Nurturing your email list during a time of crisis 

Just because your business is on hold during this crisis, it doesn’t mean you should stop promoting your business entirely. Your computer and an internet connection is all you need to keep you connected to your target audience, specifically those in your email list.  

Obviously, running your regular email marketing strategy in the time of crisis is not a great idea. Not only it will not work, but people will also find it distasteful and insensitive if you do blatant marketing in the middle of a global crisis. Here are some best practice tips from Tourism Accelerator for a respectful email marketing strategy. 

Never capitalise on anxiety and fear

The world is at a standstill right now and the uncertainty is making people fearful and stressed. It is never a good idea to capitalise on their anxiety and fear. The media is doing enough of that already. Instead, try to be a voice of reason and help people feel calm with simple and helpful messages. Provide solutions to their problems, don't make it worse. "Feeling stressed? Imagine a weekend away..." You want to avoid making it seem as though you’re exploiting the pandemic crisis.  

Don’t send your crisis emails to your whole database  

While it may be tempting to reach as many people as possible, these messages are not transactional, especially for people who have unsubscribed for some time. The last thing you want now is to be sent straight to their spam folders and deal with deliverability problems in the future. This is why segmentation is extremely important.   

Study your email list. Which of them do you think your messages can relate to the most? Also, send emails to people you have legitimate business with. These might be people with recently cancelled bookings, virtual tour bookings, or people who have made recent enquiries.

Review your email’s tone and value  

Make sure you read your emails more than twice, especially your automated emails. Analyse the tone and value of your email programs. Acknowledge the current situation and be empathetic. Be mindful in your use of photos, too. An image of people shaking hands may not be appropriate at this time. You can automate but still keep it personal.  

Choose the right frequency 

The frequency with which you send emails to your list is an important consideration. Only you can answer the question as to how often you need to send emails because no one knows your list better than you do. The optimal frequency is once a week, but you can send more if you need. Don’t email them every day as this would be too annoying. But don’t email them any less than once a week or you could be forgotten.  

Promoting authenticity is still the secret to a successful email list. Nurture the relationship you have and be rewarded for it. With these tips from Tourism Accelerator, your email list could be your business’ most powerful weapon in the toolkit.