5 Dos and Don’ts for Weather-Related Emails

DO: Prepare Product and Promo Options
The most buzzworthy weather themes are seasonal extremes or imbalances. Record-breaking temps on either end of the spectrum usually have folks chatting, whether it's super cold temps in the winter or super hot days in the summer. Discuss which of your products would work well in these weather conditions. Think about how to stay warm in the winter, beat the heat in summer, or make the most of a crazy hot spring day. There are so many options to consider, which means there's no excuse for not aligning products and promotions with these extremes and having them ready to go.

DON'T: Be Late
Even if you've prepared options for a trending pop in the weather, other factors such as an ongoing sale or pre-planned promotion could present obstacles to getting an email sent out quickly. In my experience, these emails perform best just after the weather predictions are made, and the response tends to trail off once the weather hits. By the time folks have to actually deal with the impact, your message may have lost some of its momentum. Several retailers were late to the game with the recent arctic blast on the East Coast and the emails, in my opinion, just fell flat.

DON'T: Be Insensitive
Another advantage of prepping weather-related emails and sending them early in the buzz cycle is that weather extremes can actually cause a lot of damage or simply just not be that fun to deal with. The anticipation of three feet of snow is much easier to talk about than having to deal with it once it's on the ground. If you aren't able to tackle the topic until the weather has already arrived, ensure that you're being sensitive to those who were negatively affected. In some cases, the negative reactions could easily go beyond the inbox and ignite a storm on your social media pages, which could have long-term lasting effects on your brand.