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Response, open-rate and click-through rate is what we as marketers strive for when sending
out email communications. So, is there a way to gauge which days are better to send emails
out to increase the response on those emails?
There have been studies done in the US, which clearly show that certain days are better to
send commercial email messages. However, the South African market appears to work very
differently and is extremely dependant on connectivity and whether recipients are viewing
the email at work or at home.
This issue of G.R.A.B. focuses on the US trends of opening and reading emails and we also
investigate the local South African trends. There are some surprises in the research
findings and of course more knowledge to help you increase your message's success.
Should you have any queries or suggestions for future issues,
send me an email.
Regards
Mia Papanicolaou
Do you have any comments? Email me
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In what was perhaps a surprising finding, two separate studies in 2004 found Monday to
be the best day to send commercial email in the US. While most week days fluctuated just
above and below the average, Saturdays and Sundays were markedly below the average. This
showed that most people were opening and reading commercial email at work.
However, a new report by ExactTarget
shows that there is no specific 'best day' for sending
commercial email. According to their data, over 97% of email campaigns are sent from Monday
to Friday. If anything, the latter part of the week appears to be better, and Wednesday was
often the peak day. But in another twist, the best day for getting your email opened was not
necessarily the best day for getting clicks on the links in your email.
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The report found that the most opened emails were on Wednesdays to Fridays, but that
Saturdays and Sundays (while having lower open rates and significantly fewer campaigns
being sent) yield the highest click through rates:indicative of the emails having less
competition and people having more time to read through and action them.
As eMarketer states, maximizing open rates is important for brand exposure, while
generating clicks is the key if the goal is conversion. So, in a nutshell, no matter
what day it is, the best day for the industry to email may not be the best day for
your particular marketing goals.
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The findings of eMessageX.com when analyzing the open rate of commercial emails it has
sent locally from businesses to businesses (B2B), reflected the American trend to some
degree. Mondays in fact had the lowest open rate, perhaps due to a large number of B2B
emails being in a person's inbox on a Monday morning and the beginning of the week being
the busiest time (also mirrored in the local market B2C results below).
The rest of the weekdays were all almost equal, with merely one percent separating
Tuesday to Friday.
With regard to click-through rates, Tuesday and Thursday were relatively far ahead
of the other week days, with Friday being by far the worst day for sending the emails
you want your customers to click on. Maybe they are already in weekend mode, and in
too much of a rush to leave the office to take the time to click on the links in your
email...
In summary, if you want your B-2-B email to be read, but not necessarily clicked on:
| Best Days: |
Tuesday, Wednesday |
| Worst Day: |
Monday |
If you want your email to be clicked on:
| Best Days: |
Tuesday, Thursday |
| Worst Day: |
Friday |
So, if you are not sure - your best bet is to send on a Tuesday.
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It should be kept in mind that US email readers, like Europeans have higher speed Internet
connections than the average South African user, so issues like downloading email do not enter
the equation. This is even more relevant on a personal, home-user level when analysing the rates
of emails sent from businesses to customers (B2C) in South Africa.
You need to analyse the domains on your distribution base to see if your local email
readers/customers have given you their personal, "hotmail-type" or local domain
(mweb, iafrica, etc.) address, or are just using their work address to receive your
consumer emails.
The email address they have given you will impact when they will most likely open
the email, and therefore when is best for you to send. From the eMessageX.com findings,
Thursday is the best day to send should you want the best open rate.
Funnily, if you want them to take the time to heed your call-to-action and click, then
Tuesday is the best day to send that consumer email.
So, in summary, if you want your consumer to just read your email, then send on a
Thursday, not a Tuesday. But if you want them to click on the various links in your
email, then send it on a Tuesday.
Maximizing open rates is important for brand exposure and getting your message across,
while generating clicks is the key if the goal is conversion. So consider your business
email communication message and goals carefully before deciding on a day to send your
email.
Take a look at these graphs to plan when to send out your next email:
Do you have any more questions? Email me or call
eMessageX.com on
(011) 234 - 7008.
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