Relevance is a key component of successful marketing.

One aspect of relevance is timing and just prior to an expected cold snap, this email from Halfords shows how email marketing can be used to quickly communicate a timely message.

The headline ‘Don’t get caught out. It’s forecast to freeze’ is designed to prompt a sense of urgency. The email contains a range of products including batteries, de-icer & ice scrapers. Based on my experience at Asda, I expect that Halfords had this email ready to go some weeks ago and were waiting for the weather forecasters to announce snow is on the way and broadcast the email the next morning.

Learning for businesses big or small

  • Are the problems you solve for customers more relevant at certain times of the year?
  • Does your web marketing reflect this?
  • If it is weather related, can you plan communications in advance, so that they are ready to go at a moments notice?
  • What other events can make your solution more relevant to customers?

Remember, marketing is about solving customers’ problems profitably.