We are in a really challenging moment during this pandemic COVID-19, and many marketers all around the world have seen their businesses slow down. Now must of our marketing teams are working from home and our Marketing calendar has been changing every week during this times.
To keep connected with consumers during lockdown, it’s imperative that you communicate over digital channels. But a lack of thoughtfulness in your approach can do more harm than good, especially when it comes to email marketing, where outreach fatigue is causing many recipients to unsubscribe to anything coronavirus related.
We have seen some brands recently who have either continued with their email program as planned before COVID-19 and come across as insensitive to the global scenario. Some brands make common mistakes where they aim to sell a product to their customers, under the disguise of sounding fake empathetic on coronavirus situation. This always sends a bad message to your customers and they could lose the trust and relationship that you might have built with them.
With a little rigor, you can help ensure your emails respect your customers’ time and attention—and their inboxes. Distinguish your messages from COVID-19 opportunism with purpose, personalization and by applying an appropriate tone.
1.- Provide Positivity in Dark Times
These are bad times for the world. There will be an obvious tendency of the people to focus on the negative of the rising number of infections all over the world. The biggest relief you can provide now to your audience will be a pinch of positivity. The world needs to know it is going to be okay.
Some of the ways you could do this :
– Ensuring a super optimistic subject line that asks people to stay calm and not panic.
– Solve their questions on the pandemic by offering a FAQ page where a certified panel of doctors have answered common questions on COVID-19 eg: the campaign by medical e-store 1mg below.
– If you are in the travel industry then ensure that customers know what precautions they have to take before they fly and how your brand can help them stay safe.
– Including some good remote work tips and how to stay productive during such times will also be highly effective as not everyone has fun working from home.
2.- Provide value.
Offering information that is useful is a great step for helping to promote customers’ perception of your brand; Just make sure to keep messages empathetic, concise and save the sales-y language for another time.
Another way to provide value is to offer discounts. (However, don’t call your sale a “COVID-19” sale or instruct consumers to use the term as a promo code—it can be seen as insensitive).
If you’re in a position to offer a sale significant enough to make it clear that you’re not profiting from the situation, this can be a great thing. There are companies offering free online courses or online fitness memberships at 90 percent off, which can go a long way to reinforcing the brand’s reputation in the eyes of their customers.
3.-Stay Away From Irrelevant Messaging
Before sending your promotional campaign, it would be prudent for you to think for a minute if the time is right to send this promotion?. People are afflicted with paranoia and stress. Buying your product if it is a non-essential commodity will be the last thing on their mind. Selling your product under the guise of COVID-19 will be a bad idea.
There is a need now to be sensitive to change in the world as the scenario has radically changed over the last few weeks. Thus, this is the time to be extra helpful to your customers. Stay relevant to the times in your communication and be extremely empathetic in your tone. It could go a long way in ensuring that you build trust with your customers and don’t push them away with irrelevant content.
Your COVID-19 campaigns need to be humane and thoughtful. Don’t send email communication just because everyone else is doing some or the other messaging campaign.
But if you have a unique idea on the lines mentioned in the post which will be helpful to your customers and provide some value to them then you should definitely send your emails.