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Why Frequency Matters: How Often to Send Emails for Optimal Open Rates

Email marketing is a complicated game. So many factors can influence the success of a campaign, from your subject line to your “from” name to the frequency of your emails. No one wants to keep their subscribers waiting or make them feel ignored. However, you don’t want to overwhelm your subscribers with too many emails, either. 

How do you find that happy medium between too few emails and too many? 

What the Research Says on Email Marketing

Extensive research has been conducted to find the optimal frequency for marketing emails. Based on these findings, the general consensus is that 2-4 emails per week is the ballpark you should be in. 

However, the right frequency for your brand could turn out to be considerably above or below this range. For example, certain brands have achieved impressive email open rates by sending as much as six or seven emails per week. On the other hand, another company from a different industry might send subscribers running for the hills with daily emails. 

To find out where your brand fits on this spectrum, consider the nature of your emails, the goals of your campaign, and your average customer’s purchase cycle. 

How to Determine Your Email Frequency 

First off, what kind of emails are you sending? Different types of emails are suited for different frequencies. For instance, while promotional emails are not designed to be sent very often, an informative email newsletter is designed to be sent more frequently. 

On that note, it’s always important to make sure the content you’re sending is valuable and relevant. Are you sharing legitimately important or interesting information? If so, your subscribers might not mind more frequent emails. 

What is Your Average Customer Cycle?

If the main goal of your campaign is to drive purchases, your email marketing frequency should be heavily based on your average customer’s purchase cycle, which is typically reflective of your industry. Brands with higher purchase cycles tend to benefit from higher frequencies of emails, and vice versa. 

Let’s say your company sells enterprise software. Most people purchase business software once, and then won’t make another purchase from this company for a few months or so. This is very different than the fashion industry, in which people buy new clothes all the time and can expect a new email from their favorite brands almost every day. Generally speaking, B2C companies tend to have higher email frequencies than B2B, largely because their customers have a higher expectation for offers and deals. 

Ask Your Customers

The most valuable marketing data comes straight from the customer. So, if you want to know how often your subscribers prefer to receive emails, give them the opportunity to tell you. You can give your subscribers the option to choose their preferred email frequency at sign-up, in a re-engagement campaign, and as an option on your unsubscribe page. Many brands also include an “Update your email preferences” link at the end of their emails alongside their “unsubscribe” option. 

To recap, it’s really the type of emails you’re sending and your audience’s relationship with your brand that determines how often you should send your emails. As much as you might love sharing information about your business and industry with your audience, you have to see it from their perspective and think about how frequently they’d prefer to see your brand in their inbox in a given week. 

For further advice on how to be successful with email marketing, contact the team at The Found Gen today. 

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How Expectations Get in the Way of Your Marketing Goals

It’s good to see the world through rose-colored glasses. There’s far too much negativity around us the way it is, but in terms of goal setting, too much optimism and not enough grounding in reality can lead to frustration, disappointment and wasted effort. So, instead of donning solid rose lenses, it may be better to go for the ombre effect. Keep your expectations rooted in reality while stretching your goals a shade or two brighter to something that will be truly achievable. 

Low Expectations. Greater Happiness?

You may have heard the idea before that the secret to happiness is low expectations. And while it’s a Debbie-downer way of approaching your next set of marketing goals, there may be twinges of truth in it. When what we want is greater than what reality can offer, no one wins. Instead, you need to set attainable marketing goals that will take you where you want to go. This is where SMART goals come in.

What is a SMART Goal, and Are You Setting Them Properly?

SMART is an acronym that gets tossed around more than a football on Thanksgiving Day, but it’s endured as a goal-setting framework because it works. That said, it only works when all components of the acronym are accounted for in your goal. Here’s what SMART stands for:

  • Specific – The goal must be clear with not an ounce of ambiguity in it.
  • Measurable – You must be able to track your progress. Tie a number or other measurable criteria to your goal. 
  • Achievable – This is the reality check portion of your goal setting. Can it be realistically attained given your resources and other constraints?
  • Relevant – Goals are most effective when they are tied to your broader business objectives. Their purpose should align with your priorities. 
  • Time-bound – Timelines are strong motivators. Establishing parameters for completion adds urgency, focus and accountability. 

When we put it all together, a SMART marketing goal might be something like: “Increase web traffic by 20% over the next 6 months by posting 1 blog post per week.” 

This goal is specific (increase traffic by 20%), measurable (keep an eye on Google Analytics for growth data), achievable (talk to us if you need help), relevant (yes, increase brand awareness), and time-bound (you have 6 months to make a move in SEO rankings).

To learn more about setting goals and building a successful marketing program that may even exceed your expectations, contact our team at The Found Gen today. 

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How to Set Attainable Marketing Goals Next Year

Goal-setting season is upon us, and with it come big dreams and bold ambitions. And while yes, dreaming big is key to your business’s success, if those ambitions are not grounded in reality, you simply will not be able to attain them. 

No one wants to fall flat. So, don’t. Keep your goals and expectations aligned so you can realize success more quickly. 

To that end, here are some strategies to help you set attainable marketing goals in 2025.

Start Where You’re At

Goals only work when they’re meaningful and relevant to where you are and where you want to go. Plucking a random metric out of the air helps no one and will only result in failure. We’ve worked with clients who’ve said they want to generate 100 new leads per month. Ok, that’s great, but what’s the context behind this number? If said client is currently pulling in only a handful of leads per month, expecting to suddenly achieve 100 will only lead to frustration. 

Instead, review your current data. If you want to increase your email open rate, look at your numbers and consider industry averages so you have a baseline for setting new goals. 

Identify Your Marketing Objectives

Similarly, your marketing goals should align with your overall business objectives. Make them meaningful. Consider your organization-wide priorities, and then develop new marketing goals that are relevant to these objectives.

Train for a Marathon and the Sprint

Breaking down larger goals to include several short-term milestones can help you knock out wins more quickly. An effective goal-setting strategy generally includes both short- and long-term marketing goals. 

Short-term goals are achievable within 3-6 months. They help drive immediate results that build momentum. Long-term goals usually span 6 months to several years. They focus on sustained growth, such as building brand authority, achieving market share or developing a loyal customer base. A healthy mix of both goal types helps focus your efforts, so you start seeing results faster.

Make Your Goals SMART

Lastly, you’ve heard this before, but that’s because it works! A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Using a goal-setting framework like SMART helps you stay focused on your mission while establishing clear and timely parameters for completion. An example of a SMART marketing goal might be: “Grow organic web traffic by 50% in 12 months by optimizing content for SEO and targeting relevant keywords.”Setting attainable goals drives success, but it takes work to develop them. It requires reflection and foresight, but when done well, it can help accelerate your marketing efforts. To learn more about setting goals and building a successful marketing program, contact our team at The Found Gen today. 

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Stay Relevant by Updating Old Blogs with New Ideas

The more consistently you post content on your website, the better your blog will perform, but coming up with 4-8 new blogs per month can be a real challenge. 

Here’s a pro tip: repurpose what you’ve already written.

Why You Should Update Old Blog Posts

What’s old can be new again when you’re on a quest to fill your content calendar with relevant, value-first messaging. 

Taking old content, dusting it off and putting a little polish on it enables you to put your marketing where your website is and demonstrate your ongoing relevance to readers. What’s more, web crawlers love fresh content. By adding at least 4 pages of updated content to your site each month, you can improve rankings and attract new traffic. 

Now, be warned: duplicate content is still a big no, no in the online world. Not only does Google frown on dupe content, it has been known to flag your site and reduce or remove your rankings altogether. So, when we say “refresh” we don’t mean “reuse.” 

Where to Start When Refreshing Content

Now that you know why you should post consistently to your website, here are a few places to start when digging through the archives to look for old blogs to update – or write afresh. 

  • Review Google Analytics – Good contenders for refreshed content are those that already resonate with readers. If certain topics tend to pull favorably, keep ‘em coming. Look at your data for the most-viewed pages and use those as a launching point for refreshing content. Giving readers more of what they want is always a good idea.
  • Refresh old posts with current trends and data – Here’s an example we can all relate to. Like most businesses, we produced a ton of content during the pandemic and much of it spoke directly to the crisis at the time. No one wants to read pandemic-era posts anymore, but that doesn’t mean the meat and potatoes of those posts aren’t good. Take the winning ideas you have tucked in those blogs (because they likely are still good) and write new content to reflect the current times.
  • Produce evergreen content – Evergreen content is that which stands the test of time. Its relevance does not come with an expiration date (whereas something like “2024’s Hottest Trends in Marketing” does). Adding a mix of timely and evergreen content to your publication schedule helps you reach a range of readers. And one of the best parts of evergreen content is that it can endure with just a little “sprucing” (pardon the pun) every now and then.

Before we go, we wanted to say one more thing. Refreshing old blog content doesn’t mean you’re lazy. On the contrary. It means you’re being resourceful and staying attuned to your audience’s needs. That’s winning at its finest.

Now, stand a little taller, pat yourself on the back and go out there and churn out some old (new) posts. If you don’t have time, we do. Just fill out this super short 3-question form and we’ll call you right back. 

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How to Identify Short-Term and Long-Term Marketing Goals

What comes first – the chicken or the egg? Well, in marketing, it’s pretty clear. You need goals before you can celebrate wins because, without a goal, how do you really know what constitutes success anyway?

Embracing Goal Setting

Like with many things, it can be easy for marketers to become hyper-focused on results. Results, results, results. You hear it all day long from the literal or metaphorical boardroom. But what is a result anyway without a goal attached to it? 

Before you go down the rabbit hole of scouring data to come up with results, define your objectives first. Here’s what to know about identifying short-term and long-term marketing goals for your business.

What’s the Purpose of Your Goal?

Short-term goals are generally achievable within 3-6 months. Looking for a quick win? That’s a short-term goal. They help drive immediate results that build momentum.

Long-term goals usually span 6 months to several years. They focus on sustained growth, such as building brand authority, achieving market share or developing a loyal customer base.

How Do They Align with Your Objectives?

Next, you want to tie your goals to business objectives. Does that mean boosting revenue? growing web traffic? building brand loyalty? The key is to balance short- and long-term marketing goals to maintain momentum while building lasting business and brand success.

Make Your Goals SMART

Yes, you’ve heard this before, but it’s because it works! A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. An example of a short-term SMART goal might be: “Increase email newsletter sign-ups by 15% within 3 months through social media ads and blog CTAs.”

Similarly, a long-term SMART goal could be: “Grow organic web traffic by 50% in 12 months by optimizing content for SEO and targeting relevant keywords.”

As you set about identifying goals for your marketing objectives, keep the short and long game in mind. Sometimes you need bursts of speed while balancing endurance, but whatever you do, make sure you have a plan. Goals help focus your efforts, so you start seeing results faster. 

To learn more about setting goals and building a successful marketing program, contact our team at The Found Gen today. 

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How to Get Quick Wins in Marketing

Sometimes you just need a quick win, amirite? 

When the slog feels especially sluggish and your marketing efforts don’t seem to be having the impact you need them to have, it might be time to shake things up. 

While many content marketing efforts are slower to ramp up (those bots need time to chomp on your site, after all!), you can augment your ongoing marketing strategies to shore up some quick wins. 

Here are some areas with low-hanging fruit that you can pluck off for faster results:

  • Spend some green – Dropping money on paid advertising can be a quick way to get immediate traffic to your site and ensure your content gets in front of your target audience. That is, if your budget allows for it.
  • Refresh old content – Don’t reinvent the wheel. Look back on top-performing content and give it a new spin. If you’re missing keywords or haven’t added meta tags to your website yet, do that now (no one’s judging). This is an easy way to move up the ranks in search engine results faster. 
  • Focus on high-impact efforts – Review your marketing data. If one channel (or topic) pulls more favorably than others, double down your efforts there rather than spreading yourself thin on things that don’t have as much impact. 
  • Drop a flash sale or host a contest – Creating urgency and offering incentives are tried-and-true ways to get consumers to act fast.
  • Call in professionals – If you need to move the needle on your marketing, here’s the ultimate quick win – call in a team of experts. As you scout out potential partners, here’s what to look for in a content marketing company. 

While marketing is often about taking the long view, we all benefit from some quick wins every now and then. If you need to jump-start your efforts or are looking for a little marketing magic as you head into 2025, turn to us at The Found Gen.