Top 5 Things eMarketers Have Learned From COVID19

The coronavirus has had a significant impact on businesses around the world. From working at home to cancellations in tradeshows, companies have had to adapt in order to continue to generate revenue. One such area that has seen an unbelievable change is email marketing. The tactics we had once held dear and strategies seemingly set in stone have been turned on their head in the last few months.

Timing Was Everything

Up until March, every email marketer would have told you the best time to send an email was “first thing in the morning and at lunch” with some variation of Wednesday or Thursday. Since then, the trend has been a moving target that now includes prime B2B days on weekends and a recent nearly 7% open rate increase to emails sent on Mondays. Best times to open still hover around morning and noon, but there are now opportunities after hours as businesspeople working from home, especially those with families, catch up on their inbox at night.

Email Frequency = Conversions

One of the most mindboggling contradictions of the corona-age is that email send frequencies have skyrocketed with nearly 83% of B2B companies sending at least 4-5x per month and are seeing up to a 21% increase in open rates. Optout rates, contrary to expectations, did not follow suit. According to the source Worldata, the reason for increased open rates is due to the increased engagements driving deliverability. In fact, they also cite a significant rise in response rates when sending the same promotion two days in a row.

The Skim & Run

During the pandemic, global open rates rose up to 10% with another 10-20% increase for emails relating to the coronavirus. This is in contrast to global clickthrough rates which conversely fell. As the frequency of emails increased, the likelihood of a conversion declined; inboxes are filling up fast and your target audience’s time is limited, so make sure the message is “sticky”.

Get to the Point!

With lower engagements, it’s extremely important to get to the point as quickly and efficiently as possible. Clear call to actions, minimal text, and clean designs will help contribute to a successful campaign. You only have seconds to grab their attention so make it count.

“Free” Advice

The word “Free” has been gaining momentum and success in recent months, increasing open rates as much as 39% for business to business communications. Just make sure your subject isn’t misleading as that would be grounds for abuse complaints or worse.

Chain Store Guide provides primary research into the retail & foodservice chains across the U.S., giving essential market data and verified contact information. Manufacturers and suppliers use this data to drive their sales using multi-channel marketing tactics to reach decision makers via mail, phone, email, PPC, and social media. CSG has been assisting companies for over 85 years, through the Great Depression to the Coronavirus Pandemic, and we will continue to support businesses across the industry with the data they need to succeed.

Sources: Chain Store Guide, For Construction Pros, Paved, Validity, and Worldata.
Note: Stats are based off B2B email activities.