I wish I had a nickel for everyone who has asked me this question.
Invariably they expect a simple, concrete answer. A number, like 5 or 6 times a year, or 5 or 6 times a month. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. The best answer is “It depends”. It depends on your product or service and your market. The best detailed answer I’ve ever heard came from listening the other day to a webinar from my friend Flint McLaughlin of MecLabs The number one lesson I learned from his research into this questions is this:
Complex Product? Focus on Useful Emails!
If your product is complex, your decision cycle long and the purchase commitment large, then your emails must be more useful than promotional. For example, if you’re selling construction equipment that a customer might purchase once every few years, your email frequency should be lower and your email content should be focused on providing your prospect with useful, actionable information that helps them in their work. This positions you as a valuable resource and adds to your credibility.
This is essentially lead nurturing. Products in this category can include:
- Investments
- Capital equipment
- Enterprise level software
- Data systems
Simple Product? You Can Be More Promotional.
When your product is less complex, an easy purchase decision and is purchased often, it will allow you to engage in a more promotional email strategy. For example, if you’re a bank looking to promote your latest free checking program or if you’re a movie theater or restaurant talking to loyalty card holders you can mail more frequently and be more promotional in those emails.
Products in this category can include:
- Movie tickets
- Restaurants, dining out
- Auto maintenance and repair
- Landscaping and lawncare
- Pest control
There is much more to learn on this subject of course and it would be a good idea to check out the replay of the webinar here: http://www.marketingexperiments.com/blog/research-topics/email-marketing/email-timing-peer-insight.html
