You want to get your email to as many people as possible when you send it.
Think about your audience. When will they most likely read your emails? Early in the morning or after they get home from the work day? You want to send your email at the time you think your audience is most likely to open it so that it appears at the top of their inboxes when they check. When using Constant Contact, it can be easy to determine what might be the best time to send your future emails.
Have you sent emails in the past?
If you have sent emails in the past using Constant Contact, you can try any of these options:
- Use the Next Best Time to Send Option – When you schedule a new email to send, Constant Contact will automatically calculate the best time to send based on when your past emails have been opened. If you haven’t sent enough emails to have built up some history, Constant Contact will automatically calculate a time based off of the general industry trends to help you select a time that will help your email appear at the top of your audience’s lists. If in doubt, try this time provided.
- Patterns from Past Emails – Look for patterns from similar emails you have sent in the past. Constant Contact provides a Reporting Tool that will allow you to see when your past emails have been opened. To do this, click on the Reporting tab. Select the email that you have sent in the past and click on the number in the “Open Rate” column. This will show you what time of day the email was opened and what day of the week. You can quickly look for patterns and determine what day of the week and what time of the day was the most popular. Plan to send your next email around that time.
- Experiment to See What Works Best – Try testing! Send the same email to two different lists of contacts at different times and compare your results. Follow Constant Contacts suggested industry send times and see how they compare between the groups you sent. Experiment until you find a time that improves your open rate.
New to Email Marketing?
If you are new to sending emails and don’t have previous emails to check the reporting, don’t fret. Constant Contact has done some of the research for you. See the chart they have created of general industry guidelines from research done between July 2016 to September 2016. Follow this guideline to start sending and begin to watch your open rates. Be sure to keep experimenting until you find the time that works best for your audience.
At Vivid Image we are proud to partner with Constant Contact and are ready to help you find the right fit for your Email Marketing strategy. From Newsletters and Publications to Surveys and Social Campaigns we are here to help you get started, achieve better results and find the perfect fit. Contact your Account Director or (320) 587-8974 with your Email Marketing or Constant Contact questions or visit Constant Contact for a FREE Trial.
