The Best Times to Send Out Marketing Emails
Over the years, email marketing has become a great way to educate, empower, and turn potential customers into paying clients. But it’s not about hitting that “send” button as soon as your newsletter is completed. Factors such as your target audience, day of the week, and the time of the day, will play a big part in whether or not your email is even opened.
Take a look at these tidbits on the best times to send out your marketing emails.
B2B or B2C? That is the question!
Are your marketing emails being sent to other businesses (B2B) or to consumers (B2C)? Optimal send dates and times will differ depending on your target audience. We use a handy little calendar from Worldata, a market leader in digital media solutions. It conveniently shows the best and worst days of the year to send out marketing emails (you can request copies of the calendars here).
As you might have guessed, sending emails to businesses on the weekends may not be such a hot idea, while there are many optimal weekend dates for emailing consumers.
Tuesdays seem to be the best days of the week for business to business (perhaps due to Mondays and Fridays being meeting days), while Fridays may offer higher click through rates for consumers (perhaps because they receive more engagement time on weekends).
Morning, Noon or Night?
You may be tempted to send out your marketing emails first thing in the morning. After all, the early bird gets the worm, right? In a B2B world, yes. In a B2C world, it turns out the early bird gets jack squat.
When it comes to B2B email marketing, 53% of businesses have the most success sending emails before noon.
Compare this to the recent findings of Retention Science, claiming that most consumer recipients engage with email in the afternoons and evenings. Only 28.5% of B2C email conversions (those that are opened, clicked through, and converted) occur in the mornings. Take that, early bird.
Timing is Everything
As we get down to the nitty gritty of email marketing, the specific time of day that you send your emails can either help or hinder your open rate and click through rate. Here’s a breakdown of the best and worst times to send your emails:
- 10pm to 9am – The Abyss
Send your emails during these hours and you’re literally sending them into a black hole. - 9am-10am – Good for B2B
This is a favorable time for B2B, since most people are just beginning their work day and sitting down to read their emails. - 10 am to 12pm – Do Not Disturb
People gotta work, don’t they? - 12pm to 2pm – Lunch Time
People are generally more likely to read news and magazines during their lunch break than read marketing emails. - 2pm to 3pm – Back to the Grind
This is another time to avoid. People are back in work mode post-lunch. - 3pm to 5pm – Job Apathy
The afternoon job lull contributes to many checking their inboxes. - 5pm to 7pm – Prime Time for B2B
Many people work later hours, and believe it or not this is the time frame that recipients are most likely to open B2B emails. - 7pm to 10pm – Best for B2C
Consumer recipients are most likely to read and respond to emails on their own time after office hours.
While these guidelines may help improve your open and click through rates for your business’s marketing, there’s no fool-proof time to send out your emails. If you’re just starting out, experiment with different days and times and make sure to track your numbers. Remember, “If you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing.”
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