Why Email During Coronavirus?

E-Mail Marketing Your Business During the Coronavirus Crisis

Businesses worldwide are struggling to communicate with their clients and reach the audiences they need to.  So how can you create an effective email marketing campaign during the current Coronavirus outbreak that will keep that lead generation happening and making sure your customers know you’re still there.

As a business, it’s impossible, and foolish, to ignore the Covid-19 pandemic.  It isn’t just affecting you and your business, it’s affecting your clients and your potential customers all over the world.

Why You Should Use Email Marketing in a Crisis

Right now workplaces worldwide are moving online, in fact some data providers have stated that internet usage is up by 50%, which means that your best chance to reach your customers is online.  Despite the changes to the world of work, email marketing remains one of the most efficient and successful methods of all the marketing channels.

Businesses who are pro-active with their email communication are more likely to both keep and attract new clients.  But it’s important that you implement your email marketing campaign in the right way. Below, we’ve listed the top 5 tips that will help you to create and maintain a robust, sensitive and ultimately successful strategy.

So how should you change your email marketing?

1. Act Quick

Silence can be unsettling for your customers. If you’re usually regular with your client communication and active across a range of marketing channels, suddenly stopping can set off alarm bells and even lead to customers thinking that your business might be closed. This can havea  negative effect on your brand reputation and lead to confusion.

If your audience is listening, don’t wait to communicate with them. If you’re not running email marketing campaigns, now’s the time to make sure you have a strategic email marketing plan.

Cancel any automated emails that either aren’t applicable anymore, or could be deemed in bad taste right now.  While it’s true that the business world will have to carry on during this time, it also pays to make sure your business doesn’t appear to be running on auto-pilot and communicating the wrong messages.

2. Be Kind

When you do plan your campaign, make sure you be kind.  Think about how the crisis is impacting your clients, subscribers and potential customers and speak about that in your emails.  The more you show your understanding at this time and appeal to the worries, needs and feelings of your clients, the more likely they are to engage with you.

It’s also a good idea at this point to cease any emails that could be deemed insensitive or in bad taste.  Now is not the time for a series of ill-judged humour-filled sales pitches.  Consider a change of tone to reflect the mood.

Instead, offer your clients information, guidance and services that will be useful at this time.

3. Keep Your Audience Updated With Your Actions

Customers and your target audience want to work with companies who show compassion and are taking the situation seriously.  It’s also prudent to make them aware of any changes in your own working situation, particularly if it impacts your business with them.

It might also be a good idea to let your customers know of the actions your business is taking in your community to offer any support and help to your area at this time.

Some of the items you may want to include in your email are:

• Have you changed your business hours?
• Are you running as normal?
• Will the service you offer to your customers be disrupted or any goods delayed?
• Are you offering any new special services at this time that could help?
• Can customers contact you with questions?

4. Help Your Customers

In a crisis everyone is looking for a steady ship and a reassuring hand to guide them through.  Use email marketing to show your customers that you are the businesses that is taking action to help its audience and who are affected by the crisis.  Seize this opportunity to cement your status as a trusted organisation.  Your clients and future customers want to do business with brands who genuinely care.

You can use email marketing to send your clients communications that will:

• Provide your clients with new services they may need at this time but might not be aware of
• Supply useful content and services that will help your audience navigate or understand the crisis.
• Discount your services and products or even offer it for free.
• Use your product or service to help people suffering from the crisis.

Remember you need to keep selling your goods and services, but right now it’s about how you do it and how you can help people.  It’s important not to take advantage of customers who are in need of your services and products right now.  The business world is always going to revolve around supply and demand, but these are unprecedented times and you are far more likely to achieve a good response if you remain ethical and support your clients.

5. Adjust Your Emails as the Crisis Unfolds

Companies that are changing their email marketing as the situation develops will be far more likely to run successful campaigns than those who have chosen one style of communication and stick with it.

Monitor the situation and how it is impacting your client base and make sure you adapt your email strategy accordingly. While Coronavirus does not appear to be going away anytime soon, we are all living in a permanent state of flux and what is useful one day, may change.  Take for example the recent news that following the removal of the quarantine sanctions in China, divorce applications have increased.  If you are a family lawyer, this would directly impact the manner of your marketing campaign. Use the changing situation to ensure you reach out to the right people at the right time.

Marketing your business at this time can be a delicate proposition, but if handled correctly it could also be the difference between your businesses survival or demise.

If you need help with your email marketing strategy, we have over 10 years experience in B2B email marketing and we would be happy to speak to you about how we can help.

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