Empathy Drives Consumer Sentiment for Pre-Holiday Email Campaigns October 16, 2020, | Posted by Guest

The data is clear: this is not the year for generic sentiments and blast email marketing campaigns. The trend has increasingly been shifting towards personalized email content for years, but this year’s events have led to consumers being more interested than ever in being shown empathy and compassion before they put their money down. Politicians, even, have been getting slammed by potential voters for a lack of empathy in their email campaigns, and brands are seeing the development too, and Site Impact is not alone in noticing the shift in consumer priorities. In order to get the holiday shopping dollars they need, businesses of all kinds will have to lead with emotion, sentiment, and compassion rather than with ruthless deals or hype.

Connection is everything to consumers

A study by Iterable found that of the consumers polled, 83% said they were likely to buy from brands with which they felt an emotional connection--and broken down by generation, that sentiment is especially strong amongst Gen Z. Many consumers are reacting to this desire for connection to the brands they shop with by focusing their efforts on shopping local, even if they’re going about their holiday shopping online; the pandemic has led to a revolution in small and medium businesses offering various online shopping options. Alyssa Jarrett, Director of Brand and Content Marketing at Iterable, said, “Emotions are a strong, and profitable, driver for email marketers, but how do you effectively and emotionally connect with customers?” The answer is fairly clear: start with empathetic messages. Start from what you would want to hear from your brands.

Connecting is easier than you would think

Forming an emotional bond with your audience doesn’t have to be a herculean task. It’s actually fairly easy to establish an emotional connection with your audience: understand what their concerns, needs, and wants are, and start there. Use the data you have available along with some common sense from your own experiences, and build a campaign that centers sentiment and compassion and emotion first--then sales afterwards. This time of year, that type of approach is generally much stronger anyway, but especially in the context of the current uncertainties and stresses, it’s the perfect starting point for establishing a connection with the people you want to buy from you. 

Studies repeatedly show that this year has pushed emotional content in email marketing to a prominence that it has never had before; it’s important for all demographics for brands to demonstrate that they’re present emotionally and aware of the concerns and worries of their prospects before it comes down to the hard sell. Heading into the holiday season, brands will have to make sure that they secure that emotional bond especially with the younger generations in order to make the most of their campaigns. Contact Site Impact to hear how we can connect you with people who are ready for an emotional bond to your brand.