Dos and Don’ts of Email Heading Into Summer May 09, 2018, | Posted by Erin

The summer months are a tricky time for email marketers; apart from certain industries, there simply isn’t as much to drive sales without specific holidays to buy for, and while kids are out from school, it’s a slippery problem to market to parents who are frazzled by having to manage their schedules more carefully. Site Impact knows that it can seem like summer campaigns are destined for lacklustre performance--but we beg to differ. There are a few things to do--and not do--to get the most out of summer email campaigns, if you aren’t in one of the industries that primarily operates in the hottest months of the year.

Do: Focus on Brand Engagement

Your campaigns should all have a specific purpose in mind, but that does not mean that every email should have the goal of making a sale. Brand engagement is an important tool for maintaining customer loyalty, and email is an excellent way to keep that bridge between your brand and the consumer in good repair. By having a clear idea of what each email you send should accomplish, you can formulate a strategy that avoids coming across as spammy or unnecessary. Engagement can include “thank you” emails, surveys, reminders of sales or other events, and so on--and they are the kind of email that, done properly, will increase good will towards your brand. Summer, when there is necessarily a certain drop in sales and traffic, is an excellent time to nurture your customer base.

Don’t: Cheat at engagement

This is a rather broad category, so we’ll break it down a little bit: cheating in this sense is anything that pretends to real engagement efforts without the actual work behind it. Buying email lists that aren’t properly vetted, hinting at a promotional offer that never materializes, and other “cheating” efforts can seem like a good idea at first--but in the long run they can actually negatively impact your brand’s reputation and future email efforts. Summer is the time of year for doing the hard work of true engagement: push to increase your email lists by going after qualified leads, and provide promotional offers that are actual offers. Appeal to your current list’s tastes and opinions by inviting them to participate in surveys--and give them value for it. 

Do: Use tools intelligently

From automated, behavior-triggered emails to analytics, summer is the time to get more intimately acquainted with the tools of email marketing, and put them to uses in a way that the more frenzied buying seasons simply don’t allow for. By using automation and AI intelligently, you can set up the groundwork for managing and analyzing campaigns for the rest of the year that will bring even bigger successes than they would otherwise. Of course, this is not an excuse to send out unneeded email blasts--but putting some things into automation can free you up for spending more time on tailored campaigns for specific events and promotions.

Overall, the fact that summer tends to create a sales “slump” doesn’t have to mean that email marketing efforts go into desperate overdrive or hibernation; it can mean that your brand forges deeper connections to your client base and nurture sales in areas that you don’t normally get to tackle in-depth. Contact Site Impact today to find out how we can help you come up with the perfect summer strategy for your email marketing efforts.