Marketing managers and businesses alike are constantly mining the depths of the digital ecosystem to unearth the “next” groundbreaking strategy that will skyrocket them to the next level.
When the competition seems endless, the thirst to stand out and the need to be a step ahead can quickly become unquenchable. Marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic may seem no different – we still need to drive awareness to our brands and shine all the spotlights on what we have to offer.
But has one of the most effective ways to bring your customers back been staring you in the face the whole time? Wouldn’t it be awesome if one of the most cost-effective ways to reignite interest in your brand was at your fingertips right now? Well, it might just be time for you to dust off your inbox and reexamine the power of email marketing.
Is it “sexy?” No. But – is it effective? Yes.
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us marketers anything – it is that in times of uncertainty we will seek out and lean on the familiar things that bring us comfort, like social media, streaming services, and, yes, even email. And the data seems to tell a similar story.
Email Open Rates Are Up
While the situation remains fluid, which is to be expected, not long after stay-at-home orders were issued at least a 10% increase in email open rates was found via desktops.
As more of us are spending more time working remotely in home offices, the frequency of having our desktops running throughout the day is the likely driver of these increased open rates on desktop devices.
Open rates are also hitting benchmarks that have not been seen for a very long time overall – in some cases reaching nearly 50%. The combination of increased online purchase activity and amplified communication from brands with COVID-19-related content and updates is a likely driver when it comes to this increased activity.
Regardless of “why” – numbers like this indicate a rejuvenated interest from consumers in receiving information from the brands they engage with directly from the source.
Again, in times of uncertainty, consumers seem to be more open to direct communication from familiar sources when it comes to purchasing.
Staying Cost Effective
Assuming that you have (or have been building) an email list for your business – automated email marketing can be an extremely cost-effective way of marketing during (and after) the COVID-19 outbreak.
Regardless of desktop or mobile devices – now is the time you should be overcommunicating to your customer base to inform them as to what your business is doing as the country begins to reopen businesses.
The main investment it will cost you is time to craft your message or better yet messages.
How are you preparing to reopen? How will you keep customers safe? Have you added purchasing options that customers can take advantage of? Has a popular product line been delayed but you have an estimated delivery date?
Have you been receiving a lot of customer questions that you answer with a handy set of Q&As?
None of this information has to cost you a dime to write up and send out to your customer base regularly, and the more consistent you are, typically, the better your results will be.
Your customers are itching to come back and not only is this the perfect opportunity to give them the information they need at scale – but to start reestablishing much needed trust with your customer base. Your only cost is (a little) time.
A Little Experiment
Here at National Positions, we decided to (and will continue to) run a little experiment. Over the past couple of months, we have been diligent in creating the most valuable and informative content we could surrounding how businesses can adapt and market their brands during the pandemic.
None of this content was designed to sell or pitch anyone – rather, it was created as a resource to help as many business owners and brands as possible sustain their revenues until there is some light at the end of the tunnel. But instead of simply dropping everything into blog posts or free PDFs (which we also have been doing) and making this information free on our website – we took a proactive approach.
We have begun creating long-form emails to send out weekly, providing our latest updates without any need to click a link to get the information. Big, beautiful, informative emails designed to help any business that would care to read them – the results surprised even us.
In a test of about 11k emails to current clients, past clients, and contacts, we had nearly a 35% open rate! Not to mention this email had over 10k total opens – meaning that of that 35% most of them opened our email multiple times. We saw a boost in site traffic, had several direct responses asking for information, and increased conversions on our site that correlated to our long-form email. Needless to say, our test will continue.
Don’t “Sell,” Do “Communicate”
These success metrics are not a bragging point by any means. It was an eye-opening experiment that showed not only are people more receptive to email, but also, long-form content can be very effective if well crafted. And “selling” was not the goal! The additional prospects gained from this experiment has been a wonderful result – but certainly was not the core intent.
At the end of the day – we are focused on communicating and informing rather than pitching or selling. Do we continue to pitch and sell? Yes, 100% – but not in this experiment. There is a time for informing and a time for selling – right now open communication is our focus.
As a marketing agency, we are fully aware that the situation surrounding COVID-19 is a fluid one, with new information that effects businesses slowly dripping out day by day. Our intent from the beginning has been to help brands with the “right now” rather than assuming anything about what the “post-pandemic” world will look like. This is what our email content is communicating, and you can apply the same strategy to your business and your customers right now. Just communicate, don’t sell.
Get Ready to Press “Send”
If you have ever thought about trying, updating, or reintroducing email into your marketing mix – now is the time. Be genuine, be informative, and be transparent with your customer base.
One of our team members received this exact type of email from their dentist – announcing their reopening and a list of precautions, updates, and procedures their office is adopting to keep their clientele safe.
This is a perfect example of openly communicating valuable information to build trust and comfort with a client base quickly.
You don’t need to be a marketing expert to get started, but if you do need some expert help (we all do from time to time), the digital doors of National Positions are always open.
Keep moving forward, stay healthy, and be positive – we will get through the coming months together!