So it’s vacation time and in addition to all your scheduling, this means setting the dreaded “out of office” message on your outlook! As a marketing manager this got me thinking… is there such a thing as Out of Office Marketing and if not why not?
What does a standard out of office message look like?
“I will be out of the office between July 1st and July 12th and will respond to your email upon my return”
YAWN… how very 1995! Depending on your position in the company you could be missing a very important trick… welcome to the world of Out of Office Marketing!
The Social Media Out Of Office
If you are a social media marketing manager like me then it stands to reason that your out of office message should reflect your position. Forget the boring out of office and focus on social media driven incentives for your message. Ok, you still need to say the dates that you will be out of the office but how about driving email traffic to your Facebook page or Linkedin group as well? Alternatively you could drive traffic to one of your campaign landing pages with a tailored url.
Example
“I will be out of the office between July 1st and July 12th and will respond to your email upon my return. In the meantime why not keep up with our company news over at Linkedin (insert link) or Like us on Facebook (insert link) to join our summer contest”
The Sales Out Of Office
If you are a sales person then you will be taking some much needed holiday whilst also wondering about how many registrations or sign ups you will miss out on while you are away. Instead of letting business go cold while you hit the beach, why not set an out of office message that inspires people to take the next step with your brand? Of course you cannot give specific offers as you don’t know who will email you but you can certainly give a generic offer and provide easy instructions for it. Use a tracking code for the landing page you are driving traffic to so you can see the results when you return from your vacation!
Example
“I will be out of the office between July 1st and July 12th and will respond to your email upon my return. Why not take advantage of our awesome summer bonus … for the next two weeks receive a discount of 20% on all new purchases!
Get Your Offer
- Click on this link
- Enter your special code
- Shop and proceed to checkout
The IT Out of Office
IT personnel are often the worst for forgetting to set an out of office message or simply leaving a one line “I’m not back until July 12th” type message. Come on IT step up your game and have some fun with your out of office message. Your message can drive traffic to your web pages or app or encourage visitors to use your online help centre. Of course, if you are in a technical support position then you will need to provide an alternative number or method of contact for all those people having a meltdown in your absence!
Example
“I will be out of the office between July 1st and July 12th and will respond to your email upon my return. For technical support assistance please visit our Help Center (insert link) and read our helpful Q&A section. Alternatively please click here to contact us via Live Chat.
The Admin Out of Office
Administration, receptionists, secretaries and PAs are often vastly underrated when it comes to the role they play within your business. These people are your front line, the one clients talk to and the ones who can influence prospective business. It therefore stands to reason that they should have an awesome out of office message.
Example
“I will be out of the office between July 1st and July 12th and will respond to your email upon my return. Here are some useful links to help you in the meantime:
Contact us via Live Chat
Join our upcoming events on Facebook
Read about our promotions on Linkedin
Visit our website for technical assistance
So you see… out of office marketing can really be a thing and can provide excellent customer satisfaction and even sign ups while you are away. The best thing about it is that it only takes a few minutes to set up!
Out of Office Tips
- Use tracking leads for any CTA (all to action) messages
- Always tell colleagues if you plan to direct enquiries to them
- Check all your links are working & test your out of office
- Insert images or icons to your message but keep it simple
- Set a different out of office for internal emails
I hope you enjoyed reading my guide to Out of Office marketing – tweet me your thoughts @charli_says