Dear Exponea Customer, 

Many brands are facing the reality of messaging that was ill-timed or even insensitive, and we are here to ensure that you are prepared to continue to deliver great products and exceptional service.

With that in mind, we’ve created the following checklist and resources for consideration in your marketing strategy over the next few weeks.

Marketer’s checklist:

• Send an email reassuring your customers and let them know you and your business are concerned about them, also provide some real resources 
• Review your emails that relate to shipping: change language like “free shipping, expedited shipping” to “thank you for your patience and your business, it might take some time to get to you”
• Check your automated templates, make sure they are written in a way that takes current circumstances into account (don’t send a “we hope you’re looking forward to your vacation” when it’s likely they’ve had to cancel)
• Pause some of your automations, particularly the ones that aren’t adding value to the current situation in your market
• Use frequency capping to limit emails to one per day in Exponea, your automations in a normal week could be seen as positive but during time of consumer concern it could have a negative view (unless you’re sending API triggered communications)
• Create a segment that shows which consumers have increased their online purchases and send a “check in” message to make sure they’re ok
• Prepare for “back-in-stock” campaigns once things are up and running
• Create segments by geography where stores have closed letting consumers know and giving them the option to shop online
• If you offer chat or phone support, make sure to prepare your team to respond appropriately to consumers during the uncertainty and reassure them you’re here to help
• Extend your return windows, make it easy for them to do business with you and proactively message this to recent purchasers; give tips on how they can print return labels and schedule pickups (maybe even cover the cost?)
• Make it easy for your customer service representatives to offer credits and be flexible in helping
• Add no-touch delivery to your delivery options if possible

Wednesday, March 25th at 10am EST we’ll have an open Zoom, offering our customers the opportunity to collaborate with Exponea and each other to discuss how your businesses are handling the ever evolving situation we are navigating as a community. We will have a group for executives and a group for practical, hands-on users and will attempt to host these calls in a regular cadence.

If you would like more tips, insights, and examples on this topic, Jordie van Rijn and John Walsh put together a massive overview
with an abundance of advice on email marketing during a crisis like COVID-19.