"The email doesn’t always have to sell; it can inform, educate and entertain by equal measures... think of other ways you can engage the audience."

The larger, costlier purchases in life tend to be made less frequently, and if you are one of those businesses that sells cars, homes or any other ‘big decision’ purchase, the likelihood of sending an email just as a prospect is in the mood (or position) to buy is statistically lower. That is, unless your segmentation and targeting efforts border on the telepathic!

That doesn’t mean the emails in between are of no value; it’s just that you need to find ways of keeping the coals warm, sending relevant, informative emails that install you at the front of the subscriber’s mind. Prospects have good memories: if your last email was brimming with quality content, they will think of your name the next time they need what you offer. That could be months or years away, but what business doesn’t consider the long-term forecast?

The email doesn’t always have to sell; it can inform, educate and entertain by equal measures. While it is best to include a call to action that will appeal to the ‘ready to buy’ recipients, think of other ways you can engage the audience. They’re already interested in what you do enough to subscribe to your list. What else can you tell them about it?

Even if you sell smaller, cheaper commodities, the majority of subscribers aren’t going to be in the mood to buy all the time, so make sure that the emails in between purchases maintain a high standard of content, design and targeting. It is cheaper to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one, so make sure the emails you send now are as fresh as the ones sent a year ago.

Remember: in about 99% of cases, quality trumps frequency. If it takes you one month or two to amass enough content to make a mail-out worth recipient’s time, so be it. They’ll thank you for it in the long run, leading to a happy, long-term commitment.