SendLabs

There's sending a lot of emails and then, there's what Restaurant.com did over the last few weeks.

The site is a clearinghouse for discounted restaurant gift certificates and I had signed up for their email list earlier this month more out of curiosity than anything. What followed was what can best be described as an email assault. Here's what I had issues with:

- The amount: From 12/5 through 12/28 (23 days), I received 18 emails. That's way too many. I get it: Christmas is approaching. But that doesn't mean you need to hit your subscribers over the head every single day in an effort to get them to buy. Maybe 2 a week as you approach, but not one a day. That is ridiculous.

- The creative: 100% graphics. Let's just move on.

- The offer: I don't think there was a day where I got anything different than 80% off. That seems like a great deal, right? So why didn't I buy? Irritation? Being overwhelmed?

- Lack of targeting: Why not use the database to target my region? If you tell me about an offer that's good for any affiliate, that's great. But if you tell me about an offer that's good for this list of specific restaurants in my city, now you've got me clicking.

So what did we learn today?

- Check your sending frequency. Once a day in any situation is too much.

- Don't send graphic-only emails.

- When possible, use your demographic information to create targeted, relevant emails.