An ExactTarget survey found that nearly half of respondents (49 percent) unsubscribe to emails because of repetitive, boring content.

While social and mobile marketing are gaining lots of attention as effective internet avenues this year, a recent study from ExactTarget indicates that 70 percent of Americans always open emails from their favorite brands. In order to catch clicks from subscribers, marketers should remember that fresh email content is key.

The ExactTarget survey, The Social Break Up, shows that 93 percent of Americans receive permission-based emails, indicating that inboxes are a valid way to reach an online audience. The study found that nearly half of respondents (49 percent) unsubscribe to emails because of repetitive, boring content. Lack of fresh content was the second-leading cause for unsubscribes, closely following emails that are too frequent (54 percent).

When planning updated content for email marketing campaigns, brands must remember that relevancy is required. One-quarter of respondents said they unsubscribe to email marketing campaigns because the content wasn’t relevant.

Notably, marketers may find branded news content is a good way to keep email newsletters fresh and offer relevant content to subscribers. Pew research shows 12 percent of Americans look to their inboxes for the latest news headlines.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.