Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reshaped the email marketing landscape, forcing businesses to adapt their communication strategies rapidly. Initial responses often involved a surge in email volume as companies sought to inform, reassure, and engage their audiences during unprecedented times. This period saw shifts in consumer behavior, digital adoption rates, and engagement metrics, all of which had a profound impact on how email marketers operated.
Key findings
- Increased volume: Email marketing volume surged by almost 50% since the start of the pandemic, according to Sendigram, indicating a heightened reliance on email for communication.
- Engagement shifts: While overall open rates saw an increase, the frequency of sending campaigns initially decreased for some, reflecting cautious adaptation.
- Consumer behavior: There was an unprecedented level of channel switching and brand loyalty disruption, with 75% of consumers trying new shopping behaviors (McKinsey & Company).
- Content focus: Emails related to COVID-19 often saw higher engagement rates, highlighting the importance of relevant and timely communication. You can learn more about how mentioning COVID-19 impacts deliverability.
Key considerations
- Sensitivity and empathy: Maintaining a considerate and empathetic tone became crucial, recognizing the challenging times consumers were facing.
- Adaptability: Businesses needed to be agile in adjusting their messaging and strategies to align with rapidly changing public health guidelines and consumer needs.
- Informative content: The focus shifted towards providing valuable information, updates, and solutions rather than solely promotional content. This includes understanding how COVID-19 emails affect deliverability.
- Long-term shifts: Many of the new incentives and strategies implemented during the pandemic have remained, solidifying digital channels as a primary means of engagement.
What email marketers say
Email marketers quickly recognized the need to adapt their strategies during COVID-19. Initial concerns revolved around understanding new engagement patterns, managing increased email volume, and ensuring messages remained relevant and sensitive to the evolving crisis. Many sought data beyond their own internal metrics to gauge the broader industry impact and adjust their campaigns accordingly.
Key opinions
- Data scarcity: Many marketers felt a lack of publicly available, aggregated data on email trends related to COVID-19, making it challenging to benchmark their own performance.
- Volume management: There was a perceived increase in email sending, leading to questions about potential inbox saturation and deliverability challenges. For more, see why emails fail.
- Content relevance: The focus shifted to providing timely and essential updates, rather than purely promotional content, which impacted campaign strategy.
- Audience sensitivity: Marketers recognized the need for empathetic communication and carefully considered the tone of their messages during the crisis.
Key considerations
- Monitoring engagement: Regularly checking open rates, click-through rates, and other metrics became even more critical to understand how audiences were responding. This is key when analyzing COVID-19 email engagement.
- Segmented sending: Sending targeted messages to specific segments, especially those with unengaged lists, required careful consideration to maintain deliverability during high-volume periods.
- Crisis communication: Developing clear and concise crisis communication plans was essential to ensure customers received vital information promptly.
- Industry benchmarks: Leveraging industry-wide aggregated data helped marketers understand broader trends and adjust their strategies accordingly, as highlighted by resources like MessageGears' research on email rates during COVID-19.
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks mentioned they were looking for external numbers beyond their own internal data to understand the general trends and statistics related to email marketing during COVID-19.
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks shared a link to MessageGears' research on email rates during COVID-19, noting that it was going to be updated soon, indicating the dynamic nature of the data.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts observed a dynamic landscape during COVID-19, characterized by increased email volume and shifts in sender behavior. Their primary focus was on maintaining inbox placement amid these changes, monitoring for unusual spam trap hits, and advising senders on best practices to avoid blacklists (or blocklists) and maintain a positive sender reputation. The crisis underscored the critical importance of good sending hygiene.
Key opinions
- Volume surge: Many experts noted a significant increase in email sending volume, particularly for transactional and informational emails.
- Deliverability challenges: The higher volume, combined with potentially unengaged lists being re-activated, raised concerns about deliverability and potential blocklisting. Learn about how email blacklists work.
- Content adaptation: Senders needed to adapt their content to be empathetic and informative, which generally helped with engagement but also required careful keyword consideration.
- Monitoring is key: Continuous monitoring of email performance metrics and blocklist status became more critical than ever during the pandemic. Utilize a free online email testing tool.
Key considerations
- List hygiene: Recommending careful list cleaning and avoiding sending to unengaged contacts was crucial to prevent deliverability issues, especially for sending COVID-19 emails to large lists.
- Authentication: Ensuring proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication was emphasized to build trust with mailbox providers and avoid spam folders during high email traffic.
- Feedback loops: Experts advised monitoring feedback loops closely for increased complaint rates, which could signal a negative reaction to messaging.
- Sender reputation: Protecting sender reputation became paramount, as even small dips could have significant consequences during a period of increased scrutiny. Learn how long reputation recovery takes. Additionally, John Landsman's analysis from SparkPost offers valuable insights into email activity and engagement during COVID-19.
Expert view
An expert from Email Geeks highlighted the immediate need for marketers to assess their current email strategies in light of the sudden shifts in consumer behavior caused by the pandemic.
Expert view
An expert from Email Geeks advised caution with increased sending volume, emphasizing the importance of audience relevance and engagement to avoid negative deliverability impacts during the crisis.
What the documentation says
Various reports and analyses documented the profound impact of COVID-19 on email marketing, providing valuable statistics and trends. These studies often highlighted shifts in consumer behavior, digital adoption rates, and email engagement metrics across different industries and geographies. The documentation consistently emphasized the evolving role of email as a critical communication channel during the global health crisis.
Key findings
- Email usage growth: Documentation from The Modern Day Wife and similar sources indicated email usage spiked by more than 100%.
- Sending frequency: Mailchimp's report showed a decrease in campaign sending frequency, from roughly two campaigns to 1.5 campaigns per month at its lowest point.
- Open rate changes: Campaign Monitor’s analysis, based on over 100 billion emails, revealed comprehensive benchmark data reflecting pandemic-era shifts. For more on this, check out why open rates are increasing.
- Channel shifts: McKinsey & Company reported that 75% of consumers tried new shopping behaviors, indicating a significant shift towards digital channels.
Key considerations
- Sector-specific impacts: The effects varied widely across different industries, with some seeing declines and others experiencing significant growth, requiring segmented analysis.
- Long-term trends: Many of the consumer behaviors adopted during the pandemic, such as increased online shopping, are expected to remain as long-term trends, influencing future email strategies.
- Personalization demand: The demand for personalized experiences increased, with 83% of customers willing to share data for this, as highlighted by Forbes Advisor.
- Marketing investment: Reports from eMarketer and Influencer Marketing Hub detailed shifts in overall marketing and ad spend, with digital channels, including email, gaining momentum. These shifts directly impact email deliverability issues.
Technical article
Mailchimp's report indicates that the frequency of sending email campaigns saw a reduction during the initial phase of the pandemic, dropping from approximately two campaigns a month to a low of 1.5 campaigns per month.
Technical article
The Modern Day Wife blog states that email usage significantly increased by over 100% during the pandemic, becoming a crucial channel for sharing informative messages about new services and products.
Related resources
15 resources
Related pages
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