When should you email to people? The question is so simple, but emailing at the right time has an impact. After all, you can write the best content or most persuasive advertising copy, but if people don't read what you write, all of that effort goes to waste. Get people to read what you write by developing an email marketing schedule that ensures your emails get read.
How Often Should You Email?
Email is a mouthpiece for your business. According to Envato Tuts+, "over 3.5 billion people around the world have an email account." However, your content needs to land in those inboxes at the right frequency in order to make an impact.
If you email every day, you connect with your readers like a friend. You want to get to know them well, and they feel the same way about you. Daily emails need to remain inspiring, so they take a lot of effort. You'll also find that while you develop a core of keen readers, others will unsubscribe as reading your daily emails is just too much.
Weekly emails take resources, but they're not as onerous as daily emails. They can also provide a summary of the week's deals or upcoming educational opportunities that you have for your insurance customers. A weekly email doesn't tend to turn off your customers, yet it provides a regular connection.
Monthly emails may seem good in a time crunch, but they are less likely to be noticed. If you don't have much time, make your monthly emails as valuable as possible. Offer key information about offers or issues that are relevant that month, and include incentives for opening the email, such as a discount that's available to subscribers.
Whatever frequency you choose, make sure that you can do it well. A well-written email every two weeks is better than poorly-organized emails twice a week.
Creating an Email Marketing Calendar
How can you keep on top of your emails? With an email marketing calendar, you'll ensure that you're on top of your email game. To develop a calendar, you'll need to look at how your audience and your insurance marketing workflow connect. Consider the following factors as you develop your email marketing calendar:
Who is your audience for this email? Should you have emails for different audience segments? How does each group differ in its need for connection with your insurance company?
Develop profiles of your ideal readers. What content do they want, and when it is appropriate to send out this content? For instance, if you have a large pool of young families at your insurance business, sending out information about auto safety and insurance during back-to-school time will be relevant to this audience and would warrant an email.
How often do your readers engage with your company's email? Track open and click through rates to get a sense of the success of your current insurance marketing campaigns and to help determine how to change them.
Develop a content calendar. What annual or seasonal events are important to your readers or a segment of your readers? What insurance issues emerge at the same time year after year? Consider who's available to create that content and schedule time to develop it so that you can send out your emails in a timely manner.
At American Agents Alliance, we're dedicated to helping you hone your insurance marketing, develop your insurance network, and create better training opportunities for your employees. Take a look at our many membership benefits and see how becoming part of American Agents Alliance could increase your business's impact.
