Exposing Your Human Side.

Every time someone dies or a tragedy strikes, some retailers get in hot water for their quick responses in social media. Jokes gone bad or disingenuous sentiments set next to a promoted product just result in bad PR and customer abandonment.

But, if you want to reveal a little personal feeling into an otherwise promotional stream of emails, it can be done with respect and show people that your company has a softer side. Take care, however, because the line between homage and opportunism is thin.

1. Avoid a sale. 

30% off everything in the store is NOT the way to remember the dead. Heck, it's barely a way to celebrate President's day, in my humble opinion.

2. Have a single message. 

Saks.com's well done remembrance of Oscar de la Renta is about as simple as it gets. Because they used their campaign template, there are links to the site but no promotions, tangental or otherwise.

3. Use the proper tone.

In the ODLR image above, the model is somber, the dress is without color, the background is dark. And yet, this is a designer who died an old, successful man, so the model has a hint of a smile, the background is blue instead of black and the quote is inspiring.  Extremely well done.

4. Be relevant.

Saks and Oscar de la Renta clearly have a close relationship. They simply couldn't have remembered Dale Earnhardt, for example, with the same sincerity.

5. Back the cause.

Houston designer Elaine Turner is very involved in the ongoing effort to cure breast cancer. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, some of her emails relate to that cause. Instead of offering a sale, the CTA is an offer to allow people to support a good cause when they shop. Is this encouraging sales? Sure but with 50% going to the charity, it comes across as more of a fundraising challenge than a promotion. ET is not just exploiting the cause, she has "skin in the game."

6. Tell a story.

This is good advice for every communication but when a corporate entity supports a cause, it falls very flat if they create a theme and leave it at that. Again, in this email, Elaine opens up to why she is behind this cause in a link to a video with her and her mother.

The takeaway: 

By pausing the promotion-of-the-day cycle to highlight a cause or give tribute, you can show your readers that your company is interested in the world outside the store, as long as it's tactful and sincere. Email allows the ability to send a CTA-free message without worrying about an ROI, so why not use your reach to benefit someone else for a change?