When is the Perfect Time to Send an Email Campaign?
Learn How Timing Matters for an Effective Email Campaign
An email campaign may seem to be an outdated form of marketing to you. On the contrary, even in 2022 it is still one of the most effective tools in any marketing team’s plan. It can lead to new lifelong customers and help to grow your bottom line. B2B marketers as well as B2C industries still embrace email marketing. Fifty-nine percent of B2B marketers claim email is their most effective revenue generation channel. Email campaigns boast a 3,800 percent ROI, which make them one of the most cost-effective and profitable marketing strategies. However, there are many elements that are critical for an effective email campaign. The time it is sent is one of the most important factors for success.
Email Campaign Timing Basics
According to statistics from integrated marketing platform, Mailchimp, the average email campaign open rate across all industries is 21.33 percent. The average click through rate is 2.62 percent and the average unsubscribe rate is .26 percent. These may seem like very lofty goals to achieve. Timing is just one key element to consider when trying to achieve these goals or even better. Below are two timing basics to consider when sending an email campaign:
1. Best Times of the Day
According to HubSpot, 10 am is the best click-to-open rate for an email campaign at 21 percent. The second-best time is 1 pm at 22 percent. There is also an end of the day spike around 6 pm. Avoid sending an email campaign during lunchtime because it will probably be ignored. If you are sending to recipients across several different time zones consider the most popular time zone for your list of contacts.
2. Best Days of the Week
Also, according to HubSpot, the best days of the week to send an email campaign are Friday and Tuesday. Friday provides the highest email open rate at 18.9 percent. Friday campaigns result in the best click through rate at 2.7 percent. However, if you are concerned about unsubscribe rates, Saturday and Sunday are the best days at 0.1 percent.
If you are sending your first email campaign, you can use these timing basics as a starting guideline. However, the more you know about the demographics of your recipients, the more effectively you can time it for success. For example, if your target audience is college students 1 pm versus 10 am is the optimal time to send an email campaign. Google Analytics and Facebook Insights will also help you to learn more about your audience’s demographics and interests, leading to the best times to send emails.
Check Out Your Competition
Another helpful way to figure out the best time to schedule an email campaign is to review what your competitors are doing. Simply subscribe to a few different competitors’ email lists, which can be easily done on their websites. You may then realize that your competitors are sending emails on certain days of the week or times. If email delivery times are within the same range, then they may be basing it on research. You should send an email campaign during your competitors’ delivery time frame to determine if it may also be optimal for your recipients.
Follow-up Timing is Critical to a Successful Email Campaign
So now that you have learned about best practices for sending an email campaign, let’s move onto follow-up timing. If an email campaign is time-sensitive, it is optimal to follow-up within 48 hours. However, if it is not urgent, follow-up can be conducted within five to seven days. This contact is often the extra nudge that is needed to gain further business with a current client or start a conversation with a new prospect.
Email Campaign Metrics
We already discussed the importance of tracking email campaign opens, click throughs, and unsubscribes. However, below are other metrics that can be tracked to determine email marketing success:
1. Cumulative Open Rates
Track your open rates with each email campaign to determine if they are improving. Do not just review each campaign’s results individually. Keeping track of open rates over time is important.
2. The Power of Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a great tool that should be installed on every website to determine its effectiveness. Your website’s Google Analytics can determine if your online traffic has improved after distributing an email campaign. Not only the number of website visitors, but also the bounce rates are important to track using Google Analytics. Bounce rates tell you if visitors are spending time on your website, visiting multiple pages and/or clicking links or just bouncing off after viewing one page. An optimal bounce rate is between 26 percent and 40 percent, which equals the percentage of visitors who viewed more than one page on your website before leaving.
3. Social Media Statistics
Email campaigns should include links to your social media pages. An increase in followers, shares, and likes can also help determine the campaign’s effectiveness.
4. Offline Inquiries
Finally, offline inquiries are another metric to track after sending an email campaign. Recipients may give you a call if it has piqued their interest.
Need Help with Email Campaigns?
Email campaigns can be an invaluable tool for growing your business. However, without the proper resources, effective ones can be difficult to create and manage. The diamonddog team has overseen many successful campaigns for businesses across a variety of industries. If email campaigns are a key element of your marketing plan, we welcome the opportunity to discuss them with you. Feel free to contact us at 847-269-1422 or info@diamonddogmarketing.com.
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