Here’s what the data says in 2023

It’s a question that has kept digital marketers occupied ever since the first person said, “Hey I’ve had a great idea: I bet our customers would enjoy hearing from our business regularly via this newfangled electronic-mail!”

Since that fateful day, marketing emails (aka eDMs, or electronic Direct Mail) have been a critical part of any business’s marketing arsenal.

The vexed question remains though: what is the best time and day to send your beautifully crafted and carefully targeted eDMs, to give them the best chance of being opened and read?

While you may have seen many different opinions about this question (and certainly there are some variations from industry to industry), with careful assessment a few trends emerge that it’s worth taking note of. In this news post we’ll look at the results from two of the most popular and respected business email systems: MailChimp and HubSpot.

What does HubSpot say about sending marketing emails?

HubSpot is brilliant Inbound Marketing and CRM software in one user-friendly package. It offers you clever ways to nurture potential customers through your online buying funnel, right up to the point when they’re ready to hand you over their cash.

Marketing emails are an essential part of this process, and HubSpot clients send out millions every year. Here’s what their data has to say about the best time and day to send emails.

It’s pretty tight at the top, with Tuesday juuuust edging out Monday and Wednesday, followed by Thursday. There’s then a step down in effectiveness to Fridays – it seems it’s just too close to the weekend for people to be bothered thinking about your marketing messages! Fair enough.

In terms of the best time of day to send a marketing eDM, again HubSpot’s data offers pretty clear pointers. 10am to 11am is the peak time for email opens, but really the window between 10am and 2pm is worthwhile.

What MailChimp says about when to send marketing emails

Though it’s touted as an “all-in-one marketing platform”, email marketing makes up a big chunk of what MailChimp does. They’ve consistently grown and developed their offering since starting out in 2001; which means they have a huge slice of data to refer to.

MailChimp’s findings are broadly similar to HubSpot’s; but with Thursday slightly edging out Tuesday, followed by Monday and Wednesday, and then a drop off to Friday. Saturday and Sunday don’t seem to be effective days for reaching MailChimp subscribers.

What does MailChimp say is the best time of day to send an eDM? As you can see there’s a discernible peak in open rate at 10am, followed by a gentle decline in effectiveness until around 4pm, after which things fall away more steeply.

The worst days to send marketing emails

Here’s one last bonus tip about getting your business’s eDMs opened and read. For the maximum chance of your message getting through, make sure you avoid sending marketing messages on the weekend.

That’s when people are most likely to be “switched off” and unreceptive to the idea of hearing from you. They won’t be eagerly hovering by their inbox waiting to open and click through to read what you have to say!

Avoid sending your eDMs on the weekend and you’ll be missing the worst days of the week to send marketing emails.

 The best time to send a marketing email for your business

Broadly speaking then, the best day to send a marketing email is Tuesday or Thursday; and the best time is either 10am or 2pm to avoid the distraction of lunchtime.  

Ultimately though, the best time for your business is when your potential customers are willing to open and click!

To find the “sweet spot” for your business, try your own testing routine over time. Start with the ground rules we’ve outlined, and then vary your send times and days over say 6 months. That will give you enough data to collate at the end of the period to give you a solid idea of what will work for you.

And remember – finding the right send day and time isn’t the only factor in the success of your business’s email marketing. Make sure you segment your lists properly; send carefully targeted, well written content; and spend some time writing the perfect subject line to encourage more opens and clicks.

If your business could use some help with email marketing campaigns, we’d love to hear from you. Call Crockford Carlisle on 07 3891 3800 or get in touch with us online now.