• by Lisa Harmon , Alex Madison , July 6, 2010

With summer well underway, now is a good time to take stock of this season's email program and look for last-minute opportunities to add more sun breaks (we could still use more literal sun breaks in Seattle).

First, make sure that your summer email program embodies the spirit of the season. Just as winter holidays center around family traditions and coziness, summer is about getting outside, freedom from school (and hopefully time off from work!) and having as much fun as possible. As we move into July and August, look for opportunities to reach subscribers by tapping into the nostalgia they feel about long days in the sun and balmy summer nights.

We consulted with some creative colleagues to collect tips on infusing your emails with  summery feelings.

Find summer everywhere. Of course, summer campaigns are easy if your brand promotes vacation packages or swimsuits, but everyone can get in on the summer fun by meeting subscribers where they are. Your email stories should align with the way people are feeling in the summertime: more adventurous and willing to get outside. You can use your email program to promote in-store events and to show people how your products or services fit in with their summer plans, whether they're jetting off on vacation or finding ways to get that vacation feel at home. In this email, Bluefly demonstrates how work wear can feel summery, and emails from Anthropologie and CB2 inspire subscribers to make a summer haven of their homes.

Play with summery design elements. To evoke feelings of summer, bring saturated colors and outdoor imagery into your emails. The seasonal creative overhaul doesn't need to be major. Try adding just a splash of brightness into your design, as Sephora does with its colored lettering, or use fun textures in your backgrounds as Janie and Jack and Gymboree do.

Use copy to become part of your subscribers' summer stories. Add some fun to your emails by serving up summer-specific content in addition to products. You don't have to link to a landing page or create an editorial section of your site -- simply add a little nugget of info as a design element, like "5 Quick Tips for Taking Great Photos" if you're featuring cameras in the hero. A great example is this email from The Container Store, which gets into the summer spirit by offering camptime tips and linking to a packing checklist.

Also, stay relevant by keeping an eye on the weather. If there's a hotter-than-Hades heat wave -- or an unwelcome cold streak, for that matter -- use your copy to let subscribers know that you're feeling it, too.

Get social with your subscribers. During the summer, people's social lives pick up in a big way. Your subscribers' phones, mailboxes, and inboxes are packed with invites to weddings, barbecues, beach trips and other fun stuff. Why not take advantage of this trend to become a bigger part of your subscribers' active social lives? Do some extra social networking promotions this summer. Consider offering incentives for connecting with you on social sites, or sending a social dedicated email like West Elm's. Make sure you have a solid social presence first, though, or you're just wasting subscribers' clicks. 

Take risks and have fun! People become more open-minded and playful in the summer. This season, take a risk by trying some unique creative ideas and seeing how much fun you can fit into your brand personality.

Big thanks to Darrah Maclean, Amy Hamilton, Jim Spence and Sara Zin for shedding some (sun)light on summer email creative best practices!