Respect the Inbox
Published 18 May 2012
There’s a lot of literature out there that really hammers the importance of repeated customer impressions for brand retention. Because of that, many marketers (regardless of experience) assume that means “hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em often.” And, while that may be effective in the television and radio ad markets, it’s not entirely true in the world of email.
For example, I personally subscribe to a ton of email newsletters. There are several that I read because I’m interested in the business, and there are just as many that I’ve subscribed to because I like to watch how they manage their email campaigns. In doing so, I’ve noticed two things:
First, I am very easily fatigued by the companies that send me one (or even multiple) newsletters daily. Even when it comes to those companies or news outlets in which I have a very strong interest, I’m less likely to spend extra minutes reading a daily email. Now, part of that is because I always have a loaded inbox, but the other (and perhaps more important) part is the fact that there is really only so much valuable information you can share about a business or subject. Simple as that.
Second, when I receive a well-crafted newsletter on a weekly basis, I really look forward to it. For instance, I subscribe to a basketball journalism newsletter that includes a few good columns with links plenty of excellent reading material. It’s one of my favorite weekly reads, it’s delivered at roughly the same time each week and I’m never overwhelmed or irritated by the amount of material.
So, what this information tells me is that I, in particular, am a fan of strong content on a weekly basis. However, that may not be the case for every single one of your readers. Truthfully, there may be some percentage of your subscriber base that would like a daily email that keeps them updated with specials and incentives, but there’s only one way to find out – and that’s monitoring your stats. Keep your eye on the numbers and considering segmenting your contact list to make sure you’re respecting your readers’ inboxes.