How Often Should You Send Emails To Your Subscribers?

Let’s be clear from the start. At least 90% of the accounting firms that I speak to on a weekly business send emails to their prospects list or clients once every few months at best.

Unfortunately, sending emails this infrequently means that your open rates are probably way below average because your subscribers forget about you and are disengaged.

Conversely send them too often and your subscribers could mark your emails as spam.

So How Often Should You Send Emails To Your Subscribers?

This can be tricky to answer, as what works for one accounting firm might not work for another.

You will want to send at least one email a month to maintain good deliverability and ensure subscriber engagement.

According to Direct Marketing Association’s National Client Email report, most marketers (35 percent) send two to three emails a month. Nine percent of marketers send six to eight emails a month, and 19 percent send just one email a month.

However, this is just a marketer’s perspective. Take a closer look at customers, and you’ll realise the need to send more emails.

According to a MarketingSherpa survey, 61 percent of users prefer receiving a promotional email at least once a month.

Surprisingly, 15 percent of users say they wouldn’t mind receiving a promotional email every day.

The same study concluded that 91 percent of users have no issues with promotional emails.

However, experts believe such emails should be well targeted.

These numbers tell you the difference between expectations and results. However, remember that no rules are etched in stone when it comes to the frequency of promotional emails.

According to these numbers, an email a week would do well. However, you need to find your own sweet spot, and your subscribers will soon let you know as you measure your activities.

Allow me to run through some of the golden rules of email marketing.

The Golden Rules Of Email Marketing

Declare The Lie Of The Land

When someone signs up to your email list, start them off with an indoctrination email. This email will explain what will happen now they are subscribers. In it you need to share frequency and when to expect your emails. You will need to explain what you are covering in your emails. You will need to declare the lie of the land so that you immediately build rapport and trust.

By setting expectations your subscribers are not surprised with what they receive in their inbox. In fact, if they know there is an email coming every Friday, or the first Tuesday of the month, they will look out for it.

Give HUGE Value

This one is simple. Your subscribers do not want to get boring bland emails about things they are not interested in. Your subscribers are on your list because they want to receive something interesting and engaging. Your subscribers won’t unsubscribe if your content is valuable and helpful.

Be Consistent

Consistency builds trust. If your subscribers are expecting an email from you every Friday, send it. I remember when I first started my business in 2009 I would wake up at 3am on a Thursday morning and panic because an email was due out at 6am and I had forgotten to write it. You can bet your bottom dollar I got up and set my Thursday newsletter so it went out on time. The value I provided in it was so huge, some of my subscribers made it part of their Thursday morning routine. Subsequently, they became clients when the time was right.

If I had failed to send it, it would have broken their trust.

Conclusion

There is no hard and fast rule about frequency. If you are writing a lot of content and can send a weekly email, then try that. Alternatively, if you feel your subscribers would find this too much (I suggest you ask them, don’t guess) then send emails monthly as a minimum.

Valuable and helpful information is always appreciated. If you provide value you will build trust and a relationship with your subscribers. And as I always say, it’s about Relationships First, Sales Second™.