No one likes to hear someone babble on endlessly- not in person, and definitely not through digital marketing. While systems like Edge Sender make it really easy to create a quick email blast, how do you avoid running the risk of saying too much, too often?
Back in 2012 a Pittsburgh Penguins fan filed a suit claiming he received too many text communications from the team. While that may be an extreme case, setting boundaries for how often you will send out campaigns is key to keeping your emails effective without annoying your subscribers. This means less unsubscribes and ‘marked as SPAM’ notifications.
What “Too Many” Means To Your Clients
Maintaining regular contact through email campaigns is a good thing, as it keeps your small business at the top of the client’s mind. But it’s the way they think about your business that’s more important than just thinking about it.
Studies show that about 35% of users that unsubscribe from an email list do so because they received too many emails. Some reports find that number as high as 73%. So what does “too many” mean to your clients?
Some users feel once a week is ok, while other prefer just once or twice per month. The only way you can be sure is by really understanding your audience, their email habits, and also monitoring unsubscribe data.
Some basic rules are as follows (and if you haven’t figured this out on your own, don’t worry):
- Don’t send more than once per week. It feels ‘spammy’.
- Don’t send less than once per month. People may forget who you are, or why they signed up in the first place.
- If you have no way to know who wants what, or how often- give them options.
Giving your clients the option to manage their subscription frequency themselves prevents your messages from winding up in the SPAM folder, and also gives you data on client interests.
Ok, So When Do I Send?
There’s no shortage of studies that aim to report what day of the week is ideal to send out your campaign. Unfortunately, you’ll probably find most of the data is conflicting. While one report may state Monday is the day where campaigns have the highest open rates, another will state that Tuesday through Thursday is the ideal time, as people aren’t concerned with what they did or will do over the weekend.
That’s Great Info, But… When Should I Send Emails?!
The most important thing to focus on is not the day, so long as you are sending campaigns out on a regular schedule. Inform you clients when:
- A time-sensitive special offer is available
- You have a special event coming up
- You’re business is moving/ has moved to a new location
- The topic and/or frequency of your email campaigns is going to change
That last one- topic/ frequency changes- is really important, but not often done. Any time you are going to make major changes to the topics you will be covering, or the rate at which you will be sending out email blasts, you should give your subscribers a heads up. This will increase your engagement with your list, as you are ensuring that your content stays relevant to your subscribers’ interests.
By now you should see the benefit of giving your subscribers the option to choose what they will receive- only upcoming events, only special offers, or a combination of the two. This will help you gain better insight into what your individual clients want, and helps you send the right message to the right person at the right time!
Image by photosteve101
