High volume emailing means you’re sending a lot of emails. There are two main reasons you might be doing this. Either you’ve got an enormous list or your business functions require you send high volumes of email.
In marketing, high volume sending is another way term for mass email marketing, which is the process of sending out large numbers of emails, often to large numbers of recipients, and sometimes to all at once.
We’ve personally seen email campaigns with lists containing over 50,000 emails.
Businesses that operate in a digital environment send out massive amounts of emails constantly. For instance, an e-commerce business with 20,000 customers might send out over the course of a month:
- A weekly newsletter to 10,000 unique addresses ( ~40,000 emails)
- 1,000 automated welcome emails each week (~4,000 emails)
- Transactional emails for 600 repeat customers and 250 new customers each month
- 2,000 assorted trigger-based emails
The list could go on, but our example just reached an astonishing 46,850 emails being sent out by this one business each month. Imagine if that business also had multiple newsletters for different segments, for example.
But that would overwhelm most service providers.
How to send high volume emails
At these volumes, marketers need a highly reliable emailing infrastructure with secure deliverability. Email service providers (ESPs) like Campaign Monitor are qualified for this sort of work. For example, we supported this campaign for Nicki Minaj:
Source: Campaign Monitor Gallery
How to measure high volume emails
Are you engaged in high volume email sending? At Campaign Monitor, we consider your sending high volume if you’ve got more than 50,000 unique email addresses.
With a list this large, there are a few extra things you must keep in mind to ensure you’re getting the most out of our service and your list.
1. Drive strategy with analytics.
Massive email lists create amazing opportunities for segmentation, personalization, and data-driven strategy. It’s not as difficult as it may seem: use automation to keep your campaigns tight and personalized.
Likewise, pay close attention to your performance metrics after you’ve sent out a campaign. As the average of a greater aggregate, you’ll get a more accurate picture.
2. Deliver quality over quantity.
It can be tempting to send out a “blast” to see what sticks, but you’ll get higher open rates if you emphasize quality. Plus, low-quality content leads to a bad email sending reputation, which will destroy any other efforts you may make.
3. Keep your email list healthy.
According to NeverBounce, the average B2C churn rate is 3.22 percent.
Churn, or attrition, is perfectly normal and commonplace. However, a high churn rate indicates problems with either the campaign or the list. A high churn translates into high bounce and unsubscribe rates. If the bounce rate get too high, you may run into problems with your ESP. Keeping your email list healthy helps minimize this problem.
Does it really matter?
High volume email sending has one other critical feature that makes doing well really matter:
At high volumes, you run the risk of getting on an internet service provider’s bad side, particularly if you violate the CAN-SPAM Act.
ISPs have a vested interest in keeping spam out of their subscribers’ inboxes. Sending out enormous amounts of emails tends to land you on their radar. Working with a reputable ESP helps allay suspicions, but not if you’ve purchased a list or engage in poor emailing practices.
What now?
You can send high volume emails to drive high volume revenue, especially if you deliver high-quality, personalized content at exactly the right time. Accomplishing this balancing act hinges on the strategic use of automation, segmentation, and a commitment to doing things right.
Good email marketing practices help turn mass email sending into a revenue-generating powerhouse. Check out our guide on all of the best practices for modern email marketing to amplify your chance of success.