The perfect time to send
“What is the perfect time for my email campaigns? Can we further optimize in this regard? Test extensively? “Our customers ask us these questions time and again. The questions seem justified, because the “better” the sending time is chosen, the more readers open their emails — and the more revenue the email campaign generates. At least that's the theory. Reality, on the other hand, doesn't think much of this theory. Or to put it another way: Of course, the time of dispatch plays a role. But just a supporting role.
The search for a static “optimal delivery time” for all campaigns ignores reality. There is simply no best time to ship. When emails are read differs from target group to target group, from reader to reader, and from email to email. In addition, almost everyone has a smartphone or tablet these days. This brings another variable to the equation, because your readers are not only busy with their emails at home in front of the computer or in the office, but also anytime on the go.
It's almost impossible to determine the perfect time to send out to all of your subscribers. Sure, in some industries and target groups, there are days of the week or delivery times when emails are statistically read more frequently. Some email delivery tools try to predict the best time to send per target group and industry using an algorithm or even determine the perfect sending time per recipient. Based on individual opening behavior, the newsletter is then delivered within 24 hours of the start of shipping, depending on when is supposedly the best time for each user.
But be honest: When exactly would you personally read an email about fashion, software or dog food and click on it? What if the email arrives in your inbox punctually at 11:30 AM? Or rather when you are interested in the content of the email? If you focus too much on finding the perfect time to send, you run the risk of losing sight of a much more important factor in email marketing.
This factor is the relevancythat have your emails for your readers.
If your emails are relevant to your readers, then it basically makes no difference whether the email was delivered in the morning, at noon, in the evening, or at night. If they are highly relevant, the emails will also be opened by your readers.
In order to guarantee high relevance, you must consider several factors (see also this article ): target group segmentation, the precise selection of information and products, the right tonality and depth of information, and the context in which your readers open your emails.
For example, imagine sending your recipients a limited-time special offer. Now, some of your readers won't open emails until the next day when the offer has already expired. In this case, the email is not relevant to the reader.
You can't determine when your subscriber actually reads the email. However, you can ensure that the email is always relevant to your reader at opening time.
In this context, we are talking about open time optimization, as opposed to the much-discussed send time optimization (i.e. the question of the optimal sending time).
An excellent means of ensuring high relevance are context-sensitive emails. This means that the content of your emails is automatically adapted to the context in which your readers open the emails. Here are just a few examples:
- site: Where is your reader when you open the email? Is he on the go and opens with a mobile phone? Depending on your location, you can, for example, refer to an offer in the nearby shop.
- Timing: When will your email be read? If a time-limited offer has already expired, the content of your email can be adjusted accordingly.
- Speech: Depending on the time, the content of your email can be personalized. For example, wish your readers a good morning or a nice evening to make your email more relevant.
- weather: The weather has a demonstrable influence on sentiment and willingness to buy. So, depending on the weather, show different products that suit the recipient's situation.
- widget: The content of the email is automatically adapted to your users' devices. For example, you don't have to include multiple download links in the email for your apps. Instead, the appropriate links are automatically inserted for Android devices and iPhones.
- social media: When opened, you can automatically display your latest Twitter messages or Instagram posts in the email, for example.
These are just a few ways you can adapt your emails to the respective opening context. Instead of chasing after the perfect time to send them, you can ensure that your emails are always relevant to your readers — no matter when, where and with which device they open them. The question of the perfect shipping time thus fades into the background.
