During this time of COVID-19, communication can be tricky. Nothing is happening face to face at the moment, so virtual communication is in the spotlight. Consequently, it is a good idea to revisit your email marketing plan or, if you don’t have one, think about putting one in place. However, be aware that email marketing during the pandemic has to be thoughtful and strategic. Businesses of all kinds are currently bombarding your recipients with emails, so if your content doesn’t clearly have the target audience in mind, your message may get lost in over-crowded inboxes. Even worse, your message may be viewed as inappropriate or profiteering, resulting in backlash.

Here are some tips to inform your email marketing strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Should My Email Campaign Be COVID-Related?

Yes and no. Chances are you’ve already communicated with your clients and prospects regarding changes to your firm’s normal business operations. Don’t keep sending COVID-related emails just because everyone else is doing it. Make sure your COVID messaging is relevant and useful.

Here are some good reasons to send COVID emails:

  • You have meaningful information to share.
  • You’re doing something to help your clients or community, such as providing food, health supplies or other relief-related services.
  • Your services have changed in some way.

And here are few examples of when not to send that COVID email:

  • You want to tell your audience that COVID won’t affect your services. (That email should have been sent several weeks ago.)
  • You want to let people know your firm will be working from home.
  • You have no new or valuable information to share.
  • You want to make a sales pitch.

Email Marketing that Attracts Website Visitors

Since the pandemic hit, internet traffic is up approximately 25%. This makes it an opportune time to review your website content to ensure it positions your firm and its professionals as thought and industry leaders. Of course, you need to draw people to your site. This is where email marketing comes in, and several email marketing strategies can help you attract visitors.

1. Content Is Still King…but Make It Relevant and Provide Value
By emailing your audience with current and valuable information, you will create a positive, long-lasting relationship that leads to new clients now and in the future. Quality content is also highly shareable, creating the opportunity to grow your email subscriber list. When brainstorming content ideas, think about what keeps your clients up at night, and then provide a solution. The information can take a number of forms, such as a tip sheet, a link to a valuable article or an interview with an industry expert.

2. Email Personalization
Personalized communication increases engagement, client satisfaction and retention. One-to-one customization transforms the relationship between your brand and your subscribers by ensuring that your emails don’t read like spam. Send targeted emails to subgroups based on the data you capture from their browsing behavior on your website, email preferences, and open and click rates. Don’t write for the general public; write for your unique client personas. Have a specific person with a specific title or issue in mind, and tailor your topics and content to the audience who your content will best resonate with right now.

3. Repurpose that Blog Post
Repurposing takes existing content, research or ideas and finds multiple ways to reformat and reuse it. It’s stretching your creative and content work to produce unique blog posts, ebooks, guides, infographics, guest posts, webinars, social media posts and more. Repurposing makes the most of your efforts because it takes much less time to do than creating new content. It also helps you reach new audiences because content that works for one audience may not work for another. For example, one person may read a blog post, while another may only pay attention to the content if you present it as an infographic.

4. Focus on Voice and Tone
Create emails that deliver thoughtful, genuine messages, especially now. With the pandemic, it is so important to convey a positive and uplifting message that does not come across as overly enthusiastic or pushy. You don’t want to look like you are trying to capitalize on the current crisis; rather, your focus should reflect your understanding of and attention to your clients’ or prospects’ concerns and fears. Now more than ever, it is time to take a look behind the curtain to show the vulnerable, helpful and, perhaps, unexpectedly human side of your firm. Simply put, position your firm to do what you do best: help people.

Even in these uncertain times, there is still a valuable place for email marketing campaigns. By putting some extra care into crafting your message, your communications may have even more of an impact on your audience now than before.

If you’re looking for more helpful tips about email marketing during COVID-19, contact me, Jennifer Faivre, at jfaivre@jaffepr.com.