We’ve all been there! – You meet a friend and he is full of enthusiasm and anticipation because he has heard a ‘bombastic joke’ and absolutely has to tell us about it. He starts off in a lively manner, with exuberant gestures and facial expressions to create tension. Our expectations grow and grow. But then it happens – the punch line, the most important element of the story, comes just at the wrong moment! What a disappointment – the joke is completely ruined and nobody laughs!

Timing is crucial, not only when jokes are told, but in almost all areas of our lives, whether professional or private. The right timing often makes the difference between catastrophic failure and overwhelming success – and this is also the case in email marketing! So it’s worth taking a closer look, and right now is the right time to read this new blog article about the right timing! 😉

The ‘right’ timing and its effects

Choosing the ‘right’ time sounds banal, but what does this actually mean in general terms?

‘Right’ inevitably indicates the desired effect. The aim is to achieve a result that is as beneficial as possible, and this can and will generally include one of the following points.

1. Effective communication: Choosing the ‘right’ time to convey a message should maximise receptiveness. This attention is the basis for good understanding and therefore for effective communication.
2. Improved performance: In various contexts, such as sports, the timing of actions and processes has a direct influence on the result. Correct timing, for example for motion sequences, can lead to superior performance.
3. Increased relevance: Timing plays a crucial role in the distribution and commercialisation of content. Distributing content at the right time ensures its relevance to the target audience and maximises its impact and engagement.
4. Effective feedback: Timely feedback, or feedback at the right moment, enables an optimal response and action, leading to better results. Late feedback or feedback at an inappropriate moment is less likely to be effective.
5. Emotional effects: In face-to-face interactions, or storytelling for example, timing can evoke or intensify certain emotions. Whether it’s a punchline, as described in detail in the introduction to this article, or a marriage proposal, the right timing enhances emotional resonance.

Email Marketing without Timing?

Email marketers pursue several goals, and at first glance, new customer contacts and, of course, increased sales of a product or service, are clearly on the wish list.

But if you focus on another, higher level, you quickly realise that the aim is to create effective communication, increased relevance and an emotional impact on the recipient! – STOP!… Just a few lines earlier in this article, we stated that these are precisely the effects of perfect timing, generally speaking, which makes it clear that the optimal moment for successful email marketing is more than just useless decoration. Instead, it is a mandatory prerequisite for a successful email campaign.

Sending Time of Email Campaigns

One of the most important questions in an email campaign is undoubtedly when is the best time to send the emails. The right time makes the difference between your email being noticed and acted upon immediately or sinking into the abyss of an overcrowded inbox and all your efforts beforehand being in vain.

There is indeed an ideal window of time in which you can capture the recipient’s attention and this knowledge can be the winning point of your campaign.

The basic Time Window for sending Emails

Let’s start with a basic orientation, which is valid in the majority of cases and can be seen as the basis for all further considerations.

We are talking about time windows during which the offices are generally occupied and incoming emails are very likely to receive attention. These core times are either between 9 and 11 a.m. or between 1 and 4 p.m. If the human performance curve within a day is also taken into account, sending in the morning should always be preferred, as this is when mental performance is at its highest.

On the other hand, emails that are sent after 5 pm may lead to lower response rates, for example because the day’s tasks have to be completed or the recipients are already enjoying their evening off.

Industry-specific Time Windows

Without question, the ideal and effective time window depends on the industry, as there are sometimes major differences in the daily routine or core working hours.

For example, in some industries it can be advantageous to send early in the morning, as only the preparations for the day happen in the first few hours at the desk and then people leave the office. If you send it too late in this case, it can be assumed that the email will go unnoticed in the depths of the inbox or at best be read the next day.

It is therefore always worth analysing the target group in detail and adapting the time window for sending accordingly.

Have a long weekend!

What email marketer wouldn’t enjoy a long weekend? – Use Monday or Friday to relax, but of course there is always something to do, such as preparing campaigns or analysing sending statistics. Everyone knows that an email marketer never sleeps, and if they do, they only sleep standing up and with their eyes open!

No matter what you end up doing on these two days of the week, one task should never be on your daily program – sending a campaign.

There are numerous reasons why mailing on these two days makes little sense and should be avoided in any case.

Why? Typical tasks for Monday include creating the weekly schedule, which means that new emails are not yet in focus. You should also bear in mind that many inboxes are full of spam messages after the weekend. Sending into this chaos should be avoided at all costs. Instead, let’s wait until the recipient has cleared their inbox and the chances of the email being seen, or at best opened, increase enormously.

Another factor is of a psychological nature. After an eventful weekend, it is well known that many people find it extremely difficult to motivate themselves for the new working week. New inquiries and business proposals are therefore less favourably received than would be the case on other days.

Similar problems arise with Friday. Friday is the end of the week, the agenda usually includes the completion of various tasks, new projects are rarely initiated and so a cold email sent does not necessarily fall on fertile ground. There is also the psychological effect of the weekend. After a more or less stressful working week, people look forward to relaxing days with family or friends, which also reduces the motivation to initiate new projects within the company.

Night shift or healthy sleep?

Emails that are sent at night also have little chance of having the desired effect. Evenings and nights are usually dedicated to leisure activities and important emails remain hidden in a flood of spam messages.

The sacred Weekend

Sending emails at weekends should only be reserved for special exceptions, in general, it is not advisable because what applies to the night hours can and must also apply to the weekend. The weekend is dedicated to private life and is sacred.

If you are sure that the recipients will be available at the weekend and you are sending, make sure that the content and tone are appropriate. It is preferable to be extremely respectful and not to put any kind of pressure on the recipient.

If possible, avoid this additional risk and play it safe. You are better off sending during regular business hours.

Email around the World

For some mailings, it is necessary to send emails internationally and as soon as this is on the agenda, it is vital to remember one important fact. The recipient may be in a different time zone. If this is the case, thinking about adjusting the sending time accordingly won’t be a mistake.

Excellence in Timing

If your timing is like a Swiss clockwork, you have laid an important foundation for an effective email marketing campaign and the open and response rates will increase as a reward for choosing the right time.

So take advantage of this opportunity and increase your efficiency, because it is rare to achieve significant effects with so little effort. Check your mailing times today and if you are unsure, our beloved A/B test will certainly help you make the right decision. In any case, Bancomail wishes you a great good time testing and optimizing your e-mail campaigns.