There is a fine line between keeping your customers (and prospective customers) informed, and annoying them with too many communications — but where is that line? The answer to this question is different based on the type of communication you do. Of course the whole question about whether your messages are spam is a whole other topic (see a brief discussion of that here).
How often you send messages to your mailing list largely depends on what you are saying. I categorize messages into three general categories: Informational Messages, Offers, and Action Requests.
- Informational Messages: These are messages that inform customers about special holiday hours, store openings and closings, etc. The goal of these messages is to keep your customers informed of anything in your business that may affect them. (I was once dismayed to learn that a favorite store had closed. I know they had my email address… Why hadn’t I been told or invited to their store-closing sale!?)
Frequency: Send out informational messages as needed.
- Offers: These messages invite customers to take advantage of sales and other special offers. The goal of these messages is to increase sales.
Frequency: Keep these messages to a minimum, otherwise you will wear out their impact. Try to keep it down to once or twice per month.
- Action Requests: These messages ask your customers to do something like renew an account, complete a survey, or enter a contest (this is mostly applicable to “memberships”).
Frequency: Treat these like Offer messages. Keep the TOTAL number of Offers + Action Messages down to no more than once or twice per month. However make exceptions when something exceptional comes up.
Keep emails to your customers to a minimum so you don’t annoy them with too much contact. However balance this with the need to keep your customers informed and keep your brand in their minds: if your messages are too infrequent then you risk your customers forgetting about you.
Moral of the story
Keep in contact with your customers to keep them informed about things that affect them, but balance this with the need not to annoy them with too much contact.
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