The click fix has worn off

Some clear evidence that MORE email sends is doing harm.

Email has earned a reputation as the cash register of marketing channels. Even the best laid contact strategy is crinkled-up when those  conversion-starved need a fix. Full blast ahead.

There are, of course, protests. The marketing manager, director or even CMO that stands up for limiting frequency and avoiding another ‘sale extended 24 hours’ message. No blood (few unsubs), no foul, is the typical response. And, the same story plays out next month or quarter.

But, the data is pointing to some real harm.

Over the last year, email sends spiked 21%. That’s massive and even hard to fathom for a decades-old and long-since mature channel.

The subscriber response has been brutal. Over the same period, click rate fell nearly 15%. So, for all that extra volume, email only generated 2.8% more total clicks.

For a channel that is exalted for its ROI ($1 yields $36 per Litmus), we’re seeing diminishing marginal returns. Email and cost are often strangers - with sub-$1 CPMs, the real cost is measured in subscriber (and marketing manager) burnout.

This is clear evidence of the harm of over-emailing.

And, this comes at a time, when SMS adoption is soaring. 2022 saw 56% more SMS sends - as the known marketing channels continue to compete for the attention of the consumer (and largely on phones, where most emails and all SMS are opened).

To the question of ‘how do I drive demand?’ the answer is unequivocally not more SENDS. Rather, the answer must be more RELEVANCE.

Marking the right moments of engagement. Making more moments of engagement. And delivering real, personalized content that motivates shoppers to action.