Email marketing is a complicated game. So many factors can influence the success of a campaign, from your subject line to your “from” name to the frequency of your emails. No one wants to keep their subscribers waiting or make them feel ignored. However, you don’t want to overwhelm your subscribers with too many emails, either.
How do you find that happy medium between too few emails and too many?
What the Research Says on Email Marketing
Extensive research has been conducted to find the optimal frequency for marketing emails. Based on these findings, the general consensus is that 2-4 emails per week is the ballpark you should be in.
However, the right frequency for your brand could turn out to be considerably above or below this range. For example, certain brands have achieved impressive email open rates by sending as much as six or seven emails per week. On the other hand, another company from a different industry might send subscribers running for the hills with daily emails.
To find out where your brand fits on this spectrum, consider the nature of your emails, the goals of your campaign, and your average customer’s purchase cycle.
How to Determine Your Email Frequency
First off, what kind of emails are you sending? Different types of emails are suited for different frequencies. For instance, while promotional emails are not designed to be sent very often, an informative email newsletter is designed to be sent more frequently.
On that note, it’s always important to make sure the content you’re sending is valuable and relevant. Are you sharing legitimately important or interesting information? If so, your subscribers might not mind more frequent emails.
What is Your Average Customer Cycle?
If the main goal of your campaign is to drive purchases, your email marketing frequency should be heavily based on your average customer’s purchase cycle, which is typically reflective of your industry. Brands with higher purchase cycles tend to benefit from higher frequencies of emails, and vice versa.
Let’s say your company sells enterprise software. Most people purchase business software once, and then won’t make another purchase from this company for a few months or so. This is very different than the fashion industry, in which people buy new clothes all the time and can expect a new email from their favorite brands almost every day. Generally speaking, B2C companies tend to have higher email frequencies than B2B, largely because their customers have a higher expectation for offers and deals.
Ask Your Customers
The most valuable marketing data comes straight from the customer. So, if you want to know how often your subscribers prefer to receive emails, give them the opportunity to tell you. You can give your subscribers the option to choose their preferred email frequency at sign-up, in a re-engagement campaign, and as an option on your unsubscribe page. Many brands also include an “Update your email preferences” link at the end of their emails alongside their “unsubscribe” option.
To recap, it’s really the type of emails you’re sending and your audience’s relationship with your brand that determines how often you should send your emails. As much as you might love sharing information about your business and industry with your audience, you have to see it from their perspective and think about how frequently they’d prefer to see your brand in their inbox in a given week.
For further advice on how to be successful with email marketing, contact the team at The Found Gen today.