How Brands are Handling Email Marketing in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Owing to the recent Coronavirus outbreak, there has been a profound impact on the world economy. While stock prices are constantly falling, it would be safe to assume that the virus would lead to long-lasting economic damage.

It is, undoubtedly, a matter of great concern but by following a few precautions like washing hands, using sanitizers, wearing face masks, and not visiting crowded places, you can combat the danger of COVID-19. As of 3^rd March 2020, the mortality rate has been estimated to be 3.4% by the WHO. The best way is to stay away from any delusive information.

Amidst this panic-stricken environment, there has been a staggering rise in the number of phishing emails. Malicious agents are taking undue advantage of this situation and sending spoofing emails to mislead the users.

Take a look at this email.

Although it pretends to be sent from ” WHO”, it is actually a fake email that intends to scam Internet users.

It is not too tough to identify such emails. The subject line itself, with incorrect spelling of “safety” works as a major hint that this email is not sent from a credible source. Other than that, the statement after the CTA is full of grammatical errors.

Here’s another email example of a fakeemail. The From name, the To email address, and image-only layout present enough evidence to mark this email as spam.

Now, let’s switch our focus to legitimate emails related to Coronavirus.

Brands are sending awareness emails to their subscribers, given the virus outbreak. Tom Kulzner from Aweber revealed the volume of email sent with COVID-19 or Coronavirus related keywords on the Slack channel.

As a token of appreciation for the efforts put in by different brands, we have collated all such thoughtful emails here.

1. Travelocity

Travelocity has sent an email to inform the travelers about the changes in their policy. It is an informative email that reassures the subscribers and relieves them of any apprehension, in case they have to make a booking.

The CTA prompts the user to get more information on Coronavirus Travel Advice by going to their website.                                      

2. Choice Hotels

In addition to their enhanced cancellation policy, Choice Hotels also shares the environmental cleaning practices with updated sanitation guidelines in the email. They have tried to instill a sense of trust in the reader’s mind by letting him or her know that they can depend on “Choice Hotels” for their health and safety.

3. Heavenly Natural Products

Heavenly Natural Products has perfectly used the principle: “Two birds, one arrow” in their email. It not only reflects the gravity of the situation but also subtly promotes their product by offering 25% discount on any orders over $100.

4. Capezio

With no salesy or promotional tone, Capezio sends out a minimalistic and illustrative email that simply shares tips to be safe from Coronavirus. The ample whitespace, navigation in the footer, as well as the social media icons work well in the favor of the email.

5. CVS

In the first section of the email, CVS Pharmacy entices the reader to stay in the know about coronavirus. The next section highlights the services that they offer with links to get started or learn more. Also, note the neat and clean layout with enough whitespace and perfectly balanced text to image ratio.

6. HomeoAnimal

Besides humans, animals can also be equally affected by Coronavirus. HomeoAnimal, in their email, tries to throw light on how it could affect animals, especially felines and canines. The hero image of the email is enough to pique the subscribers’ interest and encourage them to read further.

7. Dragoman

The first thing that catches the reader’s attention in this email is the preheader text: “It’s the journey, not just the destination”. At the outset of the email, the email informs the reader about their policy updates due to Coronavirus virus and then promotes their popular tours. The thing that works against this email is that it is too long, and it might be particularly frustrating for a mobile user to scroll that much.

8. Love Amber

Love Amber is a jewelry brand that builds the confidence of the users by letting them know about the extra precautions they are taking. It is a good idea to place the social icons immediately below the CTA and then display their products for the subscribers who are interested enough to scroll through. That’s a win-win for both parties.

Wrapping Up

It is prudent that brands try to eliminate unnecessary fear and panic while keeping them aware of the dos and don’ts of avoiding contraction with Coronavirus. Email can be an effective way of doing so, and these examples will surely give you ideas on how you can make your subscribers heave a sigh of relief with EMAILS. 

In case you are looking for more insights into how to send emails in these times of COVID-19, we have an ebook to help you out.

You can download it HERE.