Audit Drip Emails to Say the Right Things During the Pandemic
April 28, 2020
Automated drip emails are sent to prospects and customers and triggered on factors like time, engagement or behavior, like downloading an e-book. As we adjust in the COVID-19 era, you should take a close look at those triggered emails.
Oftentimes a drip campaigns’ job is to help move a prospect down the customer journey or take an action toward conversion. As such, they tend to be the “set-them-and-forget-them” variety.
If you have automated drip email marketing campaigns set up, audit them in light of the new times we are in. View your content and messaging through the lens of empathy, honesty and candor. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you review each trigger:
● Is the content in your automation appropriate now?
● Is it still relevant?
● Could the tone be considered insensitive?
● Is there anything you could add that would make it more helpful?
Be intentional and in the now as you audit and amend. And if you are not doing triggered drip campaigns, it’s a good time to start. Email is and always has been a tried-and-true marketing channel. It’s even more important now with social distancing.
According to COVID-19 benchmark data from Hubspot, marketing and sales emails both increased in March, but only the marketing emails saw increased engagement. So while sales may be down, prospects in the middle of the customer journey still connect with brands. Improving your outreach may bear fruit when conditions improve.
Many businesses have communicated their response to the crisis, especially those with physical locations. If it is not now, email will become an important part of your marketing strategy.
For example, you may have set up a welcome email to automatically go to anyone who signs up for your email newsletter or product news. If your brand is light and clever, you may want to temporarily take a more serious approach.
While there’s no single “best way” to communicate with your customers and prospects, the last thing you want is to appear tone-deaf. Honesty and authenticity matter now more than ever. You’ll have to adapt to be ready to adjust your tone, emphasis and content of all communications.
Your email strategies, meanwhile, are something you must get a handle on right away.
So if you sell products or services, you may want to set expectations about inventory and delivery in your order confirmation emails. You may also want to have a drip campaign ready if inventory becomes low or out of stock. And have drip templates ready for an apology, a back-in-stock notification, or other time-sensitive updates.
Every industry is different. So, pay attention to your unique market nuances, your unique audiences and what is on their minds. What are their concerns NOW? Planning this kind of marketing automation can help you manage your time efficiently while communicating with empathy and confidence.
There are many things that are out of our control right now. However, we will get through. As we look ahead toward a post-crisis world, we have to be strategic about the right way to communicate with our customers in the new normal.
We don’t know all of the answers to the questions your business will face during this outbreak. In the weeks and months ahead, many more changes are likely to develop. But the steps you take today will put you in a position to regain market share when the economy starts swinging upward again.
TruStar Marketing fuses the art and science of marketing to improve your business. We specialize in health care, insurance and high-tech manufacturing industries. Digital marketing that works stars with a free introductory call.