WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SEND MARKETING EMAILS?

There are many factors that contribute to a successful email marketing campaign;

• Subject line
• Content
• Graphics
• Data

The list goes on, but one of the most common questions asked into our email marketing department is;

“When is the best time to send my email?”

So let’s take a look at some industry statistics.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Alchemy Worx, Email Metrics, Constant Contact have all said Tuesday to Thursday are the best days for broadcasting. With most agreeing that late morning to lunchtime is the optimum time.

Sundays and Mondays say’s Exact Target.

Monday’s say ReturnPath and eRoi.

With industry figures disagreeing, how do we find the best time to send an email campaign?

WHAT WE’RE ARE SAYING

In our opinion, the answer is, it varies.

Imagine that you get into the office early, you may spend a few minutes reading your mail. Other times, you may read it at the close of play and if you have been particularly busy, you’ll save it and read it at the weekend. However, if the email is really relevant, you will normally open it straight away.

Still not getting an answer? That’s because at TH UK we have learned that each of our clients campaigns, with different approaches, different messages, all reach out to a different audience. The way to find out the best time to broadcast is to test.

Our in house newsletter is constantly monitored and we find the best time to send it is on a Wednesday. That doesn’t mean that we recommend all of our clients that we send their campaigns on a Wednesday. We often break a clients database into four segments and compare the results, having sent the email at different times. The following month we will do the same thing, and on, and on, until we have a broad range of days and time to compare. Then, and only then, can we return to our client and highlight the optimum time to send their email broadcast.

Don’t wait around or you will never broadcast your campaign. Think about your target market, empathise with them and then test. Do your best to pick a time when your clients will be most likely to respond, but don’t worry too much, as figures show the difference is minimal!