How to Send an Email: A Guide to Frequency

William Shakespeare, in his legendary play, Hamlet, said “To be or not to be, that is the question.” For email marketers, we can tweak this famous quote a bit and say “To send or not to send, that is the question.” So what is the right frequency when it comes to sending emails to clients? This is a question that makes a frequent appearance. This article aims to shed some light on the issue.

• Every organization has its own opinion when it comes to the right email frequency. This is because there is no hard and fast rule as far as frequency is concerned. The point is that the emails you send to your clients should carry something worthwhile.  

• Based on this point, we can say that the frequency should be decided based on the type of email you are planning to send. For instance, if your company releases an e-newsletter, then it is always better to stick to a specific schedule.

• If you wish to make a press release regarding some aspect of your organization, or a new product, then it need not be according to a time schedule. For starters, it is always better to prepare a list of the kind of emails you will be using to inform others about your organization. Based on the list, you can decide the frequency of their dispatch.

• The key thing to keep in mind is that you must strike a balance. Sending emails should not become a burden on your budget, nor should it result in an uproar by your subscribers, in the form of spam mail complaints.

• Another effective way of increasing revenue is keeping in mind a target audience. Once this is established, your company and the products or services you offer become more relevant.

• In such a scenario, you can afford to increase your frequency because your clientele will be looking forward to hearing from you. Always remember that increasing the frequency at the cost of deliverability could prove fatal.

• Fortunately, emails provide you with a range of options, which if used properly, will help you to increase the frequency without negatively impacting the ability to deliver or your relationship with your clients.

You can always establish a loose framework and alter it as per your work needs. Generally, there are three broad categories of emails you can send to your clients. They are as follows:

For small firms, it is always better to dispatch anywhere between six and twelve newsletters in a year. Larger firms can have a more frequent email campaign, perhaps one email per week.

Promotional emails usually depend on what your business is all about. Ideally, two emails per month are good enough. You should avoid sending promotional emails on a daily basis. 

Client feedback is always valuable to any organization. However, asking them for the same immediately after they have used your services or purchased your product might not be a good idea. Dispatching a feedback form once in three months might yield a better response from your customers.

You must always remember that achieving the correct email frequency is directly linked with non-saturation of the customer inbox. Once you accomplish this goal, you will work wonders on your marketing strategy front.