Frequency is a challenge for most e-mail marketers. According to eROI’s Q2 2006 e-mail statistics trend report, it is one of the key reasons people unsubscribe to e-mail programs. The e-marketing agency reveals a full 56 percent of people polled report too-frequent e-mails as the reason for unsubscribing, while 3 percent claim they unsubscribe from e-mails that don’t come often enough. An easy solution to this challenge is simply to scale your e-mail efforts back, but as the chart at right illustrates, a definition of “too frequent” may be hard to come by.
While both B-to-B and B-to-C subscribers exhibit a slight preference for monthly correspondence, a good number of respondents, particularly on the B-to-B side, indicate they would be happy to see e-mails on a more regular basis—provided of course those e-mails offer relevant information. So while these findings provide a good benchmark, they also suggest that a one-size-fits-all model may not be best for your subscriber base. Instead, consider segmenting your file and basing frequency on activity level and preference, allowing you to reach out to those customers who are open to hearing from you more often and respecting the wishes of those who aren’t.
—Tracy A. Gill
Social Media ROI
Email Marketing that Works (2nd Edition)