How do you decide when to send out your promotional emailings? By reading the latest research? Consulting with industry colleagues? Asking customers what they prefer? Testing? Or you send it whenever it’s ready?
I recently came across a report on this subject that proved both amusing and enlightening. Marketing services company eROI asked consumers which day they most preferred to receive email. The results:
- Friday – 31%
- Wednesday – 26%
- Tuesday – 22%
- Monday – 20%
- Thursday – 19%
- Saturday – 16%
- Sunday – 11%
Surprise! Real-world results completely contradicted these answers. Actual results showed that Saturday had the highest open rate at 38.3%, and also the highest click-through rate at 5.4%.
Tests Are Best. As the above example illustrates, what consumers say they prefer and what they actually do are often completely different. Use customer feedback on any issue very carefully. Nothing replaces an actual test.
Keep Testing. Things change, so keep testing. Depending on which report I pull out of the file, I can provide research “proving” that Tuesday is the best day to mail, or Wednesday, or Friday. If everyone reads the same study that says Tuesday is the best day to mail, and everyone starts mailing on Tuesday, it won’t be the best day for very long!
What’s more, the “best day” for your company is unlikely to be the best for mine. Given completely different demographics, this just makes sense.
Where to Start. If you don’t have any benchmarks to start with, take a look at your web statistics. We’ve found that mailing on the day of the week when you get the most web traffic is a pretty reliable indicator of your company’s “best day.”
