How frequently should I email my customers?
I have been working on building my customer list and want to send out a periodic newsletter. How often should I email customers, monthly, bi-monthly, weekly? I don't want to overwhelm them, but I also want to build better relationships and stay top-of-mind.
Expert Answers
Sort by Date
Sort by Votes
Nov 27, 2015
It is about Value. You can email as often as you have Value to offer them. If you don't have Value, it will get deleted. You have to offer up how you are going to bring Value to them, and what you want from them. Customers/Partners/Employees - everyone has short attention Spans. So, how to get there attention and how often do you want to try to get their Attention?
Nov 25, 2015
If you are wanting to build better relationships and stay top of mind, email is good, but if you want to hit it out of the park, I can show you something that I personally guarantee will make you and your business more successful. Contact me if you want to see it.
Nov 24, 2015
Hi Colette,
the best way to approach this is to always introduce yourself to your new subscribers and breakdown your emailing process to them (this should always be your first email).
Let them know how often you will be emailing and what you will be emailing them. When they know first hand that you are genuine, they will make up their minds to stay on your list and read your newsletters.
Your content also needs to be value packed; something worth opening to read (Good subject lines are a must). People are not just looking for "information" anymore, they are looking for "transformation" (answers, meaning, truth, etc). If you can give them that, then you have won loyal readers.
So, the amount of times to send your newsletters will depend on how well you know your subscribers (carry out surveys). For some, once every fortnight works, for some, once a month works for them.
Newsletters are different from regular emails, so you have to know what will work for your people. If I'm promoting a coaching program, I often let my subscribers know ahead of time before starting the campaign (this can run for 7 days straight). So that way they won't feel overwhelmed. My newsletters are setup to go out once a month.
Track everything, filter out the bad and keep the good. Don't leave anything to chance... tracking is very important as well, because it will give you insights on how people respond to your emails.
I hope this helps.
All the best,
Otoabasi
Nov 21, 2015
I think the surest way to know is to create an online poll where your subscribed customers will be able to tell you themselves how frequently they want to receive which type of content (event notices, tutorials, free downloads and whatnot). If you're already considering this option, there are TONS of free online poll makers available when you type it on Google.
If you want to encourage them to participate more, you can perhaps toss in an incentive (like a free something-helpful sheet, an ebook or a discount code), or, you can simply and honestly tell them that you want to make sure you're only sending them what they want to see. I think they're bound to cooperate since nobody likes spam.
Nov 20, 2015
We offer drip marketing with our CRM so I would have to say it depends on the purpose of your emails. You have campaigns for prospects you would create on campaign for referrals, another for walk-ins, and another for purchased leads. For customers it depends on your service. If you are selling retail, weekly; a long term service, every 3-4 weeks unless you have updates, which are random. Retention and continued intercourse are the goals here. Impending events every 2-3 days.
In our system you can organize groups in different folders then have automated email campaigns arranged for each folder so prospects may be in one of several prospect folders and receiving emails based on their specialized needs or situation but once they buy then you move them to one of a series of sold folders to receive ongoing communication now as a client.
A person who I have not spoke to for about 2 years, who, at that time, said our system didn't fit his company, I put in a folder where he receives a monthly email from me reminding him about our product. This morning I just received an email from him giving me a referral to someone he recommended our product to. I moved him into a folder 2 years ago and have not thought of him since and now I received a referral because to him I stayed in contact at least once a month and when he had a friend who could use a good CRM he thought of me because of the drip-marketing. That is power without effort.
Nov 20, 2015
Collete to be clear there should definitely be a different email marketing campaign for those who are truly real customers verses those who are potential customers. You also have to take into consideration the type of content, the purpose of the content and make sure you give them the ability to opt out from future marketing emails.
Here is an example of what I mean..... I have a list of customers who paid me to do their website. I took this list of customers and created an email marketing campaign.
Day 1: Thank You
Day 2: Referral Incentive
Day 4: Weekly Newsletter Offer - Get great DIY tips for increasing website traffic
Day 7: New Website Feedback - Simple questionnaire
Day 10: Customer Appreciation - My Free Gift - eBook download
Now, if I have a list of people I want to buy my service, but haven't my email campaign would like something like this?
Day 1: 3 Ways to Get More Traffic To Your Website.
Day 2: Easy Social Media Cheat Sheet
Day 3: Is Your Website Making You Money? If not, you should read this.
Day 4: Weekly Newsletter Offer - Get great DIY tips for increasing website traffice
Day 5: Free Website Offer & Consultation Offer for the first 10
As you can see the subject matter and type of content is different. Based on who unsubscribed, opted to download my eBook, subscribe to newsletters and the consult or submitted a referral I created additional emails and campaigns that made sense based on their actions, etc.
Playing the numbers game may get you a few leads or sales periodically, but targeted marketing is hands down going to provide the best ROI.
Nov 19, 2015
Hi Colette ,
Again it will be difficult to advise anything without knowing the product.
However, for a newsletter anything below bi-monthly frequency is overwhelming.For some products even bi-monthly is overwhelming.
Think as a customer yourself , how many newsletters do you read in your inbox?
Specially those with a high frequency.
Any thing which is too frequent in our inbox, at times, we get irritated or start ignoring it (loss of interest). Both are harmful for your product.
So, the optimum strategy is to keep your brand alive and interesting in customer's inbox .
Again, depending on the product , a monthly newsletter is a very good frequency to stay in touch with your customer , inform them of developments and achievements .Backed up with one to two small emails for special invitations,occasions or information during the month.
The best strategy is to think from a customer's perspective yourself ,consult with close customers and friends, then decide on the best course of action.
Staying connected with the customers and keep them engaged is the best way to develop business .But it should be smooth ,attractive,consistent and interesting at the same time. Social platforms are an excellent tool these days.Many people don't even use email and newsletters now.
One more thing is that communication should be two sided for example birthday wishes , anniversary wishes and other sentiments exchange should also be a part of it to keep the communication two sided and keep them attached with the brand.
Customers are the biggest asset and future of the business.The company should be able to take care of them as much on a personal level as possible.
Best Of Luck
Zafar
647-818-8550
Toronto, Canada
Nov 19, 2015
We do this for a few clients and we apply weekly and monthly frequencies. It all just depends on the content you are sending them. If you have something new and valuable to share on a weekly basis, then feel free to do so. I would say with 100% certainty, that monthly will never be too much.
Nov 19, 2015
That marketing guru Peter Shankman sends out his newsletters like: "Peter Shankman's Occasional, Non-Annoying Email Update: Write Better Social Status Updates." Occasional, and effective. You should do the same - send something newsworthy only. I send a weekly summary of activities of interest to my base.
BTW, Peter has some good books that may be of interest:
• Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans (St. Martin's Press, 2015)
• Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management is over and Collaboration is In (Palgrave-MacMillan, 2013)
• Customer Service: New Rules for a Social-Enabled World (Que/Pearson, 2010)
• Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them (Wiley and Sons 2006)
Nov 19, 2015
Colette,
Once Every 3 Weeks. Emotionally based stories. Track Opens (mail chimp works). Call those who open most frequently. I have helped companies make $100,000+ sales with this system. Cheers. For more please book a 15min call www.calendly.com/zachluz
Nov 19, 2015
Here's a guideline to 3 most popular types of email campaigns (depending on your industry) I teach in my workshops:
Newsletters (educational) - monthly /quarterly
Announcements (promotional, special events/surveys) - event date driven
Promotions (limited content/deals/coupons) - Bi-weekly/Monthly
When you decide, make sure you let your list know when to expect your emails in their inbox and how frequently. As far as content....less is always more. A picture and a link is appealing too. Short subject line. Use 2 compelling words (not spammy) to get your emails opened every time. And don't foget to track the results and make adjustments accordingly. Good luck!
Nov 19, 2015
Hi Colette,
This is a great question I get asked all the time. I think it really depends on what you are offering customers. If you are solely sending out company updates and events I always recommend once to twice a month.
Alternatively, if you sell products and are offering specific promotions then once a week or every other week may be a good fit for your business.
It really comes down to messaging and story telling. Give your customers value and they will reward you with being a continuous customer.
Best of luck,
Charlotte Chipperfield
@thewinekey
Nov 19, 2015
For me Bi-monthly would be the right amount - unfortunately, we are inundated with emails - some send things out daily - all people are busy - and they don't have time to read the emails - mostly they will scan - and delete - for me - I walk thru all of my promotional emails and delete delete - once in a great while something will catch my eye - but I am talking about those emails that tell you the next best thing - I have a great program - going fast - not many left - I love Kim Komando - and I will take the time to scan hers - but I want to see things bi-monthly - if that.
Make sure when you do send out your emails that you have something to share - something of quality - and don't expect anything in return - Why? because it isn't about the numbers it is about the loyalty - if people love your services and or tips - love your products they do not want to be sold to - they want to hear a story of something that worked for someone that type of thing. You need to find the way to connect with them on a personal level.
Personally I am totally sporadic in sending out my email blasts. Why? because when I do I have a high percentage of opens and clicks - and I am promoting others - talking about another new entrepreneur who turned their hobby into a business and I give tips and resources - i want to deliver quality content - pay it forward
I do blog - and even then I am sporadic - that is because I only blog about the things that resonate with me that I feel will help others out there - I have a high rate of views on my blog's - but then this has taken me a few years to build.
Nov 19, 2015
“Mail once a month,” or some other arbitrary rule of thumb can work, but it depends on your type of business. It can backfire as well.
A true story -- I had recently purchased a lamp from a Seattle retailer. That triggered a series of weekly emails from them. Now consider this -- how often would someone need to purchase another lamp? Or a lamp accessory? There's nothing I could buy from them that would warrant needing to remember them every week. Even light bulbs don't burn out that often. So I opted out. It also left me with a bad impression.
The moral of the story is, you need to understand your customer's purchase behavior -- not only their demographics -- to determine how often to mail. That's why drugstores and supermarkets send out more frequent communications.
Think about your own customer's behavior in light of what you're offering. Let me introduce you to the concept of lifecycle communication — that is, timing your email in a way that's relevant to the recipient. Begin with a trigger event (the thing that makes them realize they need to buy something). Then list the steps they take to the actual buy.
To illustrate: If you were selling ink cartridges, you would start with the date of the person’s last order and time your email to coincide with when they’ll probably run out of ink — say 6 weeks later (depending on the size of their last order perhaps). You’ll be top-of-mind just when they’re ready to place a new order.
There are all sorts of ways to apply this concept. And there are other timing techniques as well:
-- Send emails at each step of the purchase process to "nurture" the customer along
-- "Drip" mailings for event promotion
-- Send emails at key personal moments, like on a birthday or anniversary. Be careful of this though. I once got an email from my dentist on my birthday -- who wants to think about the dentist when you're sinking your teeth into candy and cake?
The goal is to truly understand your customer's behavior to time your communication to suit them.
Nov 19, 2015
There's a company in my industry who's blog advice is pretty good and they update it weekly. But what I really appreciate is the email they send out every 6 weeks that is a short consolidation and links for all those blogs. Reminds they are there, give me valuable content, but minimizes my time and number of the in my inbox. I value them higher based on their less intrusive approach and make a point to read them no matter what. So I've taken on a similar approach with my business: weekly blogs and posts to social, but 1 email a month to my list that's a wrapper for all that went on during that month.
Nov 19, 2015
There is no right or wrong answer to your question. Here is what I do:
When someone opts in to my list by requesting a free report or my newsletter, they are entered into an email sequence. The first goes out within 15 minutes of the option. The second 3 days later and then 5 more 7 days apart. All content, no sales message.
For those already on my list and not on that particular sequence, I send one email a week, generally in a newsletter format, all content, no salesy messages. Occasionally I make an offer to the list on something that they are interested in. i also send out webinar and live event announcements to the list.
I hope that helps.
Nov 19, 2015
Dear Colette,
As per my experience your company should be visible to your customers, therefore is good to became a "subject matter expert" at the customer mind.
Due to this you should send at least monthly newsletters and relevant articles to your customers, addressing not only your company but also their issues of interest .
Best regards
Jose Amancio
Nov 19, 2015
Colette,
Short answer it depends.
What is your business? What content or value are you going to include in your newsletter. What marketing or business objectives do you want your newsletter to achieve?
Hey! How about asking a few of your clients and prospects?
To your success.
Kevin Toney
the Marketign Coach
Nov 19, 2015
I believe this is the wrong question. The right question would be, "How valuable are you to your customers?" If you have tremendous value you could e-mail them multiple times per week and not be annoying. If you aren't that valuable, e-mailing them monthly can be a waste of time. So if you identify this question, the answer will also come from your customers...they will either ask you to send them more really helpful information or they will tell you to stop bombarding them with e-mail...which translates to you aren't very valuable.