E-mail marketing: about the frequency of mailings - bluntly

We continue the cycle of our publications about e-mail marketing. This time, we would like to discuss the question of how frequent in the framework of email marketing campaigns should be mailings , because it has been rising quite actively lately. Jeremy Reeves, who is known as one of the most authoritative experts on marketing marketing funnels, offers his answer to this question.

So how frequent should mailings be? Some say one thing; others say something else. But almost everyone with whom I had occasion to talk about this, approached the question one-sidedly - and therefore they gave an unequivocal answer and unequivocal recommendations on how to proceed.

This, as many of you may guess, is completely wrong.

As you will see, it is impossible to give a definite answer to the question posed. In this article I will talk about various aspects related to the frequency of emails, how to find out which category you belong to, as well as about your most successful cases of work on this issue for organizations from various fields of activity.
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Realize to begin with ...

The importance of frequent emails

The following statement, from my subjective point of view, is undoubtedly true:

The more you communicate with your current and potential customers, the more you can earn.
For all the time that I am in this business - and I worked with hundreds of different organizations (from more than 40 different areas), I realized that this is 100% true.

You will ask why?

Any kind of communication — through email, by phone, tete-a-tete, using a letter in an envelope or something else — is building relationships. If you maintain frequent contact with customers, you take into account several key factors associated with business growth, and show the following:

1. Assure that you are one of the leading experts in your field.
2. Increase self-confidence.
3. You prove that you are ready to deal with the issue deeply and for a long time (which causes even more confidence).
4. Strive to settle in the head of the client in order to push him to the purchase at the right moment.
5. Able to refute many objections, showing the benefits in time.

Here, like everywhere else: the more you communicate (in our case, via email), the more money you earn.
However, before proceeding further, let me clarify something. More active communication does not always mean very frequent letters. So that communication with real and potential clients can be called effective, they require that they open your email, read it, click on the link and, in the end, buy something. So, the content in the mailing list must be correct!

You must find such a fine line, in which you communicate with users not only often, but also effectively. Excessive diligence in trying to communicate can lead to a negative result. If your audience does not cling to what you say, it means that you do not say so - and this will lead to a decrease in sales and, as a result, a drop in profits.

Therefore, the next question is this.

Which is better: automatic or mass mailings?

If you still do not understand, mass mailings are disposable. You send this email only once, and only current subscribers receive it. Compare this with automatic mailings, the content of which can be prepared in advance, and then automatically send these letters as part of working with new subscribers.
So what's better?

To this, alas, there is no answer.

However, there are some blueprints that will help you determine what is best for you.

Option 1: Mass mailing - they are suitable for those who love to tell stories. You can in the morning letter to describe something that happened to you the night before. This option is suitable for people who can write and send such messages regularly. If you feel able to write letters every day, every week, every month, and do it from year to year - nothing better than mass mailings you will not find.

Option 2: Automated newsletters - I personally love them more, because in my case they can be adapted to almost anything and automated. Very often I’m too busy with private clients and I can forget to send something regular. Having established a strategic mailing list, I can maintain contacts for months and even years, although in reality I am not here. You need to prepare well in advance - that's all.
But then most of the stupor happens. They are told: choose this or that, and forget about this or that. I think it is impossible.
This is how it works for me.
It is called…

Option 3: Hybrid system. As I strive in every way to automate my business, I actively use automated mailings. However, I also like to enter into direct contact and share something interesting, for example, information about a new product or a small advertisement, or even tell stories that you cannot just automatically send to all customers.
Maybe you have the same picture?
If so, you can simply set up an automatic newsletter for specific days of the week.
Let's say Monday, Wednesday, Friday.



Example of a three-time distribution with Office Autopilot

If your robot sends greetings on these days, you can keep the remaining four (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) on a broadcast. It is only necessary to try not to send two letters a day (this is not always bad, but many are against so many).
I have been practicing such an approach for many years and can only recommend it.

But we still have not answered one of the most important questions that you must have wondered ...

How often do I need to send such mail?

Ask ten people and get ten different answers. You are more likely to witness a fight over this than peace and harmony. The fact is that the answer to this question will be different for different areas of business.
The short answer is:

Send out as often as you can - but as long as you are able to communicate something valuable to your existing and potential customers.

And how do you guess that you provided valuable information for them? Very simple. Pay attention to such key metrics as:
• Percentage of open letters.
• Clickability.
• Percentage of unsubscribe.
• Conversion rate (via email).



An example from my automatic newsletter.
Clicks are few because some letters have nothing to click.

As for the long answer ...

I found that 99% of organizations have one of three options:
1. Send emails every day.
2. Send often (1-3 times a week).
3. Send as necessary.

And here's how each of the options I can describe:

Everyday. If you want to prove that you are an expert in your field, write letters every day. If you sell an informational product, daily letters will suit you. Some organizations involved in the provision of services (such as marketing advice or financial planning) are also helpful. Daily mailings are also good if you have a lot of different products or services. If you are able to write every day, all the time telling your recipients something valuable, do it. Your sales will grow literally overnight.

One to three times a week. This is best suited if you feel that you can’t think of what to write every day (it’s difficult only at first, and then it will go by itself), or if your potential client is an extremely busy person. For example, if you provide interior design services, writing every day may or may not be too much. If you are an eCommerce store owner and send out advertisements every day, you will most likely be considered annoying. In these situations, the frequency of 1-3 times a week seems to be the best option.

Straighten sporadically. In some cases, daily and even just frequent messages need nothing. Imagine a pool cleaner. What if he wrote you letters three times a week and even in winter? What if your dentist wrote to you every day or a couple of times a week? And the man who paints the walls of houses? And the one that deals with roof problems? And an accountant? That would be too much. If services are used infrequently, I would advise to make themselves known at least once a month (a letter in the format of a newsletter, you can print it - it will work best), but no more than twice a week.

Determining the correct frequency of mailings, which is appropriate for your case, requires a thoughtful approach and look at yourself through the eyes of current and future customers.

How often do they want to hear about you? Often, how often? Am I bothering them or am I helping them? These are questions to think about.

Fortunately, I have a ready solution for you. This is something that I sometimes call ...

The effect of hot potatoes

Imagine that you pick up a hot potato. Since it is hot, you begin to transfer it from one hand to another. Gradually, the potato cools down, and it is not so often to transfer it.

Exactly the same thing happens when a person becomes interested in your product or service. Directly signing up for their newsletter, or otherwise collecting contacts of people giving consent to receive your letters, subscribers are hotter than ever (i.e. ready) to buy. Therefore, this same user WANTS to hear something from you immediately after the subscription and, probably, for some time - every day.
Gradually, everything cools, cools and the desire to buy your product or service.

So here's what I advise.

1. Set up a personalized newsletter for every day for some time. We set for simplicity - the first month.
2. When the first month passes - reduce the frequency, say, up to three times a week over the next two months. I myself have such a way that by this time the client gets into my mass mailing.
3. Now they have the fourth month, and they still have not bought anything, so now they can write once a week. Within one to three months.
4. When this time will pass, and it will still be interesting for them, but all is not enough - reduce it again, now to two, or even once a month. Less than once a month, I would not do.

Create a schedule so that your marketing activity depends on the time elapsed since registration. Everyone will have their own way.

Here, for example, how it might look like:



I did not see anyone offering something like this. Meanwhile, this is a great way to take into account the natural cycle of purchases, because most people think of you while potential clients are “hot”, but relationships need to be built over time, just not so active.

But, of course, you must determine what is best for your business. Your time frame may be exactly the same as in the table below, and completely different.

What to take on a pencil

The long one turned out to be a blog recording, and you probably already feel dizzy.
Here are the main points that I advise you to remember.

1. Be proactive, use contact collection forms to increase conversion.
2. Write more often, and sales will be more efficient.
3. Mix automatic mailing with mass - this is good in most cases.
4. Make sure that at least 80% of your letters have some value - and you will not force people to unsubscribe and begin to build relationships with them.
5. Always think about what information your potential or real customer needs so that he decides to buy - and give him such information.
6. Do not forget to take advantage of the effect of hot potatoes, often sending emails just registered and reducing activity over time.

Disclaimer: Readers of an article who consider e-mail newsletters to be evil are invited to discuss here .