It’s fair to say that we’ve not experienced wall to wall sunshine so far this summer. The weather has been decidedly changeable, with as many cold, rainy days as we’ve had hot ones. And, it’s not just our sunbathing schedule that this changeable weather can disrupt. The weather can also have a significant effect on your email marketing campaigns.
How The Weather Can Affect Email Marketing Campaigns
Marketing campaigns have long been predictably seasonal. We will get advertisements for cosy jumpers and blankets in the winter, and ice cream and barbecues in the summer. However, advancements in weather forecasting technology and increased access to weather data has enabled brands to be much smarter in how they use the weather in their marketing campaigns.
Because of the immediacy of email marketing, campaigns cannot be based on assumptions and generalisations (i.e. it will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter). Consumers see email as being a highly personal marketing method, so they want brands to respond to their exact wants and needs. During periods of extreme or unusual weather, a marketing email could provide your customer with exactly what they need at exactly the right time. By monitoring the weather, you can ensure that your email marketing campaigns are always relevant to your customers requirements.
Use The Weather to Your Advantage
The weather is one of the most talked-about topics in the UK, so it’s only natural that it should play some sort of role in your email marketing campaigns. You could simply mention the weather in order to strike up a dialogue between your brand and your customers, or you could offer them something that will be useful in differing weather conditions.
There are various ways that you can use the weather to your advantage in email marketing. You could create a series of emails that are ‘triggered’ in certain weather conditions, for example when the temperature reaches a certain level. Costa ran a campaign like this based on the weather in certain locations:
However, it doesn’t necessarily need to be that complicated. By simply monitoring the news and weather forecasts, you can create email marketing campaigns that respond to what your customers are thinking, and talking, about.
The Weather In Email Marketing
Hot Weather
The recent heatwave has led to a flux of emails offering things to help people cope with the heat. Bravissimo sent an email advertising their range of bikinis:
Extremes of weather also provide the ideal opportunity for a time-limited promotion, like Sunuva did recently:
Changeable Weather
Unpredictable weather can also become the subject of email marketing campaigns, particularly for fashion retailers. Seasalt ran a promotion on raincoats to help customers prepare for the arrival of a rainy period:
Marks and Spencer ran a campaign showcasing their range of layering items so their customers could be prepared for the changeable bank holiday weather:
Snow
It’s always a hot topic whenever it snows in this country, and it provides an excellent marketing opportunity for almost any industry. Fashion retailer Joy ran a promotion on their winter clothing to allow their customers to stock up before the snow came:
Restaurant chain Zizzi ran a promotion after a snowy period has eased up, capitalising on the fact that people could now leave their homes to go out to a restaurant:
Changes in the weather should not be ignored when it comes to your email marketing efforts. By integrating weather information into your campaigns, you will send emails that are more relevant and useful to your customers, thereby increasing click through rates and brand awareness.
