If you’re getting ready to start an email marketing campaign, then you’ve probably spent a great deal of time on content.
However, one often overlooked feature is proper timing. When it comes to factors that may impact the success of the campaign, timing plays a huge role, especially when considered with other variables. Here are some of the timing factors that may have a direct impact on your campaign’s success.
What is the Best Time?
Keep in mind that timing will vary depending on your target demographic. Take, for example, people who have traditional 9-5 jobs. According to a study by SendinBlue, the best time to send emails is earlier in the week and the best hours are 10 AM, 3 PM, and 4 PM.
These times coincide with when people are in their workplace and take a quick look at their email. If your target demographic is largely working adults, then you should build your campaign around these time frames.
Additionally, people are more likely to open emails during the week than on weekends. The study also found that over 85 per cent of marketing emails that were opened were sent on weekdays. Although this may also be due to the fact that people are checking their email more frequently during the workday, almost everyone steps away from their computer a little more on the weekend.
Looking at a graph of opened emails, the best days to send emails were Monday through Thursday and the decline started from Friday through Sunday. Regardless of your demographic, it may be best to avoid weekend email campaigns based on this information.
Consistency is Key
Being consistent is also a very important of an effective email marketing campaign. First of all, while you may have a full understanding of your business and what you do, your prospects may not understand exactly what your value proposition is. But sending them constant mailings, each containing valuable information about your niche and services, they might start to get a better picture of how you can help them.
Time and the frequency of email marketing campaigns go hand-in-hand. Although you always want the emails to be opened and read thoroughly, they may have a larger impact depending on how often they’re sent out. Larger purchases that require greater deliberation such as a car or major appliance, are likely not going to be the result of one marketing campaign. In this case, it may be better to combine timing considerations along with greater frequency in order to reach potential customers. Smaller purchases or services that are less expensive may benefit from fewer emails.
Being consistent also allows you to build a solid bond with your audience, provided you don’t spam their inbox with purely promotional content. Try to be as informative as you can, especially earlier on; they’ll be more likely to buy from you once you’ve gained their trust and shown that you are actually a valuable resource.
Consider Diversification
Although data from studies can be used to determine the best times for email marketing campaigns, it’s also a good idea to consider outliers. We’re talking about people who don’t follow demographic trends and may be missed by other marketing campaigns.
For this reason, it’s important to diversify messaging within individual campaigns. While two people may be in the same target market for a certain product, they are likely going to check their email at different times of the day. A young professional may check her email during her lunch break while an older man may wait until the end of the day.
This means that within marketing campaigns, consider breaking down the demographics even further to find the optimal times to send email marketing campaigns. This may also help when trying to determine the type of campaign to send. The young professional will probably want a short message that’s free of clutter and additional data while the older man will probably want rich data and a clear explanation in the email.
Break from the Email
When timing is a long-term concern for purchases, it’s important to ensure that people go past the campaign in their inbox. Every time that the email leads to the customer visiting the website, there is a greater chance of him or her making a purchase with that brand in mind. Using the information provided by these studies can improve campaigns that lead to landing pages. Over time, use this information to hone in on successful strategies for your needs.
Although timing is a valuable factor to consider when it comes to email marketing campaigns, this does not exist in a bubble. It’s important to take timing along with demographics and other relevant data for the campaign. Use this information to get an idea of what works best and start boosting the bottom line.
