Look, we’ve all been there. You sign up for a 10% discount at a local shop, and suddenly your phone is buzzing every single morning at 6:00 AM with some "urgent" offer.
It’s annoying. It’s desperate. And frankly, it makes you want to hit that unsubscribe button faster than a tradie hitting the pub on a Friday afternoon.
But then there’s the other side of the coin. You have a list of a thousand past customers, and you haven't sent them a peep in six months. By the time you finally do send something, they’ve forgotten who you are. They think you’re spam. Or worse, they’ve already gone to your competitor down the road because you weren't top of mind.
Finding that middle ground—the "Goldilocks zone" of email frequency—is where the real money is made.
At Local Marketing Group, we see small businesses mess this up every day. They’re either shouting too loud or they’re dead quiet. Today, I’m going to walk you through exactly how often you should be hitting 'send' to get more bookings and sales without being the person everyone loves to hate.
The Myth of the "Perfect" Number
If you’re looking for a magic number like "exactly 2.4 times per week," you’re going to be disappointed.
The truth? It depends entirely on what you’re selling and who you’re talking to.
A local café can probably get away with a daily special email because people eat every day. A plumber? If you’re emailing me every day about my pipes, I’m going to assume there’s something seriously wrong with your business model (or my house).
Most of the advice you find online is written by big tech companies in the States who want you to send more emails because it makes their platforms look busy. They’ll tell you "more is better."
I’m telling you that for a Brisbane small business, relevance beats frequency every single time. If you have something worth saying, say it. If you don’t, keep your mouth shut until you do.
Why Most Small Businesses Fail at This
Most people treat email marketing like a chore. They realize on a Tuesday morning they haven't sent anything in a month, panic, and blast out a generic "Check out our latest news!" email to everyone on their list.
That’s not marketing. That’s just making noise.
When you send emails just for the sake of it, your email profitability drops through the floor. You’re paying for a platform to send messages that people aren't opening, which is essentially just throwing money into a bonfire.
The "Batch and Blast" Death Spiral
Here’s what usually happens: 1. You send a boring email to everyone. 2. People don't open it because it’s not relevant to them. 3. Google and Outlook notice people aren't opening your stuff. 4. They start shoving your emails into the "Promotions" tab or the Spam folder. 5. Your sales drop. 6. You send more emails to try and make up for the lost sales. 7. More people unsubscribe.
It’s a nasty cycle. To avoid it, you need to understand that your email list isn't a megaphone; it’s a collection of individual relationships.
The Three Tiers of Frequency
To keep things simple, I break email frequency down into three levels. Most Brisbane businesses should live in Level 2.
Level 1: The "Bare Minimum" (Monthly)
If you’re a professional service—like an accountant, a lawyer, or a mortgage broker—you should be sending at least one high-quality update a month.This isn't about selling. It’s about reminding people you exist and that you’re an expert. If you go longer than a month, you’re basically a stranger again. When they finally need your help, they’ll just Google someone new instead of calling you.
Level 2: The "Sweet Spot" (Weekly or Fortnightly)
This is where most tradies, retail shops, and service businesses should sit.Once a week is enough to stay top of mind without being an intruder. It gives you a chance to share a project you just finished, a quick tip, or a weekend special. If you’re worried about landing in the inbox instead of the spam folder, keeping a steady, weekly rhythm is the best way to prove to Google that you’re a legitimate sender.
Level 3: The "Aggressive" (2-3 Times a Week)
Only do this if you have a high-turnover retail business or you’re running a massive short-term promotion (like a 48-hour flash sale).If you’re going to send this often, the content has to be incredible. It has to be something they actually want to see. If it’s just "Hey, we’re still here" three times a week, you’re going to see your unsubscribe rate skyrocket.
"If you're worried about sending too many emails, you're probably sending the wrong kind of content—people never complain about getting too much value, they complain about getting too much junk."
— Angus Smith, Founder & Marketing Director
Trends: Where Email is Heading in 2024 and Beyond
I’ve been doing this a long time, and the "Old Way" of email marketing is dying. You can’t just buy a list, blast it, and hope for the best anymore.
Here’s what my honest take is on where things are going for local businesses.
1. Quality Over Quantity is No Longer Optional
Google and Yahoo recently changed the rules. They’re getting way stricter about who they let into the main inbox. If too many people mark your stuff as spam, you’re done.In the past, you could get away with being a bit annoying. Now, the "cost" of a bad email is much higher. You’re better off sending one cracking email a month that everyone opens than four rubbish ones that get ignored.
2. The Rise of the "Human" Email
People are sick of shiny, over-designed corporate newsletters. You know the ones—they look like a flyer from a supermarket.We’re seeing huge results for our clients when they switch to plain-text emails. No fancy banners, no professional photography. Just a message that looks like it came from one person to another.
It feels more personal. It feels more urgent. And funnily enough, it usually results in more phone calls because it doesn't feel like a "marketing" message.
3. Behaviour-Based Frequency (The Game Changer)
This is the biggest trend for small businesses right now. Instead of deciding to send an email every Tuesday, you let the customer’s actions decide when they hear from you.If someone just bought from you, they should get a follow-up. If they haven't been in for six months, they should get a "we miss you" offer. This is how you automate your sales without having to sit at your computer every night.
When the email is triggered by something the customer did, the frequency doesn't matter as much because the message is actually relevant to their life right then.
How to Tell if You’re Sending Too Much (or Too Little)
You don't need a degree in data science to figure this out. You just need to look at three things in your email reports.
The Unsubscribe Rate
If this starts creeping up every time you send, you’re either sending too often or your content is boring. If it stays under 0.5% per email, you’re doing fine.The "Open Rate" Trend
Don't look at a single email. Look at the trend over three months. If your open rates are slowly dropping, it means your audience is getting "email fatigue." They aren't unsubscribing yet, but they’ve stopped caring. That’s your cue to back off or change your approach.The "Pub Test"
Imagine you’re at the pub and you see a regular customer. Would you walk up to them and say what’s in your email? If the answer is "No, that would be weird," then don't send the email.My Recommendation: The 1-2-1 Strategy
If you’re a small business owner in Brisbane and you’re busy as a one-armed bricklayer, here’s the simplest strategy that works:
1. One Educational/Helpful Email per month: Give them a tip, show them a mistake to avoid, or share a story about a job you just did. No selling. 2. Two "Soft Sell" Emails per month: Mention a service you offer or show a "Before and After" of a recent project. Remind them you’re available for bookings. 3. One "Direct Offer" per month: A genuine reason to buy now. A discount, a seasonal check-up, or a limited-time bonus.
That’s one email a week. It’s manageable, it’s consistent, and it builds a massive amount of trust over time.
Is it Worth the Effort?
Look, I’ll be straight with you. Setting this up takes time. Writing the emails takes time.
But pound for pound, email is still the cheapest way to get more sales. You already paid to acquire that customer the first time. Why would you pay Google or Facebook again to reach them a second time when you can just send them an email for a fraction of a cent?
If you’re just making noise, stop. If you’re not saying anything, start.
What Should You Do First?
Don't go out and try to write a year's worth of emails today. You’ll burn out by lunchtime.
Start by looking at your list. When was the last time you spoke to them? If it’s been more than three months, send a simple, plain-text email saying:
"Hey, it’s been a while. We’ve been flat out with [X], but I wanted to share this quick tip with you..."
See what happens. Usually, the phone starts ringing within an hour.
If you want to stop guessing and start making money from your list, we can help you sort out a proper plan that doesn't involve you spending your whole weekend on a laptop.
Check us out at Local Marketing Group and let’s have a chat about how to get your email marketing actually working for you.