One of the biggest challenges facing retailers this holiday season is how to drive more customers to your store and get them to buy your products. Considering the economy, now is the time. It's absolutely critical to reach your customers via email blasts at least once a month. Why? If done right it can lead to increased traffic and purchasing in your store AND your competition is already doing it.

It may seem daunting if you haven't started collecting names, or attempts to collect names in the past were met with little or no success, but one of the biggest successes in the retail industry is Bath & Body Works who was able to collect 10 million names in a shocking three months. How did they do it? They offered customers the chance to receive a free tube of lip gloss for sharing their email address, with the catch being you had to go home and print out the coupon and bring it back. Not only were they able to confirm the email address was valid, but it also gave customers a reason to come back to the store, where, on average, they spent another $25.

Here are six suggestions for email blast content for the holidays:

1. Promote a special offer—even if you discount just one product line by 20%-30%, you'll be giving your customers a valuable reason to come into the store.

2. Talk about new product arrivals—one of the main reasons that customers shop your store is because of the unique mix of products. Feature items that aren't easily found elsewhere.

3. Market a store promotion—let your customers know about fun events you're hosting this holiday season (or start now and promote your fall events).

4. Store classes—invite your customers in for a lesson on trimming the tree or holiday decorating.

5. Content—Deliver valuable ideas, recipes or information. For example, if you sell Polish pottery, include a recipe for a casserole, then make the dish and show an image of it in your email blast.

6. Contests—Hold a contest, like "best decorated tree" or "house for the holidays" (to be judged by your staff). The winner could receive a $100 gift certificate to your store, or a selection of ornaments.

There are many companies who can help you design and send your email blast. Check out this list of email marketing companies from our web editor and get started!