We have reached email inbox overload–the noise we wake up to from brands each day is deafening. The purpose of this panel was to make the guilty parties consider reinventing the wheel and maybe, just maybe, embrace some silence.

• First, think about why you’re emailing your customers. Are you doing it just because you’re afraid of silence? Do you feel something is better than nothing, so you might as well? It’s ok. You can turn it down a notch and your customers will not forget you—unless we want to, in which case we’re not going to read your emails anyway.

• EFFECTIVE MESSAGES ARE DESIGNED MESSAGES. Put a little effort into what you’re sending.

• Be careful with the promos. As soon as your message which was meant to be transactional becomes laden with promos, you’ve crossed the line.

• TurboTax is a great example—they contact users once a year, before tax time. They don’t nag users year-round with a single message. They know who they are and embrace the silence.