The COVID-19 Pandemic has forced online businesses to modify their email marketing strategies. The ongoing crisis has put them in a dilemma whether or not they should send promotional emails to their clients or customers.
When you have a pre-planned strategy, it’s difficult to make sudden changes and adjust the email program accordingly. The schedule gets disturbed, besides you also have to figure out what needs to be done.
If you are being too promotional instead of being supportive in this time, it can spoil your brand image and you may lose out on some loyal customers.
In this write-up, I have shared a few helpful email marketing tips that you can apply in your business and retain your customers during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Email Marketing amid Coronavirus outbreak
One of the major problems marketers are facing currently is communicating with the subscribers. Email marketers are finding it tough to analyze how to keep the communication going. While some do have a plan, they are struggling as to how they should approach their email subscribers.
Let’s try to understand what changes you should make in your email marketing strategy.
1. Regular Communication
When an outbreak or pandemic happens, a lot of chaos is created not only among the businesses but customers as well.
At this time, you need to be calm and make your customers calm as well. And for that, you need to communicate frequently with your customers via email.
The last thing you would want is to bring in the communication gap, which can break down the credibility that you have built over time.
Your customers need to be informed at regular intervals about how you are responding to the current situation and what sorts of changes have your brought or planning to bring into your business.
When you communicate often, you can land some promotional emails as well in their box, but the percentage of it should be less. Do keep an eye on the open and click rates and other important metrics.
2. Change the tone of your Emails
The lockdown has taken a toll on people. People are getting frustrated and even depressed sitting at home and thinking about the current situation of the world.
During this pandemic, the way you communicate has a lot of significance, and this is why you need to adjust the tone of your emails.
Identify the pain points of your customers. Add an emotional touch to your emails. Be motivating and empathetic. Create a friendly conversation and ask them how they are doing.
Never forget to lend a helping hand. Tell them you are with them in this difficult phase. Do whatever you can from your end to make your customers happy.
3. Express Gratitude
Customers love to be appreciated. A thanks message is always a great way to express gratitude to your customers for their continued love and support.
Reach out to them in their inbox and thank them for being a valued and loyal customer. Tell them that it’s all because of their continuous support which has kept them going.
We all are going through a rough patch, be it businesses or consumers. So it is important to create a cheerful environment and put a smile on your customers’ faces.
If you ran a donation campaign, you can let your customers know about it, like how much amount you collected and how you are trying to help the needful.
Again, do not forget to thank them for their contribution. They will also feel happy knowing that they could contribute to helping poor people.
4. Educate Customers
Apart from informing your email subscribers about the impact of COVID-19 on your eCommerce business, it is also important to educate them and tell how critical the situation is, how they can get themselves going and what precautions they should take.
Though consumers would be very well aware of it, it is your responsibility as well to show concern towards your customers so that they do not get carried away.
Besides, if you could relate your offerings with a message, that would make a great email. For example, we at knowband, have a Free Covid-19 Information Popup for PrestaShop and Magento 2, through which brands or marketers can educate customers as well as specify their offerings on the popup.
For more details, you can click here.
5. Inspire People
People are frightened, demotivated, and whatnot. They are fearing about their survival, their jobs, and their family. Be a pillar of strength for them.
Inspire them with motivational thoughts and boost up their energy. Give them peace of mind.
The confidence that seems shattered needs to be rebuilt. Console them that we would be over the COVID-19 pandemic soon and everything would resume to normal.
This can build a strong bond between your brand and your customers, and they will remember you for the lifetime.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t given serious thought to email marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic, you could miss out on some loyal customers. It is still not too late.
Your current email marketing strategy will decide how customers interact with your brand in the future.
But, as of now, let’s just hope we get rid of this Coronavirus soon. Plan your email marketing tactics and do keep in mind the above-mentioned points.
I hope you enjoyed reading these 5 tips for email marketing during COVID-19 pandemic.
Nice article! I suggest 2 more tips to analyze your well-performing channels for communication like social media, webinars and so on, and recheck your automated campaigns that the content you promote is relevant during this period.