Summary
During the COVID-19 pandemic, email marketing experienced significant shifts. Email volume surged initially as businesses sought to maintain contact. Email engagement saw an initial spike then a normalization, varying across industries like e-commerce and online education. Key strategies involved empathy, transparency, and valuable content over sales pitches. Personalization became vital, as did adapting to consumer habits. Benchmark shifts necessitated adapting strategies to maintain relevance and deliverability. Web traffic and engagement patterns were monitored to refine content and targeting. Sensitivity in content and communication were also emphasized.
Key findings
- Volume surge: Initial surge in email volume as businesses maintained contact.
- Engagement shifts: Spike in engagement followed by normalization, varied by industry.
- Strategic adjustments: Emphasis on empathy, transparency, and valuable content.
- Personalization imperative: Greater need for personalized and relevant content.
- Benchmark evolution: Email benchmark shifted, requiring greater focus on maintain deliverability and relevance.
Key considerations
- Empathy and tone: Ensure empathetic and sensitive communication.
- Value-driven content: Provide helpful content, not aggressive sales messages.
- Personalized messaging: Tailor messaging to individual subscriber needs.
- Adaptive strategies: Adapt email strategies to the changing environment and behaviors.
- Deliverability focus: Prioritize deliverability and relevance in a changing landscape.
What email marketers say
16 marketer opinions
Email marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced significant shifts. Initially, there was a surge in email volume as businesses sought to maintain contact with customers during lockdowns, communicating changes in services and safety protocols. Email engagement metrics, such as open and click-through rates, also saw an initial spike before normalizing. However, engagement levels varied across industries, with e-commerce and online education maintaining higher rates. Marketers had to adapt their strategies by focusing on empathy, transparency, and providing value to subscribers, shifting from aggressive sales pitches to helpful content. Personalization and relevance became even more crucial to stand out in crowded inboxes, and consumer email habits changed, with increased frequency of checking emails and heightened expectations for personalized content. Finally, benchmark shifted with increase email volume, marketers needed to adapt their strategies to maintain deliverability and relevance. Consumer email habits changed significantly with increased frequency of checking emails, with greater willingness to engage with brands.
Key opinions
- Email Volume Surge: Email volume significantly increased as businesses sought to maintain contact during lockdowns.
- Engagement Spike: Initial spike in open and click-through rates, followed by normalization.
- Industry Variance: Email engagement varied across industries, with e-commerce and online education performing well.
- Benchmark Shifts: Email marketing benchmarks shifted during COVID-19, increase in email volumes and patterns need adaptation to maintain deliverability and relevance.
- Consumer Changes: Consumer email habits changed significantly with increased frequency of checking emails, with greater willingness to engage with brands.
Key considerations
- Empathy and Transparency: Focus on empathetic and transparent communication in email content.
- Value-Driven Content: Provide valuable and helpful content instead of aggressive sales pitches.
- Personalization: Personalize messaging to meet the changing needs of subscribers.
- Adaptability: Adapt email marketing strategies to the changing environment and consumer behavior.
- Deliverability: Ensure strategies maintain deliverability and relevance.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to Emailmonday's guide to crisis email marketing, which contains links to multiple articles with individual stats.
21 Apr 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares insights on how email marketing adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in messaging, content, and campaign strategies to address the evolving needs and concerns of subscribers.
27 Jan 2022 - Sendinblue
What the experts say
1 expert opinions
Laura Atkins from Word to the Wise emphasizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on email marketing, stressing the necessity of adjusting email content and subject lines to reflect sensitivity towards the current climate. Clear and empathetic communication with subscribers is also highlighted as crucial during this period.
Key opinions
- Pandemic Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected email marketing strategies.
- Content Sensitivity: Adjusting content and subject lines is crucial to reflect sensitivity towards the current climate.
- Empathetic Communication: Clear and empathetic communication with subscribers is essential.
Key considerations
- Content Adjustment: Review and adjust email content to align with the current situation and audience sentiment.
- Subject Line Review: Ensure subject lines are sensitive and relevant to the audience's needs during the pandemic.
- Communication Strategy: Prioritize clear and empathetic communication in all email interactions.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected email marketing, emphasizing the need to adjust content and subject lines to be sensitive to the current climate. She also highlights the importance of clear and empathetic communication with subscribers during this time.
1 Jan 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
The documentation from EmailMonday emphasizes empathy, transparency, and value during crises, advocating for adapting messaging to current situations. MessageGears' research indicates changes in email engagement metrics during COVID-19, offering insights into its impact. MDN Web Docs notes shifts in web traffic, particularly increased usage of online resources, which influences email marketing targeting and content strategies.
Key findings
- Empathy & Transparency: Empathy and transparency are crucial in crisis email marketing.
- Engagement Changes: Email engagement metrics were impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Traffic Shifts: Web traffic patterns shifted, affecting email marketing strategies.
Key considerations
- Adapt Messaging: Adapt email messaging and campaigns to reflect the current situation and customer needs.
- Monitor Metrics: Monitor and analyze email engagement metrics to understand the impact of crises.
- Targeting & Content: Adjust email targeting and content strategies based on shifts in web traffic patterns.
Technical article
Documentation from MDN Web Docs addresses how web traffic patterns shifted significantly due to the pandemic, with increased usage of online communication, e-commerce, and educational resources, affecting email marketing strategies by influencing targeting and content.
24 Jul 2024 - Mozilla
Technical article
Documentation from EmailMonday provides a guide to crisis email marketing, highlighting the importance of empathy, transparency, and providing value to subscribers during uncertain times. The guide emphasizes adapting messaging and campaigns to reflect the current situation and customer needs.
1 Nov 2021 - EmailMonday
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