A lesson in timing, repetition, and why your audience isn’t paying as much attention as you think they are
We’ve been in the marketing game long enough to know that the best-laid plans often go sideways. But we never expected a technical glitch to teach us one of the most valuable lessons about audience engagement we’ve learned in years.
The Setup
Like most marketing teams, we’re planners. Our team built what we thought was the perfect 5-week email automation sequence for our customer segment. Each email was crafted with intention: personalized subject lines, carefully timed sends, A/B tested content blocks. We spent 2 weeks mapping out the customer journey, creating decision trees, and testing as many scenarios as possible.
The “Mistake”
Three days into the campaign, our team discovered we’d missed two crucial automation branches. The result? One of our customer success stories—about a client named Austin who’d seen incredible results with our platform—got sent to the same segment three times over the course of a week.
Same content. Same subject line. Same 847 recipients.
Our first instinct was panic. This was the kind of amateur mistake that makes you question your automation setup. We immediately drafted an apology email, explaining the technical error and promising it wouldn’t happen again.
But then we looked at the metrics.
The Unexpected Results
What we found challenged everything we thought we knew about email frequency and audience fatigue:
- Send #1: 48% open rate
- Send #2: 63% open rate
- Send #3: 78% open rate
Not only were people not annoyed by the repetition—they were becoming more engaged with each send.
The responses were even more telling:
“We should definitely connect with Austin, can you make an introduction?”
“I love getting these customer updates. Keep them coming!”
“This is exactly what we’re trying to achieve. Can we schedule a call?”
And when we finally sent that “oops” email explaining the mistake? It pulled a 63.84% open rate with a great click-through rate as well.
Why This Worked (And What It Teaches Us)
As marketers, we live inside our campaigns. We know every email, every touchpoint, every piece of content by heart. But here’s what this experience reminded us: our audience doesn’t.
The Attention Reality
Your customers aren’t sitting in their inbox waiting for your perfectly crafted sequence to unfold. They’re juggling dozens of priorities, scanning hundreds of emails, and making split-second decisions about what deserves their attention.
That customer story about Austin? The first send might have caught them during a hectic Monday morning. The second send landed on a quiet Wednesday afternoon when they actually had time to read. The third send arrived right when they were evaluating similar solutions.
The Trust Factor
But there’s something deeper happening here. Each repeat send wasn’t just another chance to be seen—it was building familiarity and trust. Marketing research consistently shows that it takes multiple exposures before a message truly resonates. We call it the “Rule of Seven” in marketing, but somehow we forget to apply it to our own campaigns.
The Authenticity Advantage
The vulnerability in that follow-up email—admitting the mistake, showing the human behind the automation—created more connection than months of polished content. People don’t engage with perfect brands. They engage with authentic ones.
What This Changes About Marketing Strategy
This “mistake” has fundamentally shifted how we approach campaign planning:
1. Embrace Strategic Repetition
Instead of constantly creating new content, we now identify our highest-performing pieces and build systematic repetition into our campaigns. That case study that resonated six months ago? It’s getting another send. The insight that sparked conversations? It’s being shared again, with fresh context.
2. Extend Campaign Lifecycles
Rather than moving on to the next campaign after a single send, we’re building in natural repetition cycles. A piece of content might get shared immediately, then again in 3 months with updated data, then again in 6 months with new insights.
3. Test Timing Over Frequency
The same message at different times can have dramatically different impacts. We’re now more focused on finding the right moments than creating perfect frequency caps.
4. Humanize the Mistakes
That vulnerability in the “oops” email wasn’t a bug—it was a feature. We’re now more intentional about showing the humans behind our marketing, including when things don’t go as planned.
The Home Services Connection
What make this particularly relevant for our customers in the home services industries like roofers, contractors, real estate brokers and more is how it applies to making the first impression and following up with leads
Think about it: a homeowner dealing with storm damage gets dozens of business cards from contractors. Your perfectly crafted estimate might get buried under insurance paperwork. That follow-up call might come during their busiest day at work.
But here’s where most contractors give up too early. They assume that first touchpoint captured the homeowner’s full attention. In reality, people are overwhelmed, comparing multiple options, and often need several meaningful interactions before they’re ready to make a decision.
The lesson from our email “mistake” applies directly to your business: timing matters more than perfection, and repetition builds trust.
Make Every Touchpoint Count
Your audience isn’t tracking your every move the way you are. They’re not tired of your best stories, your biggest wins, or your most important insights. They’re busy, and they need repetition—with heart—to truly connect.
So the next time you hesitate to reshare that case study, resend that testimonial, or follow up on that connection, remember Austin’s story. Sometimes the best marketing happens when we stop trying to be perfect and start being consistently, authentically present.
But here’s the challenge for home services professionals: How do you create those multiple touchpoints without seeming pushy? How do you stay top-of-mind while respecting your prospects’ time?
This is exactly why we built OneTapConnect.
Your First Impression, Perfected
Imagine this scenario: You’ve just finished inspecting a roof after a hailstorm. The homeowner is stressed, comparing multiple contractors, and drowning in insurance paperwork. Instead of handing them another business card that’ll get lost, you pull out your phone and instantly share your complete professional profile.
With OneTapConnect, that first touchpoint isn’t just contact information—it’s your portfolio, customer testimonials, certifications, insurance details, and direct links to schedule estimates or ask questions. Everything they need to feel confident about your professionalism, delivered in seconds.
But more importantly, it stays with them. Unlike a business card that gets misplaced or a verbal pitch that gets forgotten, your OneTapConnect profile becomes a resource they can return to when they’re ready to make decisions.
Following Up Without Being Forgotten
Remember our email lesson about timing? The same principle applies to your prospects. That homeowner who seemed interested last week might have been dealing with their insurance adjuster. The business owner who said “maybe next quarter” might be ready now.
OneTapConnect makes strategic follow-up natural and professional. Your profile includes direct links to your calendar, messaging, and contact preferences. When you follow up, you’re not just another contractor checking in—you’re providing easy access to everything they need to move forward.
Ready to Transform Your First Impressions?
If you’re tired of watching qualified leads slip away because of poor timing or forgotten business cards, it’s time to upgrade how you make connections.
OneTapConnect is designed specifically for professionals who understand that success isn’t just about doing great work—it’s about making it easy for customers to choose you. We also offer sales and presentation training to help you master your introductions and become an expert at how you show up.
Sign up today and discover how the right first impression can eliminate the need for perfect timing.
Because in home services, you rarely get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure your first one counts.