Virtual Marketing: The Relevance of Email

A consumer’s inbox is a safe kingdom where he/she decrees what is relevant and what is discarded. Break the trust or irritate the throne, and you’re one click away from an “unsubscribe,” or, your brand banished...out of sight, out of mind forever. 

When it comes to email marketing, brands must mind their words, timing, and relevance or suffer the consequences of: 

1. Being marked as “spam” (and not the “Spamalot” kind)

2. Hurting their email reputation (lack of open rates and increase of unsubscribes do not fare well for sender scores)

With email open rates around 25% on average, and over 90% on mobile, email has always been an effective tool for marketers to reach consumers. 

Now that most consumers are sheltering in place or working from home, email is just as, if not more, important.

“In recent months, my outbound sales efforts have shown a greater amount of prospects picking up their phones and answering emails with an increased willingness to talk because of the flexibility in their schedule.”

— Zevi Solomon | Director of Strategic Partnerships | Setup™

Since the last three months have been a hodgepodge of brands invading inboxes with COVID-19 updates and supportive messages, it is important for marketers to stand out from their competitors, but not abuse this powerful tool.

Read Related - Sensitivity in Brand Messaging During a Crisis

Email marketing practices to keep in mind during the pandemic:

Relevancy - Ask yourself if this email is necessary and who it is serving. 

If an email or newsletter is not

1. informative,

2. helpful, or

3. updating the consumer on the current status of inventory or business procedures, 

then, most likely, it is not necessary. 

Everyone is currently being bombarded with messages from brands about how they are handling COVID-19. Instead of pushing sales, keep the message relevant and honest about the business’ current situation. Evaluate competitors’ messaging, and diversify the message in your brand voice. 

“[Right now, brands need to] provide meaningful updates to your customers: Let your customers know what areas of your business have been impacted, what areas of your business are functioning normally, and where they can go for updates and information.”

— George Partin | Email Marketing Specialist | DEFINITION 6

Be sure to send this message to a relevant, engaged list of subscribers as well. Now is the perfect time to clean lists of inactive subscribers to avoid the risk of negative sender reputation. 

Read Related - Email in the Time of Coronavirus: How to Market During COVID-19 the Empathetic Way

Sensitivity - Is the message in the email inappropriate, insensitive, or making light of the situation?

Since we are around three months into the pandemic, you should have already:

• Adjusted automations and language to reflect the current situation

• Updated imagery to avoid pictures or promos of large gatherings 

• Communicated to consumers the status of your current company and preventive measures being taken

The world is drastically changing each day. The adjustments will continue to happen, but, as we collectively embrace these challenges together, it’s important to stay sensitive to the current state at hand. Try to avoid:

• Unnecessary email blasts 

• Over-promoting products/sales or boasting about the company

• Making jokes (positivity and uplifting content is helpful, but always be cognizant of tone)

Consumers find it helpful to know how companies are serving the bigger picture, or how they are using their platforms and resources to help everyone move forward. Companies should be sensitive to the news and help where they can. 

Read Related - Customer Service’s Key Role in Marketing Today

Frequency - Strike the balance between sending emails to stay top of mind and pestering. 

Engaging with followers on a monthly basis, or, as needed, is appropriate. If marketers stop sending emails all together and consumers receive a blast of emails when things pack back up, it will be received poorly. Keep consumers informed on a need-to-know basis, especially since shops are opening up again and changing their procedures. 

Segmenting followers will help gauge what message is appropriate. According to Orbit Media, “segmented emails get 14.64% more opens, 59.99% more clicks, and drive 18 times more revenue.” Sending and monitoring messages to active followers first helps determine what will resonate with larger email lists later. 

Engaging - Since everyone is invested in online promotion, what are some best practices to make your emails stand out?

Now is the time to get innovative with your messaging. People are home and, most likely, on their screens. They’ve seen what brands are doing to be there for customers and employees, but what will really grasp their attention?

• Send a personalized message from the CEO. This approach humanizes the brand and provides authenticity. 

• Leverage animations or video in email and other social media channels. How are you telling your company’s story? Xpedition Media is telling the story of small businesses during this time using video in order to garner support. 

• Utilize email features like preheaders. Orbit Media suggests summarizing the message, hooking with a value, and offering a call to action to increase open rates. Here are some more tips to optimize the email message. 

• Connect efforts with mobile. “To best engage your audience, marketing campaigns must be built on a unified strategic approach using email and mobile as the foundation,” advises Hector Pages, Vice President of Client Solutions at Response Media.

• Consider different, non-email forms of communication - LinkedIn, Facebook, text messages - to break through the clutter. People may be looking for that one to one connection (or they may find it creepy). Gauge the relationship and move forward from there. Zevi Solomon from the Setup team noted, “I have always found that calling a prospect or established contact and leaving a voice message, followed by an email serves two purposes. It shows sincere intent and prompts a greater likelihood of a response, which is usually in the form of an email reply."

Read Related - 13 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid for Better Engagement

Only you know your consumer well enough to know what will resonate with them. Sensitivity in all things, especially frequency, is the best policy to avoid getting kicked out of the kingdom and sent somewhere far, far, away...shall we say, the trash or spam folder?