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A December 2007 study by Jupiter Research indicates that 40% of consumers think the emails they receive come too often. How often is too often? Unfortunately, for those of you in search of simple answers, it depends. Consumers will tolerate almost any frequency as long as the email content you deliver meets their expectations of value and relevance. I know of businesses who send an email to everyone on their list twice per day with great success, and others who only send one email per year with decent results.

You could determine your audience’s frequency tolerance by trial and error, or by sending a survey and asking your audience how often they would like email from you, but that just wouldn’t be clever enough for a seasoned marketer like you who is used to reading this blog. Here are some ways you can estimate your optimum email frequency and come closer to hitting your audience’s expectations before you start sending.

• Use frequency dependent content to justify your desired frequency. For example, a coffee shop that has a need to deliver information daily might include a weather report in every email along with a coupon that features the beverage matching the weather (i.e. snow = coupon for a latte, sun = coupon for an iced coffee). Since weather is a daily event, a daily weather report reinforces the daily frequency and allows the coffee shop to capture more interest.
• Match your frequency to your average buying cycle. For example, a hair salon could send an email every 30 days if their audience is likely to need a haircut about every 30 days. They could also divide their list into 4 parts and send an email to a different part every week to achieve a 30-day frequency while accounting for people who are in different stages of the 30-day cycle. If your customers have a buying cycle that is months or years long, you’ll need to keep track of recent purchases so you don’t ask someone to buy right after a sale. For example, if your average customer needs to buy your products or services only once per year, exclude customers who made purchases during the previous 6-8 months from receiving promotions and offers, and deliver relationship-building content instead. When your customers are within 4-6 months of their next purchase, start sending more promotional information and increase your frequency.
• Scale down your content. Shorter, more concise emails work better than longer emails almost without exception. If you have a sense for the amount of content you need to deliver in order to be effective in selling your products and services, divide your content into equal parts and send a series of emails instead of one long email that repeats the same content. For example, a computer retailer might send a single article describing how to use a single feature of the new Macintosh line in every email, until all the features have been described. If you use this technique, make sure you include a link to a list of all the features so someone who is ready to buy can get all the information they need. Those who are not ready to buy should be well informed when the are ready, because they have received several concise emails over time.
• Use a frequency planner to help predict your audience’s reaction. A frequency planner is a spreadsheet calendar that allows you to mark down all the emails you plan to send so you can visualize the amount of content your audience is going to receive. If your content and frequency looks overwhelming on the planner, it’s probably going to be overwhelming to your audience. You can download a free frequency planner on my email marketing tools page.

No matter what your frequency plan entails, remember that frequency and content are interdependent. Shorter emails always have a better chance of being acceptable at higher frequencies than longer emails. It’s also important to check your tracking reports for signs of over-communication. If your unsubscribe requests are increasing or your click-through rates are declining, it could be a sign that your frequency estimate isn’t accurate. Making adjustments and refining your strategy are part of every marketing plan, no matter how cleverly you begin.

John Arnold is the author of Email Marketing for Dummies and the Director of Constant Contact’s local expert program.