A common question I get asked by clients is "How many e-mail newsletters should I be sending?" Here's what I recommend:
Depending on your business, your industry and how often you have valuable information to share with your customer base, the frequency of your e-mail campaigns can vary.
For example, if you provide time-sensitive data such as weather reports, stock market information, or online courses, you may need to send emails daily.
If you provide services that people use regularly, like restaurants, gyms, or a clothing boutique, your clients may be interested in receiving e-mails one to two times per week.
And if you provide products or services that people only use annually, infrequently or irregularly, such as photography sessions, window cleaners, or luxury vehicles, you may only want to send e-mails once a month to once a quarter.
Businesses who sell seasonal products, may send quarterly e-mails throughout the year but may change their frequency to weekly as the season approaches.
When planning your e-mail campaign, it's important to ask yourself:
Who do we serve and why did they sign up for our newsletter?
How valuable is our content to our clients?
Do we send other emails in addition to email newsletters?
E-mail Newsletter Unsubscribes
I tell my clients they'll know if they are sending e-mails too often if they start to receive a lot of unsubscribes. But that's not the only reason you could be getting unsubscribes.
It can also mean your content isn't useful, valuable or interesting to your clients. Take a look at what you are sending and how often you are communicating with your clients.
If your content looks solid, try splitting your subscriber list and make adjustments with the frequency you are sending e-mails to one of the lists. See if it makes a difference in the unsubscribe rate.
E-mail Newsletter Unsubscribes - Not Always a Bad Thing!
Getting those notifications of unsubscribes can sometimes feel like a punch in the gut. Especially if you spend a lot of time and thought in providing valuable content. Here's a new prospective:
If the person you are sending emails to does not believe your product or service is the right fit for them, would you really want them as a customer? Let them go and focus your energy on the people who are interested.
Another thing you can do is survey your subscribers to find out how often they want to hear from you. Wouldn't it be nice if they all wanted to hear from you on the same day, at the same time, and at the same frequency? Wishful thinking - but a survey will tell you what the majority of your subscribers want. And when you make adjustments, it will delight them to see you are listening to what they want!
Finally, consider how often you can devote to creating valuable content to send to your clients. Here are a few content ideas:
Welcome Email Campaign - let them know about you, what you offer, how to reach you and how you can help them.
Breaking News - are there new laws or trends in your industry? Have there been changes in your business product/service offerings, staffing, or a new location? Keep customers up to date.
Happy Holidays/Birthday/Anniversary - use upcoming occasions as a theme for your newsletters. Include ideas, fun facts or inspiring messaging. When applicable, add a promo code.
We're Hiring!
Product Features - send helpful tips on using your products and provide reviews from customers.
Customer or Employee Spotlight - share a story about work you did with a recent client, how you solved their problem, provide before/after photos and/or testimonials. You can also do a behind the scenes feature of one of your employees, highlighting who they are, hobbies and why they love their job.
Survey or poll
FAQ's
Sale!
New Blog Posts
Customer Appreciation
Year-in-Review
Favorite Local Spots
Remember, an email newsletter is a great way to communicate and engage with your customers. You want to create professional, visually digestible content that provides value and is rewarding for the customer to read. Keep your ideal client in mind as you create your content and don't forget to create a strong call to action for the reader to follow.
If you need assistance with an e-mail marketing campaign, Core Marketing Now offers freelance marketing services for small businesses.