Email Marketing: What to send and how often.
Once you’ve built your database, the next question is simple:
What do you actually send?
This is where many businesses get stuck. They either overthink it, don’t send anything at all, or send the same type of email every time, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, sometimes it’s better if it isn’t.
TYPES OF EMAIL CAMPAIGNS (WHAT TO ACTUALLY SEND)
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Most effective email marketing falls into three categories, and once you have templates for them, you can use them for a variety of messaging and purposes:
1. SALES EMAILS
These are the most direct and, for many businesses, the most powerful.
Sales emails are short, sharp and to the point. They’re focused on one outcome, getting the customer to take action.
This might be a promotion, a limited-time offer, or a reminder that something is about to end. They will lead with a clear call to action and a sense of urgency. There’s probably an exclamation mark somewhere.
You know the ones:
20% off this weekend!
Final days of the sale!
Limited stock available!
Don’t miss out!
They don’t need to be long or overly clever. In fact, the simpler they are, the better they tend to perform. The key is a clear message and a clear call to action. No fluff, no distractions, just a reason to act now or they will miss out. There’s nothing like a bit of FOMO to get a customer shopping.
2. ENGAGEMENT EMAILS
These are the emails that keep your business front of mind and give customers a reason to stay connected with you, even when you’re not actively selling.
This is where things like new arrivals, product highlights and events sit. You can use it to show when something is back in stock, share what you’re really loving, or what has become a best seller.
It’s also where your “shopfront” emails come in, which is a term that I really like and is underused. Shopfront is where you use an email, or perhaps a catalogue, as a chance to show your customers a little bit from all the categories across your range. It’s to remind them that you have particular products that they might not know about and is particularly useful for increasing a customer’s average spend.
I know that we always think that if a customer has been in a store they must know about everything that is there but that’s really not the case. Shoppers are creatures of habit. They walk in, probably go to the same aisles or sections they always do, let their mind wander in the sections they don’t think they need and miss some products that may be perfect for them.
So, showing shopfront in an email, especially using imagery, is a great way to say, “Hey, look over here. Did you know we sell these too?“
The great thing about these types of marketing emails is that you have a bit more space to talk about the products and their features, show fabulous images and keep the reader engaged a bit longer with your brand. I like to think of these like mini-magazines where they will learn something or be inspired, but all wrapped up in what is essentially marketing and in a way that makes them recognise your brand whenever they see it.
3. RELATIONSHIP EMAILS
Relationship emails go a step further. Whilst engagement are part of the process of building relationships, they mainly show what you do and what you sell whereas relationship emails show who you are, which is so important in small business. It’s the who that differentiates you from the big, faceless box stores and corporations.
These emails are not just about staying visible, they’re about building trust and connection over time. This is where you show what makes your business different, your ethics, that you’re local, that you support your community, that you’re sustainable. All the things that make small business amazing but which we’re not always very good at shouting from the rooftops.
Relationship emails tend to be more focused, often centred around a single idea and told as a story. They’re not always about driving an immediate sale, but they play an important role in building loyalty and long-term value.
They’re not used as often as they should be because retailers always think ‘sales’ but small business is about relationship building since people are far more likely to buy from a business that they know, like and trust.
LAPSED CUSTOMER EMAILS (& SEGMENTATION)
And, since we’re in retail I’m going to give you a ‘buy three and get one free’ by also mentioning lapsed customer emails which are aimed at getting those customers you haven’t seen for a while to re-engage.
These are emails that are targeted at a very specific group, and this is where the real power of your database comes into play if you have the ability to segment based on what, or in this case when, your customers last purchased. If you can identify customers who haven’t purchased or visited recently, you have an opportunity to reach out to them in a targeted campaign and bring them back.
These emails are usually more direct. You might say something like, “We haven’t seen you for a while”, but usually you will include an incentive just for them. For example, use this 20% coupon within the next two weeks (always give a timeframe on these offers to create a sense of urgency). Basically, you’re giving them a reason to return, re-engage and hopefully start spending with you again.
LET’S BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
Most businesses tend to lean too heavily on just one type of email, probably sales, and then wonder why their customers unsubscribe or aren’t opening their emails. It’s because they’ve seen it all before, they know what they’re going to see from you before they even open it. I can think of some emails from camping stores that are simply just image after image of products for camping. I love camping but these emails are boring and so eventually I don’t bother opening them and finally I unsubscribe.
The real strength comes from using a mix.
Sales emails to drive action.
Engagement emails to keep you visible and your reader interested in your brand.
Relationship emails to build trust and connection so that they like you.
And re-engagement emails bring customers back when they’ve drifted away.
When you use all of these together, your email marketing becomes far more effective, and far more sustainable.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU EMAIL?
This is where people get nervous. They worry about annoying customers, sending too much and people unsubscribing. But the bigger risk is not emailing enough.
Most businesses dramatically underestimate how quickly customers forget them.
You might be thinking about your business every day. Your customers are not.
So how often is right? Well, I know you’re not going to like this answer but, it depends.
It depends on how often your customers need you.
If you sell something frequently (food, gifts, consumables), you can email more often
If you sell something occasionally (homewares, clothing), you might email less
If you sell something rarely (like mattresses), your emails are less about selling and more about staying relevant. There’s no perfect number.
A business selling mattresses, for example, doesn’t need to email every week with “buy now” messaging. People simply don’t buy that often. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t email. It just means their emails should focus more on staying front of mind, sharing useful or educational information and particularly advice on the right type of mattresses to solve a problem. They can use these opportunities to set themselves up as the experts in the field so that when the customer is ready, they think of them first. And then, at targeted times of the annual buying cycle, then do the sales emails.
As a general guide:
Fast-moving/frequent purchase businesses (food, gifts, retail): weekly can work well
Mid-frequency businesses (homewares, fashion): fortnightly is often a good rhythm
Low-frequency/high-consideration businesses (services, big-ticket items): monthly, with occasional targeted campaigns
And then there are peak periods such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and major sales where you will naturally email more frequently. Customers expect it, and they’re actively looking to buy.
What matters more is this:
Consistency builds familiarity.
It’s far better to send one email every two weeks, consistently, than to send five emails in a burst and then disappear for months and your customers forget about you and worse, get snapped up by your competition who are front-of-mind.
Just like in any relationship, you want to stay visible without being erratic.
What about unsubscribes? They will happen. That’s normal, and in many cases, it’s a good thing as it means you’re refining your list and ending up with people who actually want to hear from you.
A QUICK NOTE ON WRITING EMAILS
At this point, you might be wondering what actually makes a “good” email, one that will be opened, read, acted upon and keep the reader engaged with your brand.
The reality is, there are some techniques and basic principles. Finding your voice, maintaining brand consistency, having a strong message but in a way that suits your brand personality, and making it easy for the customer to act are all part of the mix that makes a good email. Beyond that, understanding your audience and knowing what works for your business are key.
It’s not something you need to overthink when you’re starting out, but it is something that can make a significant difference when done well. And I would argue that putting together an email every few weeks was a darn sight easier than trying to figure out the quagmire that is social media.
It’s also something I’ll cover in more detail in a future blog because there’s a lot you can do here to improve results. But also, one of the services I offer is either one-on-one training in how to do it yourself once I’ve built you some templates to get you started, or I can put together an email campaign for you.
WHAT ABOUT AUTOMATED EMAILS?
It’s worth mentioning automated emails which are often called ‘flows’.
These are the emails that are sent automatically when someone first joins your database. It might be a simple welcome message, a short series introducing your business, or even a small incentive to encourage their first (or next) purchase.
They’re important because this is when your customer is most engaged. They’ve just signed up, they’re interested, and it’s your chance to make a strong first impression.
Done well, these emails:
Set expectations about what they’ll receive
Introduce your brand and helps you reinforce your messages or you point of difference
Start building the relationship from the outset so that they recognise your future emails
They’re incredibly valuable, but they’re a topic in their own right so I will cover these properly in a separate article. Stay tuned!