As we know, the time you choose to send your invitation emails is quite crucial. Why? Because we want to maximize the opening rate and, above all, the engagement associated with it.
Did you know that 23% of your subscribers open your email within 1 hour of receiving it (according to Sendinblue)?
The problem is that finding the right time is not easy! Fortunately, we are not alone in asking ourselves this question and studies have been conducted to try to understand the logic behind opening an email. Eventdrive has therefore gathered the most relevant information to help you send your invitation emails at the most appropriate time!
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES TO EXPLORE THE ISSUE
As with almost every marketing strategy implemented, when you send an email, you then have to analyze the results to understand what worked and what didn’t.
In the case of an invitation email, there are 2 main metrics to look at:
The opening rate
It is the percentage of emails that have been opened compared to the number of emails sent. It is estimated that a good opening rate exceeds 20%.
To make it vary, we recommend to play on the subject of the email and the time of sending.
The click-through rate
It is the percentage of emails that have had a click (usually on the CTA) compared to the number of emails sent. In general, we consider having a good click rate if we exceed 3%, for a classic emailing campaign.
To try to increase it, it is necessary to test the structure of the email using the 80/20 rule, for example: more relevance and less promotion.
When determining the best time to open an email, it is these 2 metrics that we look at first.
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WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SEND AN EMAIL?
Which day to send your email?
As I told you, many studies have been set up by different emailing software providers (Sendinblue, Mailchimp, Hubspot…). Surprisingly enough, a rather strong correlation emerged from the analyses concerning the best day to send an email.
– Tuesday: second day of the week, customers had time to empty their mailbox… In short, Tuesday seems to be the best day to send an invitation email!
– Thursday: if you decide to send 2 emails in the same week, or a follow-up email the following week, it seems that Thursday is the 2nd best day to send an email.
At Mailchimp, for example, we can see that the trend of these 2 days is emerging quite well:
What time should I choose to send my emailing campaign?
Knowing the right day to send your email is a good start. According to the results, you have also chosen to schedule your future emailing campaign next Tuesday. The problem is, there are 24 hours in a day. So, what time to send your email?
Again, the above studies have done the work for us. The results are quite variable across industries, but overall, trends are emerging.
– Late morning (around 11am): the slot just before lunch is the one that works best, with a maximized opening rate.
– Early afternoon (around 2pm): the slot just after lunch is also highly appreciated by customers who seem to open their email more easily on a full stomach!
If we look at the analysis of MailChimp, we can see that the lunch slot is the most successful!
MAXIMIZE RESULTS THANKS TO YOUR SUBSCRIBERS
Drawing conclusions from all these analyses is the best way to achieve results effectively. The problem is that each customer is unique.
You can have excellent results with a campaign that affects the pharmaceutical industry, and, on the contrary, rather negative figures if you follow the same strategy with a customer in the tourism industry, for example.
So how can this be fixed? Simply by doing tests. You need to get to know your subscribers, understand their way of acting and understand their consumption methods from a digital point of view.
The best way to do this is through testing. Take the time to plan different campaigns at different times and analyze the results to see which campaign is the most effective.
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If you have the possibility, it is best to set up A/B tests. You divide your audience into 2 groups. One of the groups receives your email in the morning, the second in the afternoon. Then, you analyze the results to see which group has the highest opening rate and click-through rate and you choose this slot for your future campaign.
Our advice would also be to play on the subject of your email. Your goal is to make it as powerful as possible to make your audience want to know more and click on your email! To create a great email object, discover our article!
Also, remember to do a little cleaning in your contact list. It is often mistakenly thought that the larger the list, the better the results. On the contrary, it is better to have a shorter list, but one that contains only active subscribers. So, don’t hesitate to do a little cleaning before planning your campaign. Remember that to comply with the GDPR (the new regulation that came into effect in 2018 in Europe), you must absolutely obtain the consent of your subscribers before sending them an email.
Planning an emailing campaign may seem simple and yet, the mission is quite delicate. Don’t forget to keep your audience in mind when planning your email. If you don’t have time to do extensive tests, Tuesday and Thursday are the best days to send an email. To maximize the opening rate, we recommend that priority be given to targeting the slot between late morning and early afternoon.
With all this information in hand, you shouldn’t have too much trouble reaching your audience!
