The best time of week to send marketing emails

[Krapulator]

We operate a travel company in Australia and we have quite a large list of opt-in email adddresses. We regularly send news and deals to our subscribers, however I was wondering if anyone has any information (anecdotal or otherwise) suggesting the best time of the day/week to send this kind of communication.

My guess is that after lunch on a Friday might be the best time because I feel people are more open to distraction than they might be on a Monday morning for example.

[Durham_e]

DON'T SEND this message timed before pm Australian in case you are already reaching for the button.

Conventional Wisdom ex very big online hosted email operator

"Always send email on a full stomach. Mid-day (e.g. 11am-2pm) gets better open and click-through rates than evenings. And, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are proven to be better days for both consumer and business audiences."

In my experience this is absolutely correct. Friday afternoons are a total waste of time. Recipients thoughts focussed on weekend - don't have days to respond - gone home - who wants to make decisions etc etc

[BwanaZulia]

That is so funny...

I have been saying for years that Tue/Wed/Thur during lunch is the best time to send.

- Monday/Friday people either have too much email or don't want to act on anything

- Mornings people have the overnight emails, so they go through them quickly

- Evenings people want to go home/bed/tv

So the best time is right after lunch. They have dealt with the morning emails, are ready to get back to work (but not fully) and are starting to act.

BZ

[Mr Bo Jangles]

I can't prove BwanaZulia's advice is correct, but it concurs exactly with my thoughts on the timing and reasons for it.

[hannamyluv]

I will second BwanaZulia thoughts on the matter from my own email marketing experiences.

[roitracker]

While most marketers do send their mailings mid-week, some consumer mailings generate MUCH higher responses if sent at the weekend. Time of day is also less important than day of send.

Ultimately, the only way to determine which works best for your business is by testing it.