Email frequency can really make or break your email list. Get it right and you’ll see a bunch of active, engaged subscribers. Get it wrong and you might just watch your subscriber count drop as people hit ‘unsubscribe’ more often than ‘open.’
So, what’s the ideal number of emails to send? How do you figure out the perfect balance that keeps everyone happy?
And honestly, where do you even start with this?
In this article, we’re diving deep into the world of email frequency. I’ll share ten solid tips that’ll help you fine-tune your strategy and cultivate an email list that people are actually excited to be on.
Email Frequency Statistics
Curious about the magic number for sending emails that keeps your audience engaged without annoying them? Email frequency statistics are your best friend here.
Imagine this: the average person in the U.S. gets about 126 emails a day. It’s no surprise then that your marketing email might just disappear into the abyss of the inbox. Or worse, become just another headache in an already overflowing inbox.
With 87% of marketers using emails to engage with their audiences, your little email is likely jostling for attention among over a hundred others in someone’s inbox.
This might be why only half of the businesses that use email marketing think their efforts are somewhere between ‘meh’ and ‘okay’. Yes, that’s not great.
But hey, there’s good news. There are some pretty straightforward strategies you can adopt to boost your open and click-through rates, turning your email campaigns into something your audience actually looks forward to.
Here are ten email marketing frequency best practices that can transform your emails from being a dreaded part of someone’s day to an essential and enjoyable interaction.
Email Marketing Frequency Best Practices
Today, we’re tackling the big question that seems to be on every digital marketer’s mind: how often should I be emailing my list?
Honestly, the answer isn’t straightforward—it really depends. You see, your audience isn’t a carbon copy of any other, even those of your competitors.
It’s time to stop seeing your email list as just a list. Instead, think of it as a community of individuals who share an interest in what you do. They aren’t just email addresses; they’re people and when you start treating them as such, it reflects in the way you write your emails. This shift in perspective can seriously boost your conversion rates.
So, acknowledging your subscribers as real people is crucial. Got it! But there’s more you can do to keep everyone engaged.
Let’s dive into some top-notch practices for determining how often you should hit that send button.
1. Set Clear Expectations Upfront
Kick things off by setting clear expectations with your very first email. Your subscribers should know exactly what they’re signing up for—what kind of emails they’ll receive and how often they’ll hear from you.
It’s all about establishing the relationship from the start. Are you going to send weekly updates? Or is it a monthly roundup they should expect? Are these emails going to be chock-full of info on your latest products or special deals just for subscribers?
Take a page out of the BBC’s playbook. Their welcome email is a stellar example of setting the stage right. It outlines exactly how many emails subscribers will get and the reasons behind them.
But here’s the kicker—BBC takes it up a notch by empowering subscribers. They offer the option to customize the frequency of emails received through a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down button.
This approach puts the power back in the hands of your subscribers, letting them decide what works best for them.
We’ll explore more about giving subscribers control over email frequency soon. For now, tuck this idea away for when you’re crafting or revamping your welcome email series.
2. Stick to Your Schedule
The whole point of email marketing is to build and maintain relationships with your subscribers, right? This means sending out emails regularly, consistently and exactly when your subscribers expect them.
Remember how we talked about the BBC’s approach? They promise their subscribers a weekly roundup email every Monday, highlighting the major events of the past week. Now, if BBC starts missing weeks or sends these emails on random days, it messes with their credibility. Subscribers might start thinking, “If they can’t even send an email on time, can I trust them with anything else?”
It’s crucial to stick to the schedule you’ve set out in your welcome email. Consistency is key here.
3. Automate to Stay on Track
One of the best ways to ensure you stick to your email schedule is through automation. When picking out an email marketing service, definitely dive into what kind of marketing automation features they offer. Big players in the email marketing field like Constant Contact, Drip, ConvertKit and Sendinblue all include robust automation tools.
What can automation do for you? A whole lot. You can set up email drip campaigns, which are great for following up, nurturing leads and improving overall communication. Here’s what you can automate:
- Sending specific campaigns based on what actions your subscribers take.
- Adding some really cool personal touches to your emails.
- Tweaking your ongoing campaigns based on real-time feedback from subscribers.
Automating your email campaigns not only helps keep your email frequency consistent but also meets your subscribers’ expectations without fail.
Plus, it frees up loads of your time. This means you can focus more on creating content for your welcome emails, promotional messages or updates from your blog without having to manually manage every single send-out.
4. Check Out What Others Are Doing
Every industry is unique, right? What works for a business services company in terms of email frequency might not fly for retail or nonprofits. It’s a good idea to scope out what your industry peers are doing. How often are they sending emails? What kind of open rates and click-through rates are typical in your sector?
Your email marketing service can offer a ton of useful stats like open rates, unsubscribe rates and bounce rates. Here’s something interesting from Mailchimp:
According to their data, the average open rate across industries is 21.33%. But, not every industry reaches this figure—some fall below, while others exceed it. For instance, the Beauty and Personal Care sector only sees an average open rate of 16.65%.
Definitely use these stats to frame your own strategy.
Pro Tip: If you’re hunting for industry gurus to steer your email marketing strategy, check out Digital Marketing Agency. We’ve got experience across the board—from B2B to venture capital.
5. Just Ask Your Subscribers
When in doubt, why not just ask your subscribers what they prefer? If you’re unsure about how often they want to hear from you, consider sending out a quick survey.
You can also leverage your email marketing service to segment users based on their preferred email frequency. It’s a straightforward way to ensure you’re hitting the mark with your communications.
6. Implement an Email Preference Center
Setting up an email preference center can significantly boost subscriber satisfaction. It gives your subscribers the power to decide how often they want to hear from you, which can be crucial. Consider this: about 70% of subscribers end up hitting ‘unsubscribe’ simply because they’re fed up with the frequency of emails.
An email preference center allows subscribers to adjust their email settings themselves. It’s a proactive step to prevent them from leaving your list out of frustration. Plus, it tailors your communications to match their preferences—win-win!
7. Try A/B Testing to Nail Your Email Frequency
Remember when we talked about checking out industry averages to figure out your own strategy? Well, think of those averages as just a starting point, not the whole playbook. Blindly following what everyone else is doing is a quick way to see your subscriber list—and potentially your sales—drop.
Instead, use those industry norms to form your own theories about what might work for your email list. Once you’ve got some ideas, it’s time to put them to the test with A/B split testing.
A/B testing might sound a bit intimidating. Especially if you’re already set in your email-sending ways, tweaking your frequency can feel like a gamble. Here’s what might happen:
Engagement Might Drop
According to insights from Return Path, sending emails less frequently can lead to your audience checking out, which might mean missing out on sales, lowering the lifetime value of customers, harming your sender reputation and more.
Unsubscribes Might Spike
On the flip side, ramping up your email frequency could lead to more people unsubscribing or even marking your emails as spam.
Or, Maybe Nothing Changes
It’s also possible that you tweak your email frequency and… nothing happens. But don’t take that as a sign everything’s perfect. It just means you might need to test further or try out different changes.
8. Focus on Sending Better Content
Here’s something to think about: no matter how often you send your emails, over 40% of subscribers might unsubscribe if the content isn’t relevant to them anymore.
To tackle this, try focusing more on the quality of your emails rather than just the quantity. Mix educational content with promotional offers. Keep your emails interesting and valuable by including special discounts, insider tips or freebies.
And don’t forget to touch base with your subscribers about what they actually want from your emails. After all, they’re the ones reading them. This way, you can ensure that your content stays fresh and relevant to their interests.
9. Pinpoint the Optimal Time to Send Your Emails
Let’s talk about timing. Believe it or not, it’s not always about how often you send emails. Sometimes, it’s all about *when* you send them.
We generally suggest sending an email once a week but not all days are created equal in the realm of email marketing.
A study by GetResponse, which looked at around 4 billion emails sent in the first half of 2019 by users with at least 1,000 contacts, sheds some light on this. They aimed to pinpoint the best days for sending emails according to local time zones of recipients. What did they find? Well, Tuesday came out on top with the highest open and click-through rates but only by a slim margin. One clear takeaway, though, is that weekends are pretty much the worst time to send out marketing emails.
And what about the best time of day? According to data from live chat software provider Intercom, emails sent between 10 am and 2 pm tend to perform best.
Here’s the thing—these findings are a great starting point but they’re not the final word. You’ll want to dive into your own email marketing data to see which days and times resonate best with your specific audience. Keep an eye on your reports and adjust your timing based on what your data tells you.
10. Tailor Your Approach by Segmenting Your Email List
Let’s get real: it’s pretty unlikely that the same email frequency will hit the mark for every single person on your email list. That’s where segmenting comes into play.
By breaking down your list into different groups based on how people engage with your emails, you can address their specific needs much more effectively.
Earlier, we talked about seeing your subscribers as real people, not just email addresses. Segmenting helps you do just that, letting you customize your approach to better meet their expectations and address their pain points.
Understanding the Impact of Email Frequency
Email frequency isn’t just a number. It plays a crucial role in your email marketing strategy, influencing everything from how often your emails are opened to how many people take action on them.
Open Rates
First up, open rates—the percentage of all sent emails that are opened. The frequency of your emails can affect this big time.
Here’s the deal: if you send emails too often, people might start viewing your messages as less valuable, like when there’s too much of something available and it becomes less desirable—kind of like the basic concept of supply and demand.
You’ll need to strike the right balance with your email frequency, using industry norms as a guide but always be ready to adjust based on what your data tells you.
Click-through Rates
Then, we have click-through rates, which measure how many people click on links within your emails compared to how many emails you send. Research by GetResponse suggests that the more emails you send in a week, the lower your click-through rates tend to be.
Aiming for a click-through rate around 2.5% is a solid goal but adjust according to what’s typical for your industry.
Conversion Rates
Conversion rates are all about how many people do what you’re hoping they’ll do after reading your email—for eCommerce, this usually means making a purchase. This rate directly affects your bottom line, making it super important to get your email frequency right.
Unsubscribe Rates
Finally, keep an eye on your unsubscribe rates, which show the percentage of people who opt-out of your emails. Ideally, you want to keep this number below 0.5%.
By understanding these metrics and adjusting your email strategy accordingly, you can maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns and keep your subscribers happy and engaged.
Discover Your Ideal Email Frequency
Finding the perfect email frequency for your audience isn’t a guessing game. The simplest and most effective way? Just ask them! Find out how often they want to hear from you. After that, you can organize them into different groups based on their preferences.
This approach might require you to set up a few extra email automations. Sure, it sounds like a bit more work upfront but trust me, it’s worth it. The payoff is a more vibrant, engaged email list where subscribers are more connected to your business and what you’re offering.
So, take the time to get it right. Your email list will not only be healthier but also more responsive and invested in your business.
If you have any questions please contact us. We normally reply very fast.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the ideal frequency for sending marketing emails?
The perfect number of times to hit send on those marketing emails isn’t set in stone. It really hinges on who’s receiving your emails and what you’re sending them. While a weekly email might work great as a starting point, always be ready to tweak this based on how your subscribers react and what they tell you.
2. How can I figure out the best days and times to send my emails?
Start with the insights from big studies like those from GetResponse and Intercom, which suggest Tuesdays and times around midday might get you the best opens and clicks. But the real gold is in your own email stats. Keep an eye on those and experiment to see which days and times your audience prefers.
3. Why is it important to set clear expectations in the welcome email?
Your welcome email is like the first handshake with your subscribers. Being upfront about what they’ll get and when they’ll get it sets the stage for a transparent relationship. This clear communication helps keep everyone on the same page and can cut down on people ditching your list.
4. What are the benefits of segmenting my email list?
Segmenting your list means you can craft emails that speak directly to different groups of your audience. This personal touch can make your emails more relevant, boost your engagement rates and build a bunch of happy subscribers who feel like you really get them.
5. How does email frequency impact subscriber engagement?
How often you send emails can make or break your subscriber engagement. Bombard them too much and they might bail. Email them too little and they could forget why they liked you in the first place. Striking the right frequency keeps the relationship fresh without being overwhelming.
6. What is A/B testing and how can it help me determine the right email frequency?
A/B testing is all about sending two different versions of the same email to see which one does better. By mixing up how often you send these emails, you can gather some solid data on what your subscribers prefer. This helps you fine-tune your email strategy to better match their expectations.
7. Why should I automate my email campaigns and what are the advantages?
Automating your emails is a game-changer. It keeps you consistent—emails go out on schedule without you having to lift a finger every time. Plus, it slashes the chances of messing up and lets you set up emails to send based on specific actions your subscribers take. All this means you can do more in less time, making your email game stronger and smarter.
