How Can a Small Business Optimize a Generally Negative Situation Like a Snow Storm in Their Email Marketing?

Many places around the world got hit with much more snow than usual this winter.  As result, a large number of businesses were forced to change the way they operate or shut down entirely due to the conditions. You may be wondering, what does all this have to with email marketing and my campaign in particular?  It just goes to show that a snow storm or any other negative occurrence for that matter, gives you the perfect opportunity to use an email campaign to stay in touch with customers through messages or special offers related to the occurrence. 

One effective way to use email marketing during a snow storm is to keep your subscribers up to date with what is going on.  These could be updates on the weather and road conditions, or letting them know what schools and businesses in the area are open or closed.  This is something you could do regardless of your niche.  Your subscribers who check their inbox before they check the news will be grateful for the valuable information. 

In the wake of a major snow storm, consumers are often left wondering just which locations in the area are open.  If you own a restaurant or another type of brick and mortar business, you can harness the power of email to not only let customers know you’re open, but also offer incentives for braving the treacherous conditions outside.  This is something that could have a viral impact that results in customers passing the message along to their friends, and helping you maintain some nice business traffic despite the bad weather. 

As a number of winters have taught us over the years, a snow storm can be so severe that it leaves you with no other choice than to close down your business for a day or two.  Unfortunately, closed locations translate into lost sales.  The good thing is that email marketing
gives you the ability to make the most of a gloomy situation.  For example, if you had to shut down for the day, you can easily contact your customers via email, apologize for the inconvenience, and offer them a discount on their next purchase.  This is an effective way to drive traffic to your store at a later date and make up for the losses caused by the storm.  

Another powerful way to leverage email marketing during a winter storm is to provide helpful advice and insight your subscribers can use to their advantage.  For instance, you can send out alerts telling people about certain gadgets and devices that will help them “weather” the storm.  You could also provide some helpful tips explaining how readers can dig themselves out of a snow jam.  These are two examples of how email marketing can help you create goodwill amongst your audience and create a positive buzz around your business. 

Now you know that negative situations like a snow storm gives you the opportunity to generate traffic to your brick and mortar store or website, maintain or boost sales, or simply show your customers that you have their best interests at heart.  Feel free to bookmark this article and refer to it for the stormy days ahead.