Best Day for E-Mail Marketing

The other day a client asked me the following question: "So, Skip, what is the best day of the week for sending e-mail?" {We are working together to promote a learning opportunity, a workshop of sorts, planned for September.}

To be clear, the issue here is: what day of the week is best for my audience to see my e-mail message? It's not about sending; it's about reading. It's not about us; it's about them (the audience). And finally, there is no guarantee that anyone will ready anything.

I thought that the best day of the week for sending e-mail messages was Tuesday. Well, it seems that Tuesday used to be the best day of the week.

Intuitively

Mondays are brutal. Too many meetings. Too much other email noise.

Fridays are almost the weekend. Normal humans do not want to work too hard on Fridays; they're already thinking about the weekend.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are the big Meeting Days. This, I know to be true from my friends in the hospitality and catering sectors. Plus, I worked in sales for many years. Prospects, clients and customers are more receptive to meeting with a visitor on Wednesday or Thursday. Folks are busy with meetings and appointments on these days. As a result, neither Wednesday nor Thursday is the optimal day for sending an important e-mail message.

Alas, it must be Tuesday. {As a trivial aside, I was born on a Tuesday. This, however, has in no way affected my thinking on the matter at hand.} Tuesday has worked well for us as the "go" day for e-mail publishing, as well as story pitch - by the way, for several years.

Empirically

Until recently, the best available research showed that more e-mails were read on Monday and Tuesday than were sent on those days ... thus, the sweet spot. But according to a research report (May 2005) from eROI, the e-mail universe has moved toward a condition of stasis. Things have evened out, so to speak.

Empirically speaking, there is no longer a "best day" to have your audience receive your e-mail message.

What to Do?
I'm sticking with Tuesday. You should too. When the quantitative world leaves us without a clear path, we should rely upon on that which makes intuitive sense.

Send those imporant e-mail messages and launch those wonderful
e-newsletters late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Plan your launch so your message is waiting in the inboxes of your readers when they get to work on Tuesday.

Bibliography:

eROI

marketing sherpa

Accountemps

Ideas4Rent (original source: Return Path)