Frequency - How Much is Too Much?

PushSend · May 24, 2011

In talking to mailers I'm surprised at how frequently I'm asked "how often should I email the same list"? or "how often do I need to rotate offers"? And the opinions on this vary fairly widely and I've followed a few of these practices. From the "pound the ever lovin' shit out of it"! to the more conservative approach of "hit it a few times and move to another list". Well, here's one strategy on how to optimize your frequency.

Many email marketers are afraid to increase their frequency for fear of losing subscribers. For a long time best practices have dictated: Do not send so much email to your subscribers that it causes them to be overloaded and to unsubscribe.

Recently the model has shifted a bit and now some email marketers are taking the approach that by increasing your frequency you will:

1.Have more frequent interactions with your subscriber base leading to more conversions or ROI, depending on how you measure your campaigns, and

2.Cause some of your subscribers to leave the list due to the increased frequency, but these individuals are truly not the most engaged segment of your list and itâ€™s okay that they go.
Sending more email is not necessarily a bad thing. Hereâ€™s how to prepare to optimize your frequency:

1.Planning. Look at all the opportunities you have to communicate with your customers and figure out if there is a way to squeeze in one or two more messages per cycle (per day, per week, or per month).

2.Testing. Testing frequency does require having enough subscribers in each segment to notice a measurable difference. Begin with making multiple control and test groups to see which of these segments has a greater response when sending more messages. As you test increasing frequency, also test the impact of decreasing frequency to the same groups.

3.Measuring. Always be looking at your reports to understand what moves the needle. Take what you learn from your previous campaigns and apply to your next. Measuring the effect of increasing or decreasing your frequency will go a long way.

4.Improving. Testing frequency is at the higher end of the scale when it comes to being an eMail Marketing Ninja. By constantly testing, measuring, and improving our email marketing campaigns we are guaranteed a richer subscriber experience.

Email frequency is not an exact science. It is a dynamic art form that varies between companies and their subscribers. That is why there are no set rules to govern the optimal success for frequency. What works for one company might not work for another.

Takeaway: â€œeMail Marketingâ€ is not â€œemail sendingâ€. Itâ€™s taking what you learn about frequency from your previous campaigns and applying it to future ones to provide a better customer experience.
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:wavey:

source: TheEmailGuide

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Frequency - How Much is Too Much?

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