No man is an iland

June 30, 2009

Serious and practical posts are all very well, but I need a little light distraction now and then.

So after wrestling with the complexities of mobile email challenges, it's time to return to the famous inboxes series.

Here's one for Harry Potter fans to tide them over before the new movie appears.

More from this series: Darth Vader | Sauron | Miss Elizabeth Bennet

June 26, 2009

Last week's post proved that mobile email is on the rise and outlined half a dozen related challenges for email marketers.

So how do we deal with those challenges?

How do we, for example, adapt email design to account for the limitations of mobile devices, but without sacrificing on impact when the same email is viewed on a PC?

Should we even try?

Two years ago, ExactTarget published a detailed report on mobile email use and the implications for marketers.

The results of a follow-up survey are out shortly and Morgan Stewart (ExactTarget's Director, Research & Strategy) was kind enough to pass on some early insights.

The core message is "don't panic." Mobile email has caught on because people want a way to deal with urgent and personal emails when they are on the go.

As such, not many are using mobile email to interact with promotional marketing messages. Instead, they save such emails for later perusal:

"We're nervous about what mobile email looks like, but most people are actually waiting for the desktop to read commercial email."

So your design focus still needs to be on traditional display environments.

At the same time, the number that do read and act on promotions and newsletters through their mobile device is likely to grow.

However, since this development is driven by better mobile browser and email software, the problem is effectively its own cure.

Expect more from Morgan when the new results are fully analyzed.

Even though the mobile challenge may not be the big issue we sometimes assume, there are various changes you can make to better address the mobile email user base.

Make your normal email more mobile-friendly

Your commercial email needs to survive the filtering process that deletes everything that isn't worth saving for later. As Simms Jenkins wrote last year:

"...your goal should be to make it through this mobile gauntlet and hopefully get responded to later."

The basic value of your emails is the big factor determining whether you're saved or deleted. But you can help make the decision positive through the following tactics, none of which hurt the email experience back on the desktop (on the contrary):

1. Ensure your emails are recognized. This means, in particular, a consistent sender name (person, brand, organization, etc.) that recipients know, plus identifying text or images (e.g. logo) at the top of the email.

(See this post for more details on ensuring recognition.)

2. Use the preheader space to communicate the value of the content or offer. (See here for information on preheader design.)

3. Ensure images and logos use alt attributes so useful text appears in place of blocked images.

4. Make sure the important words are at the front of your subject line.

Kath Pay writes:

"Put the key information first in the subject line, such as call to action or the offer. That way, important information remains if the mobile inbox cuts off the subject line before the end."

For more on "frontloading" subject lines, see Part 5 of the subject line series, and this follow-up.

Optimize for the smartphone future

The "next level" of change you can make is to account for people who also read and act on commercial messages through their mobile device.

The number of such people is likely to increase as the smartphone market grows, smartphones improve their Internet capabilities, and the differences between phones and mini-computers become blurred (see the previous post.)

If a significant number of people are reading emails and websites on their smartphone, then this implies that these phones are doing a pretty good job at displaying both.

In turn, this means we can relax a little about design. Except for the issue of screen size.

In a recent report on email design, Aaron Smith notes:

"In the next year or so we may be recommending widths closer to 500 or 550 pixels for promotional messages as we'll want to pay more attention to market saturation and email usage on smartphones."

Loren McDonald also has some useful tips on general design improvements that help align PC and mobile email design.

The "mobile version" link

The widely-recommended practice of simply adding a link to a "mobile version" is easier conceived than implemented. It's hard to come up with a link that keeps all potential users happy.

There are two main challenges: how do you code the link and what do you put on the page hosting the "mobile version" of the email?

The landing page issue is rarely addressed in the media, because you actually have various choices. For example:

Option 1: A "normal" web version, for those with good browsers in their mobile device.

Option 2: A "full mobile" version of your email, which is simply a web page optimized for narrower screens and perhaps bandwidth limitations.

Option 3: A "simplified mobile" version, which is a web page consisting mostly of text in narrow columns.

Someone using an older mobile phone wants option 3. Smartphone users want option 2. And your CFO wants option 1 because it doesn't cost extra.

• Can your software or ESP automatically create a genuinely mobile-ready website version of your HTML email?
• Which kind of mobile-ready website version does it create? Is it the right kind?
• Can it still do it when you're using personalization and dynamic content?
• If the ESP or software doesn't have this functionality, can you do it yourself?
• Is the additional work justified?
• And if the landing page is mobile-optimized, does that mean the subsequent pages leading off that page have to be mobile-optimized, too?

Those are just some of the questions you need to ask: the mind begins to boggle.

Now for the link itself. If you do this...

Mobile version

...it will work fine on many mobile devices. But some will display this...

Mobile version

Another option is this:

Mobile version: http://email-marketing-reports.com/112/

The written-out URL is not linked here: it's just text.

If it was linked, it would introduce another whacking great tracking URL to fill up the screen on some devices, plus there are concerns that it might trigger some anti-phishing checks (see here for an explanation.)

The text link gives a clear and short URL for mobile users to click on or copy and paste.

I'd welcome any input from you on how you think it's best to link to a mobile version of your email.

Whatever link(s) you do use, put them right at the top of the email where they're easily found. For more on mobile link formats and traps to watch for, see this post.

Deciding if it's worthwhile

Given all the above, you might wonder if it's worth the hassle. And in many cases, it probably isn't.

Here's a quote from the great Anna Yeaman of Style Campaign:

"I'm ditching the mobile link in my newsletter. Only person who clicked on it was me because I was so chuffed I'd put it in."

Currently, developing a comprehensive mobile email and website experience probably only makes sense for very large lists or where you can be certain that your recipients are using mobile email and regard your messages as relatively urgent. An example might be stock updates.

Many experts recommend you let people self-select as mobile users when signing-up or in preference centers. The problem there is that people don't use their mobile device exclusively. As we noted, they tend to keep commercial email for later when back on a PC.

So if you send allegedly "mobile users" nicely formatted plain text messages, you're missing out on the power of HTML and images when most of these messages are actually read on a desktop or laptop.

So how do you decide how much effort to invest in making your emails mobile-friendly?

I can do little more than point you to this article by Deirdre Cook which covers that decision process in depth. She concludes:

"...unless there is a clear benefit to implementing a program today, for now, the best mobile strategy may be to use this time to enhance your knowledge of your customer's mobile habits and preferences."

With so many mobile devices, operating systems and software out there, nobody need feel out of touch if they're confused. I know I am. What's your take on all this?

More on mobile email marketing | Tags: email marketing, wireless email, mobile email

June 24, 2009

The folk at Campaign Monitor have important information on the likely rendering capabilities of Outlook 2010, slated for release in about a year.

In essence, the problems associated with Outlook 2007 have not been fixed. So Outlook 2010 is set to be equally resistant to animated gifs, background images, various CSS properties, etc..

Since HTML email design adapts to the lowest common denominator, Outlook 2010 would continue to place limits on design creativity and functionality.

The only "good" news is that if you've adapted your emails for Outlook 2007, you hopefully shouldn't need to make new changes for Outlook 2010. (Perhaps a designer can clarify that for us?)

The original issues around Outlook 2007 led to the creation of the Email Standards Project and today saw them set up an initiative to try and get Microsoft to take appropriate remedial action.

Microsoft's argument is that their approach (using Word to render emails) ensures that emails composed in newer versions of the Outlook email client will look as intended when received by those same clients.

Which is a solid argument if the whole world is using that product to send and receive email.

Oh.

It's a strangely insular kind of logic which I don't really get. The Campaign Monitor post has further details and relevant quotes from Microsoft staff.

But there's a lesson for us here.

Outlook 2007 (and its likely successor) don't support particular HTML design features that we'd quite like to use in our promotions and newsletters.

That's a big issue for email designers. But you know what? The email industry (not the email marketing industry) and seemingly Microsoft isn't that bothered.

Put your email user cap on. The vast majority of messages you consider truly important are nothing more than text and maybe the odd image or attachment. Mails from friends, family and work colleagues, and simple transactional emails.

Of course there will be exceptions, but the vast majority of "important" messages received by Outlook 2007 users look fine. A few bulk marketing emails may look a little weird as not everyone has adapted to the constraints imposed by Outlook 2007. But do these users care?

Are the protests about Outlook 2007 and now 2010 coming from people who are not designers or marketers? It's likely to be the key question for the software folk behind Outlook.

Let's be clear: I'm not saying our concerns about Outlook are unimportant or irrelevant. I'm a long-time supporter of the Email Standards Project and you'll find my ugly face adorning FixOutlook.org, too.

But the whole issue reflects the fact that recipients do not see our emails and the complexities of HTML email design as quite so urgent and important as we perhaps do. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this argument.

It might also explain why mobile device manufacturers have - until recently - been extremely lax about support for HTML email.

People use mobile devices to check their email for important messages. And marketing email isn't that important to them. So support for HTML email was perhaps never a great priority. (The follow-up to last week's mobile email post is out later this week BTW.)

So can we learn anything from the Outlook debate?

Perhaps it serves as a useful reminder: the format or the medium is important, but not nearly as important as the basic value of the delivered information. We need to make people care what their commercial HTML email looks like and can do.

Meanwhile, add your voice to the others at FixOutlook.org.

More on email design | Tags: html email, outlook 2010, outlook 2007

June 19, 2009

Life is full of unavoidable truths, mostly involving waistlines and wrinkles.

One of them is that more and more people are reading your emails on a mobile device.

While we all feel we should somehow take account of that in our email design and strategy, few of us do. Mostly because it's hard to work out exactly how to deal with the "mobile email challenge".

The problems start when we try and work out what exactly the "mobile email challenge" is. Much advice on the topic carefully avoids going into detail because the challenges (plural) are various and changing.

Back in 2008, Morgan Stewart summed it up succinctly:

"There is no simple quick fix."

So we shrug and kind of hope it's not a big deal.

Now I'm a big fan of the General Melchett approach...

"If nothing else works, then a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through."

...but strong sales of smartphones suggest the time has come to look at the topic in detail.

This post outlines the current status of mobile email use and the associated challenges. A follow-up post then explores some of the ways we might adapt our emails and even benefit from this trend.

Mobile email capabilities are increasing

The use of mobile email is clearly linked to the availability of email-ready mobile devices, particularly smartphones (phones incorporating advanced PC-like features and strong online capabilities).

According to analysts Gartner, 36.4 million smartphones sold worldwide in Q1, 2009, accounting for 13.5% of all new mobile phone sales.

With all the iPhone love around, you may be surprised to find that the Gartner stats show Nokia is the global smartphone market leader, with 41.2% market share.

Research in Motion (RIM, makers of BlackBerry devices) comes in a distant second with 19.9%. Apple smartphones have "just" a 10.8% share of the market (double the equivalent number in Q1, 2008).

In terms of operating systems, almost half of all smartphones (49.3%) use Symbian.

Market shares differ regionally, of course. Both RIM and Apple post far better numbers in the USA, for example.

These smartphone numbers are likely to grow:

• Juniper Research predicts that annual sales of smartphones will reach over 300 million by 2013, representing about a quarter of the mobile phone market.
• A Kelsey Group study of US mobile phone users back in 2008 found that 49% planned to buy an advanced mobile device within the next two years.

Clearly, millions and millions of email users do or will own a phone with very advanced mobile email capabilities.

Mobile email is a top smartphone activity

In that same Kelsey study, around 40% of mobile phone users said they'd used their mobile phone to go online. And a Netpop report noted that "For Americans, the top three services on the mobile web are e-mail, texting and weather."

A recent ComScore study of mobile phone use in the UK discovered that 13.1% of all mobile phone users had accessed email through their device. More importantly, 35.4% of smartphone users and a massive 75.4% of iPhone users had done so.

So not only are there millions of email-ready mobile devices out there, but people do actually use them to check email.

HTML email capabilities are growing

Given the above, a prime concern of email marketers was always the way in which mobile phones displayed email.

The good news is that popular and newer smartphones are getting much better at handling HTML: the iPhone's excellent treatment of HTML email has forced others to catch up.

Last year, for example, HTML email support arrived for BlackBerry devices through OS and software updates. And the latest release of Nokia Messaging for mobile devices using the S60 software platform with the Symbian OS now supports HTML email.

[If you like your jargon, spend 10 minutes browsing through mobile phone manufacturers' websites. If you don't, stay well clear.]

So if smartphones are getting as good as PCs at reading emails, is the whole mobile email issue going away? Unfortunately...no.

Mobile email challenge 1: rendering

First, there are still devices and systems around that are very poor at handling HTML email.

The classic problem of mobile email design, where incoming mail may be stripped of the HTML code or the code itself is displayed etc. is still around, though it will decline with time.

Second, even the newer models that work adequately with HTML, images and even attachments have displays constrained by the physical nature of the device itself.

Put simply, the size of the screen is much smaller than for a PC or laptop. That alone has implications for email design.

Mobile email challenge 2: user behavior

If we knew exactly which of our subscribers use a mobile device to read our emails (and we knew which device and which software), then we could segment by "reading environment" and send appropriately-designed messages.

So people using old mobile phones might get plain text messages, iPhone users would get HTML-rich messages etc.

Challenge: we don't know this.

Then another layer of complication comes in because people use mobile email in different ways.

1. Many are reading email both on their mobile device and on the PC back home or in the office.

Challenge: If we send email that looks great on a mobile device (for example text-only emails), then these emails are under-optimized when viewed on a PC.

2. Some are using their mobile browser to read webmail.

Challenge: Even email sent to a webmail address may be appearing on a small mobile screen.

3. Some use their mobile email for triage: dealing with urgent messages on their mobile, deleting the rubbish and saving the rest to view later on the PC.

Challenge: how do we ensure our emails survive the triage process?

4. Some will sometimes open and act on marketing email on their mobile device and not save it for later. The distinctions between smartphone, netbook and PC are becoming blurred. Nokia already refers to its newest N97 "smartphone" as "the world's most advanced mobile computer".

Challenge: how do we ensure the whole email/landing page experience works for these mobile users?

5. Some will only use their mobile device for all their email (as explained by Morgan Stewart here).

Challenge: Mobile-only email addresses may reflect specific demographics or be subject to special anti-spam regulations.

But the fun doesn't end there. Let's add in a third layer of complexity: people's habits in terms of why, when and how they use email and the wider Internet change as they gravitate to mobile use.

Aaargghhhh!

Just how do we make sense of that mess?

Can we make sense of it?

Find out in Part 2

More on mobile email marketing | Tags: email marketing, wireless email, mobile email

June 15, 2009

Quick note to say I'm speaking on this topic at a free webinar hosted by Listrak on Wednesday, June 17th at 1pm EDT. Details and registration here.

I'll draw out some of the problems with email marketing you might not have thought about, throw out some examples, and discuss some of the simple improvements that can make a big difference to your success.

You also get to laugh at my British accent and the way my voice gets gradually higher as I get excited about the topic...

June 12, 2009

Just a quick pointer to major revisions of two key resource documents, published today.

1. After a 2009 update, the "42 HTML email design resources" page now actually lists around 50 such resources...covering overviews, guidelines, standards, templates, checklists, design tools, galleries and more.

2. Also revised for 2009: the "Why do email marketing?" article collates surveys, studies, reports and statistics outlining the value of email marketing and marketer's attitudes and plans with regard to the channel.

It includes new numbers from Forbes Media, the European Interactive Advertising Association, Datran Media, Shop.org, Internet Retailer, MarketingProfs and Forrester Research.

Intended for marketers looking to convince budget owners of the value of more (or continuing) investment in email.

Enjoy!

June 09, 2009

After discussing the best time of day to send an email, it makes sense to look at the best day, too.

We all agree that the answer is "it depends": you need to pick out your best guesses based on what you know of your audience, emails and organization and then test to find the winning day.

Good.

But what if that process isn't practical or particularly insightful? And is the idea of a "best day of the week" even the right approach?

What do studies say?

Most experts are leery of those benchmark reports that aggregate numbers across thousands of senders to find which day of the week produced the best open or click rates.

After all, if you have a "what to do this weekend" newsletter, you're not going to send it on a Sunday morning just because that's when studies say the average list gets the best open rates. You don't have an "average" list.

Another argument against using aggregated benchmarks is that the reported "best" day keeps shifting around.

Here are some "best day of week to send" results (based on open rates and some measure of click rates)...

As reported by MailerMailer for 2004 - 2008:



As reported by eROI for intermittent periods from 2005 - 2007:



So, yes, the "best" day keeps changing. But note how often the weekend and start of the week pops up compared to, say, Thursdays. Surely no coincidence?

Does that mean we should always send sometime between Saturday and Monday?

No, because we still have the issue that your list and organization has its own unique characteristics that might make Thursdays the best day.

In fact that "what to do at the weekend" email might perform best on Thursdays, when people are beginning to plan their Saturday and Sunday.

But these aggregated stats do have value. Here's why...

First, if you really can't come up with any realistic "best guess" day, then benchmarks are a starting point...it's worth testing the weekend or early week for your emails.

Second, these stats bring home the point that you need to base your decision on the right metric. The reported best day for opens is rarely the same as the best day for clicks. And the best day for conversions may be different again. What are you trying to maximize?

Past performance and segmenting by daily responses

You can apply the same principles to finding the right day to send as we suggested for finding the right time. Namely:

1. Look back at your campaign reports and see if you can pick up on any patterns. Do emails sent on a particular day always get better results?

2. Define segments based not (just) on what people click, but also on which day they click.

Not everyone on your list has the same email habits. You may find some that check email on weekdays only. And others that use Sundays to catch up on email. Segmenting by "preferred day" lets you better time your sends to match the recipient's email habits.

Change the question: new thinking

All of the above and most articles on this topic fall into a common trap, however. Thanks to the legacy of a newspaper mindset, we often think of the "best day to send" issue in terms of days of the week.

But the question isn't "what's the best day of the week to send email?" It's "what's the best day to send email?"

There's an important difference.

Put it like this. You worked out Sundays are the best day of the week to send out your email promotions.

OK, Christmas Day is on a Monday.

Are you going to send your "gifts with free overnight shipping" promotion on Sunday, December 24th?

Of course not.

Whenever we send campaigns out related to specific events, weather, etc., we implicitly acknowledge that the "best day of the week" and the "best day" are not always going to be the same.

Once you think of the "best day" as independent of a weekly timetable, it opens up numerous possibilities.

One is to explore those trigger email campaigns that essentially let the recipient determine the best day to send. Because the email is sent relative to some event or recipient behavior. More on that here.

Another is to draw up a list of those factors that determine the best time for a recipient to take the action you want them to (click, view, download, buy, register etc.).

The choose your send date based on a review of those factors.

One such factor is when recipients check their email, which is where "best day of the week / best time of day" comes in. And that's still likely to be a critical factor, especially for informational publication-type emails.

But other factors are often undervalued, representing missed opportunities: especially for promotional emails.

Dela Quist writes, for example:

"A far greater number of people on your list are likely to buy because they have just been paid than the number of people who buy because you sent the email before 10am on a Wednesday."

Sending your email on a day of the month where people are likely to have cash in their pockets is a no brainer, as confirmed by Morgan Stewart.

Dela argues strongly in favor of looking at more critical timing factors that are independent of the day of the week, rather than searching for the artificial compromise that is a best day of week (or best time).

Payday is just one example of a factor that might drive the timing of a campaign. I'm sure you can come up with many more that are relevant to your list, organization, and emails.

Think time/day combinations

Another trap is to think of "best day" and "best time of day" as two separate issues. The best time to send depends on the day you send it. And vice versa.

This is illustrated in a detailed test involving B2C campaigns conducted by Switzerland's Newsmarketing agency.

They tested time/day combinations to come up with a matrix (see Page 12 of their report) that shows, for example, that Saturday evenings get great responses...but Monday afternoons are better than Saturday mornings. (NB: report is in German.)

This kind of detailed testing pays off if you can then build the associated time/day list segments and adjust the timing based on the multi-factor approach outlined above.

In summary, it's clear that simply finding some "best day of the week" or "best time of the day" to send your email is a worthy exercise, but only an initial step in optimizing your timing.

Any thoughts?

More on timing | Tags: email marketing, best day to send emails

June 05, 2009

Allegedly, a rose would smell just as sweet with another name.

Except it wouldn't.

Words have associations that affect the way we think, which is why a good copywriter is worth their weight in gold (or aurum, if you prefer).

Some email marketers allow themselves to be misled by terms like open rate, delivery rate and blast.

The first two sound like they measure something they don't actually measure at all. And blast encourages you to think of email as a one-to-many, untargeted marketing approach. Which is not helpful.

A new danger is the terminology surrounding social marketing.

Current social networking terms like "friends," "followers" and "fans" mean something in the "real" world. The mistake is to assume they mean the same online. They don't.

Online, these labels can be based on nothing more than a single click. They are imposed, not earned. And they suggest a depth to the relationship that rarely exists.

Offline, a friend, follower or fan is loyal and (to an extent) forgiving.

Online, they are likely not.

A real "follower" will listen to you spout inanities for an hour. An online follower will give you about 0.5 seconds before moving on to the next Tweet.

A real "friend" will do something for you with no expectation of payment. Most online "friends" ask "what's in it for me?"

Why does this matter?

Many of your online followers, friends and fans will pay attention only for as long as you keep delivering value in your updates, posts, Tweets and messages.

If you let those labels seduce you into assuming offline levels of loyalty, you'll be tempted to tip the value exchange too much in your favor.

You'll assume you have enough goodwill in the relationship bank to get away with entirely self-serving content. You'll let standards slip, and fall into the one-way, push, broadcast marketing mentality that is the antithesis of social media.

Let me quote the wonderful Anne Holland:

"Loathing Facebook friends who "suggest" I become "a fan of" someone, usually themselves. Vomit self promotional."

So if someone becomes a fan, follower or friend, it's you that needs to keep on earning that status. Not them.

What do you think?

June 02, 2009

In Jane Austen's Mansfield Park*, Mary Crawford says "I cannot be dictated to by a watch."

Unfortunately, email marketers dare not share that opinion.

We fuss over subject lines, offers, calls to action and targeting, but sometimes a lack of response is simply a matter of timing.

By the time the recipient checked her inbox, your carefully crafted email was buried by Facebook alerts, business memos and a reminder to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home.

Timing matters.

At this point in any article on "the best time of day to send email," it's traditional to say "it depends" and advise testing to discover the best time for your particular audience.

Which is very sound advice, but let's see if we can come up with something more.

You've probably been through the brainstorming process to draw out a "best guess" time to send. And testing may not be an option if you haven't the time or a big enough list. So where do you go from there?

1. Look at your past results

As noted before, there's a lot of insight already sitting in your campaign reports.

How about taking 6 months' worth of emails and graphing time of send against response and seeing if any patterns emerge?

Specifically, are certain send times always associated with a higher response?

2. Exploit benchmark data on open patterns

If you always send emails out at the same time, you have nothing to compare. But here's an idea...

MailerMailer's half-yearly email marketing metrics report includes a graph comparing opens per hour with time since send.

You'll find the original graph in the latest report, and it looks something like this:



As the numbers are drawn from thousands of email campaigns, you can treat this graph as a typical open rate curve.

Generate your own curve using your campaign stats and compare it to the MailerMailer benchmark. Suppose you see this:



The deviations are telling you something. Is there a timing issue at play?

For example, my newsletter's opens/hour follows a similar curve until around 13-14 hours after the send, when there's a bump.

My email goes out at 1.30pm Eastern Time. That's 7.30pm for most of Europe and that bump represents European readers opening their inboxes the following morning.

The lesson? Even though the newsletter is buried a little in inboxes, it still gets an "unusually" large amount of opens in the European morning.

I should delay sending the newsletter out to Europe until, say, 9am local time so my email is even higher in the inbox when marketers arrive for work.

3. Segment by time of response

That simple example highlights the fact that any "optimal" send time for your whole list is actually a compromise.

It's not "optimal" at all.

Optimal is when you send out each email at the best time for that individual recipient.

At least one ESP provides that functionality in their system, sending out each email based on when the recipient opened and clicked on previous messages. They report big response improvements as a result, with one customer lifting net revenue by 40%.

That kind of functionality is not accessible to all, but you can still apply the principle to your list. Instead of defining segments according to what recipients open and click on, you can look at when they open and click.

So you might be able to build segments like...

• "checks email between 6am and 10am EST"
• "checks email between 10am and 1pm EST"
• "checks email between 1pm and 4pm EST"
• "checks email between 4pm and 9pm EST"
• "checks email between 9pm and 2am EST"
• "checks email between 2am and 6am EST"

...and time your emails to each segment accordingly.

If you have data on recipient location, you can segment by timezone. So if your "best guess" time to send is 9am, you can ensure that people in California, Connecticut, Cologne and Canberra all get the email at 9am local time.

Even without geographic data on your subscribers, you can do some timezone segmentation by matching TLDs (the last bit of the email address) to a timezone. For example, people with .de (Germany) or .fr (France) addresses are likely to be on Central European Time.

[Here's a list of TLDs and their associated country or region.]

4. Make the question obsolete

An alternative option to second guessing the best time of day to send out your emails is to do away with the question entirely.

Eh?

Control of timing becomes less critical to success where the recipient either determines the time of send for you (a concept also applied in the one-to-one model described above). Or where the recipient is determined to seek your emails out, irrespective of when you send them.

Both those concepts are explained in the New Email Marketing series, specifically this post from last year.

5. Think beyond email

Clearly timing is an important issue in email marketing. But many of the concepts involved apply equally to other channels.

Do you, for example, apply as much care to the timing of your blog posts, Tweets or Facebook updates as you do to your emails?

6. One problem

Nearly all articles on the best time to send out email assume that every email leaves the delivery system simultaneously and reaches the recipient instantaneously.

Limitations imposed by both sending and receiving systems mean this just isn't the case, unless your list is relatively small.

So if you have a "best time to send," when do you actually set the email campaign to go? Do you know how long it takes to get all the emails out the door? And should the "best time to send" be at the beginning, middle or end of this time period?

I don't have answers here, but you need to ask the questions. (Love to hear how you deal with this issue.)

This very problem is, however, yet more reason to segment by response time.

If you break up your list into smaller segments, each getting emails sent at different times, then you have a much better chance of delivery times matching intended send times (there are less emails for the systems to get through at any one time.)

Coming up: the best day to send your emails (which also, of course, affects the best time! Fun, isn't it?)

OK, over to you - thoughts?

*Austen novels are a key source of online marketing insight.

More on timing | Tags: email marketing, best day to send emails

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