Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Email Frequency – How Often Should You Send?
April 27, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Q. How often should you communicate with your opted in contacts list?
a. Every month
b. Once a quarter
c. Sporadically
The answer is – that there is no hard and fast answer! The jury it out.
Some marketers would say ‘every month, others would suggest you
ask your contacts and then stick to that, still more would say every quarter.
The reality is that how often you send should be all about relevance. Chris
Baggott makes a great analogy in his blog. He says you should manage email
frequency like any relationship. You talk to your partner every day, your best
friend once a week (or maybe not?), and your mother once a month.
Say something when you have something to say – and when you don’t, shut up.
On the plus side
Because sending email is so cheap, many email marketers often don’t care if
they’re overdoing it on the frequency. They have certain messages to get out
there, so they don’t care if their response rates aren’t that high.
They’ve got that off their list.
On the other hand
We recommend to our clients that an email structure be put in place at the outset
and at least try and stick to that. Most businesses should have something to
say after a period of, say, 3-4 months. If not, then maybe it’s a stagnant
business.
When you move to become an email publisher, unless you schedule the next edition, 6, 12, or 14 months can fly by without an email.
Even here in Brightspark HQ, we’re all running around working on this
email because it really has to go today – last working Thursday of April is technically the very last day of spring! Without a promise to your contacts regarding frequency of send (in our case, seasonal), you’re more than likely to fall into the trap of time passing you by.
Web 2.0
April 27, 2006 at 11:46 am
Web 2.0 is a term used to refer to the second phase of architecture and application development for the World Wide Web. Just as we look back and laugh at the tackiness of websites from the mid-1990’s, we will soon be looking back at websites from now and thinking the same thing. [If you are the owner of a Brightspark website, I know that is hard to believe, but please read on..]
First – The Technical Bit..
Web 2.0 is causing quite a buzz technically because its applications use a combination of development languages that allow so much more to be achieved on web pages. In particular, the combination of Ruby on Rails and AJAX allows for the creation of much more intuitive web pages. The majority of ecommerce sites work like this – view products, click to go to product page, click to view shopping cart, click to go to checkout, click to confirm sale, etc. etc.
Take a look at these sites for a glimpse of the future of websites. Be warned – the future is now. If you are thinking of developing a site with ecommerce capability, you’d be much better off developing a Web 2.0 site that first of the next generation, rather one that’s last of the first generation!
- https://www.paguna.com/?l=en – cool hotel booking site. Start off by selecting a city in the top left hand corner, then enjoy the ride! See the way the page updates itself quickly – that’s AJAX!
- http://www.kayak.com – notice how it completes the form with suggested answers when you input your search. See how it updates itself as it searches. When the search is complete, use the toggles on the bottom left to adjust search results based on price or date. This is a good example of how all travel sites will be real soon.
- www.everythingcute.com – notice the locked in shopping cart on top right of every page. When an item is selected, the basket is immediately updated, greatly facilitating ‘impulse buying’. At the checkout, it’s easy to add ‘related purchases’ so that if an item is selected, a related item from the database is offered.
And Now The Philosophy…
Web 2.0 is not just being driven by the techies. A new philosophy for websites has evolved from the current one-way “we publish the content” system to one of “the site is only as good as the people who come to it”. What this means is that Web 2.0 sites give their visitors more control – allowing them to upload their pictures, videos, blogs, podcasts, etc.
This approach of treating users as co-developers has fuelled the meteoric rise of sites such as MySpace (signing up 150,000 new users per day, with 56 million members globally! Read more…) , Bebo (recruiting more than 6,000 Irish users a day, and with more than 22 million members globally Read more…) , Flickr, and my own favourite 43 Things.
So, you can see how Web 2.0 is affecting ecommerce and social networking sites above. You might be thinking that this is all very well but it’s not relevant for your business, but that’s where we’d like to plant the seed in your head. We’ll be writing a lot more about Web 2.0 in the coming months. In fact, we’re attending the Reboot Conference in Copenhagen in June to learn more about the cutting edge of where things are going. We’ve already got exclusive arrangements in place with leading Ruby on Rails/AJAX developers, so your Web 2.0 site could be closer than you think…
Web 2.0
April 27, 2006 at 11:46 am
Web 2.0 is a term used to refer to the second phase of architecture and application development for the World Wide Web. Just as we look back and laugh at the tackiness of websites from the mid-1990’s, we will soon be looking back at websites from now and thinking the same thing. [If you are the owner of a Brightspark website, I know that is hard to believe, but please read on..]
First – The Technical Bit..
Web 2.0 is causing quite a buzz technically because its applications use a combination of development languages that allow so much more to be achieved on web pages. In particular, the combination of Ruby on Rails and AJAX allows for the creation of much more intuitive web pages. The majority of ecommerce sites work like this – view products, click to go to product page, click to view shopping cart, click to go to checkout, click to confirm sale, etc. etc.
Take a look at these sites for a glimpse of the future of websites. Be warned – the future is now. If you are thinking of developing a site with ecommerce capability, you’d be much better off developing a Web 2.0 site that first of the next generation, rather one that’s last of the first generation!
- https://www.paguna.com/?l=en – cool hotel booking site. Start off by selecting a city in the top left hand corner, then enjoy the ride! See the way the page updates itself quickly – that’s AJAX!
- http://www.kayak.com – notice how it completes the form with suggested answers when you input your search. See how it updates itself as it searches. When the search is complete, use the toggles on the bottom left to adjust search results based on price or date. This is a good example of how all travel sites will be real soon.
- www.everythingcute.com – notice the locked in shopping cart on top right of every page. When an item is selected, the basket is immediately updated, greatly facilitating ‘impulse buying’. At the checkout, it’s easy to add ‘related purchases’ so that if an item is selected, a related item from the database is offered.
And Now The Philosophy…
Web 2.0 is not just being driven by the techies. A new philosophy for websites has evolved from the current one-way “we publish the content” system to one of “the site is only as good as the people who come to it”. What this means is that Web 2.0 sites give their visitors more control – allowing them to upload their pictures, videos, blogs, podcasts, etc.
This approach of treating users as co-developers has fuelled the meteoric rise of sites such as MySpace (signing up 150,000 new users per day, with 56 million members globally! Read more…) , Bebo (recruiting more than 6,000 Irish users a day, and with more than 22 million members globally Read more…) , Flickr, and my own favourite 43 Things.
So, you can see how Web 2.0 is affecting ecommerce and social networking sites above. You might be thinking that this is all very well but it’s not relevant for your business, but that’s where we’d like to plant the seed in your head. We’ll be writing a lot more about Web 2.0 in the coming months. In fact, we’re attending the Reboot Conference in Copenhagen in June to learn more about the cutting edge of where things are going. We’ve already got exclusive arrangements in place with leading Ruby on Rails/AJAX developers, so your Web 2.0 site could be closer than you think…
