Nonstop Mother’s Day Marketing Emails Cause Blogger To Go Insane
About a year ago, I wrote a post asking the question: How often should you email your subscribers? It’s a question that almost every company involved in email marketing asks themselves on a regular basis. In that post and after discussions with other marketers I respect, the general consensus was that anything more often than every 4 or 5 days will likely be seen as an annoyance and as spam.
In fact, there was a study done by DoubleClick that found 49% of consumers say spam is “email from a company I have done business with but that comes too often.” So, just because someone subscribes to your list doesn’t mean they won’t think you’re a spammer.
The reason I’m bringing this up is because my inbox has been going crazy the past couple of weeks. Why? Because Mother’s Day is just around the corner. We all know that billions of dollars are spent by consumers each Mothers Day. So, it makes sense that companies are frantically trying to outdo one another so they can get their grubby little hands on my hard-earned dollars, but things have gone way too far.
Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, and From You Flowers are 3 email lists that I’m on because I bought various gifts for my girlfriend and my mom several months ago. The first 2 companies already email way too often as it is, regardless if there’s a holiday coming up or not. Not a day goes by that I don’t get an email from at least one of them…usually both. The only reasons I haven’t unsubscribed yet are because I always just delete the message without opening it and I’m also interested in email marketing, so it’s fun to see how some companies approach it.
But now that Mother’s Day is almost here all 3 companies have stepped up the frequency of their emails. I agree that it’s a good tactic to do this when you have a time-sensitive message, but there’s a thin line between urging me to get my mom something nice and pestering me every hour with another “last minute sale” that I need to take advantage of before it’s too late.
That’s the danger of emailing too often. What motivation does someone have to take action if they know you’re going to be emailing them with another offer (usually a better offer) the next day? It’s like the story of the boy who cried wolf. Sooner or later, people just stop paying attention to you when you’re constantly screaming at them.
By the way, I didn’t make a Mother’s Day purchase from any of these companies. Instead, I’m taking my mom out to dinner, and I’m making a donation to her favorite charity under her name.
May 14th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
The definition of spam built on the base of the frequency of sending e-mails is – in my opinion – a big misunderstanding. 4-5 days – those are arbitrary numbers. For some companies even one e-mail sent every 4-5 weeks is annoying, because their e-mails are so boring and uninspiring. On the other hand, there are marketers that may send 1 or even 2 e-mails a day, and they are so interesting that you look forward to them and they are welcomed.
To my mind, whether your e-mails are regarded as sent too often or not, depends on your interest in doing bussiness with a given company in the future. If you actively looking for Mother's Day gift, you'll be glad to see the newest offers in your mailbox. The more the better, on condition that they are worth your attention. When you are not looking for a gift at the moment, every offer is a waste of your time. And it's annoying.
If you have an interesting offer, sending this offer often isn't dangerous at all, even if you're a little "pushy". Who cares if people who aren't interested unsubscribe? More importantly, those who are interested have more chances to buy your product.
One more thing. Every honest marketer is as annoying as you let him be. As long as the unsubscribe button is within the reach of your mouse. Also, for that reason, I don't agree that e-mails sent "too often" should be called spam.
August 16th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Whatever you do, don’t buy him baby books for fathers. Everyone did this to my husband for Christmas and he hated it. I suggested something nice he can use and always keep close to him like an engraved watch, or a baby outfit that has some cute saying like ;Little Version of Daddy (I saw that at Old Navy recently).