Jason: As with other types of emails, just try to be respectful and honest. Understanding that you need to take advantage of the low demand that still exists to make money, try to start a conversation with these companies to see if they really need your products right now . If not, try to hold back a bit so you don't seem insensitive. There might be other resources you can provide aside from your products that are more useful to them today, even if they are free. If you're genuinely helpful, they're more likely to remember that help when demand increases again and buy from you rather than a competitor. From a very practical standpoint, use the people you're stuck with at home to help you check your email. If you send something, read the copy aloud to them and watch their reactions. Ask them if it sounds dull or actually helpful. Don't worry if they're not part of the email industry: feedback from non-marketers is almost always much more valuable than feedback from our own industry bubble. What imagery is appropriate to use in email campaigns right now?
Bettina: Empathy is crucial when deciding what to send and how to craft your copy, and the same goes for other email creatives. When looking at your existing emails, carefully review the images you use to make sure they are still appropriate. Be careful with images showing crowds or people holding hands - images that were absolutely perfect just a few weeks ago might Image Masking Service look insensitive today. When sending notifications directly related to the outbreak, it can be difficult to find the right image to support your message. That's why you'll see many brands go for a letter-like, text-based approach. Check out some examples at Really Good Emails . Is a COVID-19 announcement a transactional email I need to send to my entire list?
Kristin: As always, you should only send an email as transactional if it meets the legal classifications of a transactional email . Chances are your COVID-19 announcement email isn't a transactional email that you should be sending out to your entire list. If you need to send a message specifically about a transaction a customer has made with your business, you can send it as a transactional email to the relevant customer(s) . Examples may be event cancellations or postponements, or other service-relevant changes such as shipping delays. I don't think general retail store closures warrant a transactional email, but could be sent as a commercial email or posted on social media.