The question of how often to send your email newsletter depends on a number of factors. Certainly, you will want to send one out on a regular and consistent basis, but how often and how many will depend on the size of your business, what type of business it is and how often you have news and updates that you wish the public to know about.
The size of the business will determine the size of the customer base. A small business with only a few employees may not be able to meet the needs of as wide a clientele as a large multinational company could do. This does not mean that smaller businesses should not have an email newsletter, simply that it may be necessary for a larger company to send out updates every few days, while a smaller business might send out the newsletter once a week or so. In any event, consistency is important. if you send out a newsletter every week, make sure you do it the same day of the week, preferable at the same time. This will crate a sense of consistency and reliability that makes your customers perceive you as a part of their routine. Additionally, if something important ro special comes up that you want to share, feel free to send out an extra newsletter. Even if you are sending out a newsletter three days a week, if something new comes along, be sure to let your subscribers know with a fourth one. Regardless of the size of your company, it is not advisable to send out an email newsletter every day. After awhile, it seems too much like overkill, and your subscribers will simply ignore your emails or send them straight to the trash without looking at them. You want to keep people interested, not make them feel overwhelmed or bombarded. Your newsletter shou ld be less like blatant advertising and more like a special service for members only.
In addition to the size of the business, the actual nature of the business can be a factor. If it is seasonal, if it is geographically or demographically limited, these types of things can affect how frequently you choose to send out your email newsletter to some locations. For example, if you sell outdoor recreation equipment, your market will vary depending on the time of year in some locations, less in others. If you sell ice cream, you may find that your sales will go down in some climates during the winter months. If you sell costumes, you’ll want to increase your output around October. If your goods or services are tailored to a specific niche market, you will want to focus your newsletter more on that market, sending them regular updates while sending out the same updates perhaps less regularly to people who may be outside your targeting. This all comes down to the customization options you have. If you are a large company dealing in a wide range of goods and services, you should be sending out general emails that appeal to as wide a customer base as possible on a regular basis while also updating with specialized newsletters for your targeted niche markets as well. Try to cover all the bases for optimal results.
Both of these factors will determine how often you have something new to say. If you are trying to compete in today’s market, you really should have regular updates in any case. The first place for those updates to go is into the newsletter. Your subscribers should be treated like VIP members, with exclusive early access to any special offers and information that you wish to share. This is good for both you and them.
So the question of how often you should send out email newsletters is a tough one. The best answer is probably at least once a week, but probably less than once a day, on a consistent basis. As long as you have current content and reasons to update, feel free to break from your routine and send out a special newsletter in addition to your regularly scheduled ones. Keep it steady and keep it fun and you’ll keep bringing in new members.