How often should you send an email to your customers? More than you might think.
Email frequency is a hotly debated topic with lots of considerations. Most of us have inboxes overflowing with messages, and we all complain about getting too many emails. But the thing is, sometimes we really appreciate getting those emails. We stay subscribed. We read them every once in a while. We find a deal. We buy. So how do you figure out how often a brand should send emails?
Keep these five considerations in mind to determine your perfect email frequency:
How often do your customers repurchase?
You want to be sending at least one strong Buy Now call to action within a repurchase cycle – this the minimum frequency to message your customer. If the repurchase frequency is highly variable, I recommend a few communications timed at common repurchase durations. If the repurchase cycle is a year or longer, make sure you’re messaging at least quarterly but consider calls to action that focus on adoption or advocacy.
How often is your inventory changing?
New inventory or close-outs are great reasons to reach out to your customers via email. Focus on targeting segments of your distribution list and do consider alternate channels like social, digital ads, and direct mail. Targeting based on product affinity or past purchases is a fabulous way to keep these messages relevant.
Are you posting new content?
New content, especially content with an educational twist, can be a great reason to reach out by email. Highlighting old content that is still relevant is valuable, too. These messages work really well with an omnichannel approach – perhaps social channels are a play-by-play of each new content piece, but email is a newsletter-style compilation of highlights. Content messages give you a lot of room to personalize and target – have fun with these.
Are there cross-sell or upsell offers?
Try for at least one or two cross-sell or upsell messages within a repurchase cycle. These can be offers from your brand or partners. For these messages, you want to provide additional value to your customers while staying top of mind.
Do your customers need a reminder?
Customers love it when you keep track of things for them. Offering helpful reminders is pure gold. Did they leave something in their cart? Is there a milestone to celebrate? Is it time for maintenance? Is there something else that might trigger a need for your product? Remind them!
You now have at least five reasons to reach out via email. This is the minimum you should send. If you have shorter sales cycles or are avid content marketers, reach out more. For some brands, especially those that curate a lot of content, multiple times a week can be fine. Keep your eye on engagement and remember you can always suppress unengaged recipients to give them a break.
Remember to consider your sales cycle and message value when picking your perfect send frequency. Happy messaging!
Omnichannel Ambitions 