce new features or retooling your site, get it out of the way now so peak traffic isn’t arrested.

Expand Your Email List

Starting an e-mail campaign early will also give you enough time to start growing your e-mail list. Entice new subscribers with the promise of additional discounts and advance notification of holiday promotions. Everyone offers free shipping around the holidays, so offer something more to your e-mail subscribers to reward them for their loyalty and to encourage list growth. Add a viral component to your e-mail campaigns by encouraging subscribers to forward coupons or special offers to friends.

Put the Customer’s Interests First

Lack of product information translates to lack of sales. User-driven product content such as ratings, reviews and Q & As can provide credible product information that customers want.

Get Social

Consider using social media APIs where a customer can add a product to a wish list or add a note to his or her profile about the product being viewed on your site.

Improve Your Open Rate

Take the time to personalize e-mails via the subject line, salutation and content provided.

Be Festive and Inventive. Make sure you email, particularly it’s subject line doesn't just read but SCREAMS This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Testing and reporting are essential parts of any successful e-mail marketing campaign, but they are even more important during the holiday season. Set goals for your holiday e-mail programs with clear expectations, objectives and measurement criteria. A/B split testing is crucial. Be prepared to test offer, subject lines, content and creative variables. Testing early and often will tell you if you're on target or if you need to make adjustments -- before too much time is lost.

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Build Customer Relationships

Once a customer makes a purchase or starts a relationship with you, their sales information will give you insights to what that customers want and when they want it. Get to know your customers by their purchasing behavior so you can implement triggered campaigns for cross-sell or up-sell opportunities.

Another way to get to know your customers is to ask. Poll your customers or e-mail them a customer feedback questionnaire so you can keep them engaged, while at the same time gathering valuable information from them.

Keeping your customers engaged is key to building a relationship. You want them to see you as a valuable resource. Make sure every e-mail and campaign provides value, not just the hard sell. Special offers and coupons are always welcomed, but be sure to provide valuable information your customers can use, including tips, updates and relevant news.

Ask ForeScene about This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to better prepare you for the holiday season.

Adopt a Multi-Channel Approach

Retailers have found that by coordinating their online and offline holiday campaigns, they get better results across both channels. Print and direct mail campaigns usually have longer lead times and get started before online campaigns. Including the Web marketing team in the planning of the offline holiday campaigns will increase the compatibility and consistency of the programs across both channels.

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Make Every Minute Count – Even Those Last Ones

Many, especially men, shop at the last minute. According to the National Retail Federation, last year nearly 17% of shoppers had not even started and over 50% had only completed half of their shopping by Dec.18. Therefore, those two or three weeks before Christmas are a time to really push your online campaigns. Remember, an effective campaign not only presents an item but has a strong call to action.