There has been a trend in the emails and newsletters over recent weeks, particularly noticeable since the start of the New Year, that shows there might be a sense of desperation in some companies. I’m getting marketing emails that are nothing more than adverts for websites. In other words, I’m given lists of products but at identical prices to those available on their website.

It is fair to say that this has arisen in the past to a limited extent, but this sequence could almost be described as a trend. I subscribe to a lot of email marketing lists and flick through most, and although one person’s experience is not statistically significant, given the number I view, I reckon it suggests a change in attitude by a number of companies. 

There’s no point in subscribing to an email marketing list where you get no benefits, not even early notification of an upcoming offer or ‘last chance at this price’ for the product. It’s a waste of an opportunity in your sending schedule, one you could have filled with an offer that might give a decent ROI. It’s probably better to leave the gap. It might fill our subscribers with anticipation rather than irritation at wasting their time opening it. 

It might be that, given current circumstances, companies will not have a product to offer at a particular time, or enough to allow the targeting of emails. Even so, it’s a self-defeating move with unsubscribe buttons at the bottom. The last thing you want to do is to irritate your subscribers at a time when you’ve got other matters the concern you.

Consider a little loss-leader. It does not have to be much of a reduction to be something worthwhile receiving. £258.83 reduced to £257.32, which I’ve recently received, is not one that should be headlined with a percentage. However, it is a reduction. It’s unlikely to reduce your financial controller to tears, nor is it likely to increase sales to a massive extent. It is, though, better than a marketing email that is nothing more than an advert for a website.