4 Strategies to Combat Recession with Email Marketing

When the going gets tough, email marketers get going.

Most trend forecasts advise brands to get ready for economic headwinds this year. Whether that means a global recession or a mild constriction remains to be seen.

What we do know is that email continues to be the nimble marketing tool that can guide a brand through economic challenges and keep customers engaged. These four strategies can help.

1. Step up competitive research to make each campaign count

MailCharts was built to help brands research their competition more effectively and uncover hidden opportunities. Use the Calendar function to reach the inbox on days your competitors are less likely to send.

Another research tactic: Get a leg up on the battle for the inbox when you create a custom group with your brand and your top competitors. Compare sending and promo rates, review campaign and journey content and look for an advantage.

2. Leverage customer loyalty

Email is the ideal loyalty builder because you’re reaching people who are most interested in your brand. Besides mentioning it in every email, send stand-alone campaigns that give you room to expand on your brand’s value and benefits.

Loyalty emails should be part of your welcome journey, too. The emails you send to your new VIPs can make or break your loyalty program. Our loyalty journey examples show you what top brands like King Arthur Baking Co. and Famous Footwear send their customers. Compare to see where you could improve yours.

3. Protect your profit margin

The ever-popular 20 percent discount isn’t the only way into a customer’s wallet. Your custom group of competitors will reveal which brands rely on percentages, and who goes the BOGO route, as the photo below shows.

Consumers say they opt in to emails to get discounts and promos. Do yours stand out? Scroll through 200+ curated examples on our Sales and Discounts list to see what’s new, cool, and doable.

4. Test to discover what works better

You’ll find inspiration in any MailCharts email list, industry group, or email journey. But what works for one brand could flop for yours. Create a team list of email examples or a custom group of competitive brands, and then note which elements you could test on each entry.

And with all that testing, you’re going to make lots of notes. MailCharts saves all the notes you wrote or added to in one place. Click on “Collections” on your home page and choose “Notes” on the pop-up menu. Voila!