While the Northeast braces for a blizzard, it’s the perfect time to talk about emails and marketing strategy. Whether your business is located in the Northeast or the Southwest, if you have online customers there’s a good chance many of them live in blizzard-bound areas.
A snowstorm creates a captive audience for your email marketing communications. (That is, assuming the power doesn’t go out. Then again, as long as the Internet is up and running, charged mobile phones and other devices can give folks access.)
Of course, when you’re tying in a promotional message to a natural disaster, you have to be careful not to offend those most adversely affected by the situation. In other words, it would have been tacky to capitalize on Hurricane Sandy.
The Sears email below uses the preheader to set the stage for the email. Granted, 5 percent isn’t a big deal, but it is if you’re scrambling to get snow tires on your vehicle.
In the Audible email below, there’s a touch of humor in the various scenarios presented. These are all scenarios that those stuck in a snowstorm can relate to. Coining the word “snow-casion” is a clever finishing touch.
Remember, you can geographically segment your list and target only the audience affected by the weather. Here, Barnes & Noble targets its New York customers. While the coupon is only for brick-and-mortar stores, the email promotes both in-store and online shopping.
Urban Outfitters, however, promotes online savings in this email. Even the coupon code, SNOWEDIN, is tied in to the theme.
Steve Madden’s email is all-inclusive, with copy that addresses both those stranded by the snow and those living elsewhere in the country:
Recipients anywhere in the U.S. can relate to this email from terrain. What’s interesting here is that the email features colorful plants instead of snow and ice. It would be interesting to do an A/B test with two different graphical treatments and see which performs better.
Other emails can include content as a public service, putting a PR spin on the situation. This just landed in my inbox minutes ago from a local business:
The beauty of these types of emails is that they can be created ahead of time and tweaked as needed immediately prior to deploying. When your recipients are homebound, they have more down time and are more likely to engage with your content.
Here’s to a safe, cozy weekend for everyone affected by the impending blizzard.
By Darcy Grabenstein, senior copywriter at Annodyne
