5 Strategies for Optimizing Email Frequency

1. Find the Best Day and Time to Send Your Emails
Studies are continually being conducted to discover the best days and times to send emails:

• In recent MarketingSherpa research, for example, emails sent around 9 a.m. achieved click-through rates 15% higher than those sent at 4 p.m.
• A study by eROI found Wednesday was the most successful day to send emails, while late afternoon was the optimal time. 
• And lately there’s been a lot of buzz about Sundays being a great day for emails because many people want to clear their inboxes before starting the week.

The bottom line? No two groups respond in exactly same way. That’s why testing the response to emails you send at different times and on different days is the most effective way to find out the best days and times for your company and customers. 

2. Adjust E-Newsletter Frequency to the Optimum Level
Considering the amount of inbox competition your email newsletters encounter, yours must be sent frequently enough to build recognition and awareness, but not too frequently to lead to quick list exhaustion:

• Monthly is typically just the right timing for e-newsletters: A higher frequency can typically make subscribers tired of opening your emails, causing them ignore them. Keep in mind, however, that by providing content that offers exceptional or particularly timely value (e.g. stock advice) can easily override list wear concerns due to a higher frequency.
• Quarterly e-newsletters may be too infrequent to build awareness, as a key objective with email newsletters is to build a relationship.  It’s tough to build a relationship with only 4 chances a year to connect.
• When determining your email newsletter frequency, be sure to take into account other email communications sent from your company – including promotional emails and other e-newsletters – to help avoid overwhelming your subscribers.

3. Use Segmentation to Combat Over-Mailing
Don’t send the same email to everyone on your list every time. Doing a great job with segmenting your promotions is one of the best ways to ensure you don’t "over-mail" your list. For example, don’t send an email promoting a marketing conference to a finance director, and vice versa. Send more pointed mailings to fewer people.  You’ll likely see response go up, and your list will remain strong longer.  If you become more selective about which emails you send to the various segments on your list, you’ll help:

• Reduce list wear
• Increase the likelihood subscribers will continue to open your emails – they will become trained that what you send is relevant.

4. Let Your Subscribers Tell You
When it comes to determining the optimum frequency for your email communications, ask your subscribers. This can be done by:

• Including a survey at sign up
• Providing a link to a page where they can indicate their preferences
• Giving people who are about to unsubscribe the option of reducing the number of emails they receive instead.

It’s also important to keep a close eye on your unsubscribe rates. Be especially vigilant to see if there’s any fluctuation in unsubscribe rates that coincides with a change in the frequency of emails you are sending.

5. Track Your Inactive Users
An increasing number of inactive users is another indicator that you may have a problem with your email-marketing program. As I discussed in both my Blog and a previous FulcrumTech NewsLever feature, an inactive user is a subscriber who hasn’t opened your company’s emails for more than 6 months (or an appropriate timeframe for your business). More inactive users could indicate that your content is not relevant to your audience or that you are over-mailing your list. Click here for more information about re-engaging your inactive users.

It’s unfortunately not a cut and dry solution to how frequently to email, but by listening to your market and following these 5 tips, your email marketing program can deliver the types of returns you’re seeking over and over again.

At FulcrumTech we understand what it takes to keep subscribers engaged. Click here or give us a call today at 215-489-9336 to discuss specific ways FulcrumTech can help you best determine your subscribers preferences and design an effective email marketing program that best meets their interests and needs.