Timing is everything. It’s why school is out for summer, ice hockey is a winter sport, and we inhale coffee in the morning. Just like we don’t want to be caffeinated past midnight, we don’t want email recipients to receive your perfect content at an inconvenient hour.
Timing plays a crucial role in the success of your email marketing campaigns. It doesn’t matter how flawless your content is, how targeted your recipient group, or how in-demand your offer is – if you choose to share this information at 4am on Christmas morning, it probably won’t garner the engagement you were hoping for.
Anytime good content goes to waste, a CMO loses a piece of his or her soul. With the health of your department head in mind – when choosing an appropriate time to send your emails,pay attention to:
Time zones: Map math is simple math – adding or subtracting based on your location, you can even count on your fingers, no one’s judging.
Be incredibly aware of your email recipients’ time zones. While a 9am email will work well on the east coast, your Pacific time zone pals will wake up to a 6am email. Why is a 6am email so bad? Dig through your personal email account and see what types of correspondences come in as the rooster crows – spam, spam, and more spam.
Segment email recipients based on location. This guarantees that recipients will receive your content at the same time in every location.
The dead zone: This is anytime between 12am-6am. Don’t send emails in the middle of the night. Most won’t be read until the morning and those that are opened will be read by groggy, half-asleep recipients that won’t absorb a word.
More companies are experimenting with late night emails. Many of us work late into the evening and are checking email constantly throughout the night. (Show of hands if you check email on your phone in bed… Reluctant hand raise.)
If you are considering the late night experiment, do not send anything past 10pm. Everyone deserves a break from business.
Statistics: Kissmetrics released an infographic detailing the best times of day to send emails. Based on their study, emails sent early in the morning have the highest open and click through rates.
Of course, don’t put all your eggs in Kissmetrics’ basket. What times do your statistics show the highest rate of engagement?
In your MA software, run a report of past email campaigns with similar content or messaging of the one you’re currently planning. Find out which time has the most opens and clicks. Your email doesn’t have to be sent at exactly 10am on the dot, if 10:37am has the most past interaction, go for it!
Email Content: How heavy is your email’s message? Is it a quick read, light, and breezy? Or are you detailing a new product, complete with install instructions, diagrams, and IT acronyms?
Lighter emails are great for early morning deployment. Recipients can read them quickly, understand the message, and get back to the rest of their morning. Try sending customer newsletters or event announcements early in the workday.
- Content that requires greater comprehension or action should be sent early afternoons or even weekends. Try announcing a new product or company changes on Saturday – this gives recipients the weekend to absorb and adapt.
