Last week, we asked our loyal readers to tell us which day they’d like our free e-Newsletter delivered. So far, 67% have said Friday works best for them.

That survey prompted us to revisit an article on the 60 Second Marketer entitled What Are the Best Days of the Week to Send Email Campaigns?

In case you haven’t had a chance to read the article, here it is posted on our blog in its entirety:

One of the most commonly asked questions about email marketing is, “What are the best days to send out emails?” But studies designed to answer this question have proven inconclusive. No two email campaigns are the same. As such, what might work for one test audience will not necessarily apply equally for another, due to different campaign objectives or target audiences.

With that in mind, we took a look at each day of the week and analyzed the positives and negatives that might help you determine which days will work best for your needs.

Monday
Positive: Office work has not filled inboxes yet

Negative: Consumers are in work mode and won’t be focused on non-work tasks

Best Practice: Send emails late Monday morning, after consumers have cleaned the weekend spam from their inboxes

Tuesday
Positive: People have organized their week, and can find personal time for emails

Negative: Emails poised for a weekend response may be too early

Best Practice: Use Tuesday for emails that request action during the workweek

Wednesday/Thursday
Positive: Consumers are planning their weekends and gearing up for personal time

Negative: Time during the workweek is running short, and requested action may be pushed back to the following week, or even forgotten about

Best Practice: Focus leisure and weekend notifications during these key weekend planning days

Friday
Positive: Studies indicate fewer total emails sent compared to the rest of the week, increasing visibility among the myriad of other messages

Negative: Consumers hurry to leave the office early, and may not take time to view non-work related emails

Best Practice: Send emails early in the day to give consumers more time to take action. An unopened email from Friday will sort to the bottom of an inbox on Monday, and is often discarded

Weekends
Positive: People check emails on weekends, too, so weekends may have untapped potential

Negative: A weekend email may seem overly-intrusive to some people

Best Practice: If possible, try to avoid Sundays and focus on Saturdays, which may have a better response rate

The most important point to keep in mind for an email campaign is a proper and thorough evaluation of a test group. By making a practice of consistently testing your email campaigns, you’ll be sure to get the most bang for your marketing buck.

If you’re interested in more helpful tips like these, consider signing up for our free weekly eNewsletter. It’s delivered directly to your inbox.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009, 7:33 am   |   Email marketing  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback