As we move farther away from the government-mandated orders and life in certain geographies begin to find a new cadence, we’re able to look at what we’ve learned through this trying time. In our latest State of Email Live webinar, Guy Hanson welcomed Bobby Tichy, regional vice president – sales, at Lev, a digital marketing consultancy, who shared some of his best advice gleaned from the last weeks of guiding their email marketing clients through the crisis. Here are Bobby’s three guiding principles in times of crisis, be it coronavirus or a fight for equality, which will serve all email marketers well to keep in mind as we navigate what our next “normal” will be.
- Address the situation.
Pretending the world is spinning, therefore nothing is different, is a losing strategy. Bobby recommends all marketers should acknowledge when things are in crisis or time of change, and not shy away due to sensitivity. Today, it’s likely worse to ignore reality than it is to face it, as more consumers expect their favored brands to be responsible and active parts of the global community. - Validate your role and contribution.
What is your brand doing to contribute to the conversation or remedy things in your control? If you are taking a stand or doing something to help during this time, tell your subscribers exactly what that is. An email expressing heartfelt condolences or solidarity is a good step, but unless you’re willing to outline exactly what it is you’re doing as a company, you might want to rethink your approach. Be clear in communicating your actions, not just your beliefs. - Continue providing the email they asked to receive.
Your customers are your customers for a reason, and they expect a certain kind of email communication from you. After you’ve taken care of steps one and two outlined above, the best thing you can do for your brand and your subscribers is continue to provide them the content they signed up to receive. Even if it feels like selling your product via email is insensitive at this time, remember your subscribers asked for these emails. Of course, be sure to clean your lists to confirm you’re still sending to engaged recipients, but continue to communicate, continue to personalize, and continue to cultivate relationships with your customers.
Bobby shared all this and more, so if you missed the episode, you can watch the full video below. You’ll also get an update on the data we’ve been monitoring, highlighting changing trends and behavior across the email ecosystem. Be sure to sign up for our next State of Email Live webinar, too, featuring a special guest from Mimecast. Until next time!