Too many marketing emails

Customer inboxes are full of marketing emails. Does yours stand out?

Pop quiz: how many brands sent you marketing emails during the crisis—and left you scratching your head, saying, “How in the hell did they get my email address?”

If you’re like most of us, the answer is a lot.

Everyone and their moms dug deep into the trenches of their email lists and bombarded us all with their awkward messages of sort-of solidarity. And as the crisis goes on, our already-full email inboxes have only gotten fuller. Which, of course, poses a problem for marketers:

How do you stand out in such a crowded inbox?

Here are five answers from our experts.

1. Keep emailing.

First, some good news: Email open rates and click rates are up.

Our inboxes might be overflowing (email sends were up by 19% in March), but people are also spending more time in said inboxes and clicking on more messages. In fact, compared to 2019, March and April had a 20% uptick in email opens, according to data from Campaign Monitor.

So, inboxes are crowded, but if your gut reaction is to pull back on email, the numbers say no. Keep going. Just make sure your emails stand out.

2. Be concise.

It’s no secret that stress kills focus. And right now, people are stressed.

It’s always smart to keep messages concise, but in times of great collective stress, it’s essential. Get your point across quickly and simply. The less time and focus your message requires, the more likely you are to reach a larger number of readers.

3. Talk like a human.

Think jargon makes you sound smart? Think again: 88% of office workers say they pretend to understand jargon at work. And if your employees are faking it? Your customers probably don’t understand it any better.

So, skip the jargon and talk like a human. Use simple language. Be straightforward.

The average American reads at a 9^th-grade level. And studies show that plain language makes us sound smarter. Not to mention that trauma makes comprehension and focus harder. So, with COVID-19, job losses, the uptick in domestic violence, and the extreme police brutality going on right now, people need you to speak plainly even more than they usually do.

4. Get visual.

Our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than words—and we remember visuals better. Which means animation, photos, and other videos are a great tool not only on your website and social channels, but also via email.

5. Go vibrant.

A total of 66% of Americans report feeling nervous or depressed at least once a week right now. Also, 70% of people said they want brands to boost positive stories. And we think it’s clear that everyone could use some hope, inspiration, and joy.

Now, in other words, is not the time for drab, muted emails. It’s the time to embrace color theory and choose designs that feel hopeful and forward-moving.

And if you need some help freshening up your emails, keeping them short and sweet, and taking advantage of that high email click-through rate? Reach out anytime. That’s what we’re here for.