When to send eDMs

With the number of emails we all receive on a daily basis, you may be reluctant to add eDMs to the mix as part of your local business’ digital marketing. However, email marketing can be an affordable and effective way to engage with your customers. Plus, when managed correctly, email marketing can also provide you with valuable analytics to help you tailor your message for even greater uptake. So, when should you send electronic direct marketing messages?

When you have a plan

There are a number of free email marketing programs out there. Many have modern-looking templates and easy to use click and drag content creators. However, just because it’s easy to start an email marketing campaign, doesn’t mean you should jump straight in and send off a message about whatever’s on your mind.

Instead, sending successful eDMs is done in the same way as the rest of your digital marketing – with a detailed plan which integrates into your business’ branding and identity and funnels into your overall future and marketing goals. This is where it can be beneficial to work with a digital marketing agency that can incorporate your email marketing into your existing messages and help you make a plan and a schedule. Sending random eDMs is not the answer. Instead, you’ll need to develop a regular schedule, the frequency of which will depend on your database.

When you’ve done some testing

The best way to find a tone and schedule for your email marketing is to do some A/B testing. Spend some time with your digital marketing manager to run tests on sending emails at different times of the day and on different days of the week. There is a multitude of research out there about the best day and time for eDMs, but the truly best time is not one gathered from someone else’s data, it’s gathered by testing your own audience.

When you have a story to tell

Regardless of the regularity, you settle on for your email marketing, always make sure you have something valuable to offer your readers. Whether this is an insight into the workings of your business, announcing a new product or sharing a special offer, make it worthwhile for your customers to be on your mailing list, and to click into your email rather than deleting it.