Do you know that a cold email’s typical reply rate ranges from 1 to 5%? It’s really low. However, as a sales professional, you constantly wonder: When is the ideal time to send emails to expect an email reply?
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You wouldn’t want to bother your prospects while they are busy. Therefore, you must be searching for the perfect moment to contact them so that you can count on a favorable answer. After all, your goal in emailing them is to establish a rapport so that you can finally close a deal.
The only option is to know when prospects can view your email. So, to help you obtain the most responses from your B2B cold emails, we’ve included the best days and hours.
What Is a Cold Email?
An unsolicited email sent to a recipient without prior communication is known as a “cold email.” Email marketing includes cold emailing, distinct from warm and transactional emailing.
What Can Affect Email Open Rates?
Several factors can influence email’s open rates, including:
- The email’s subject line;
- The sender;
- The time of day;
- The email’s security.
There are other things to be careful of, not the least of which is sending an email at inappropriate times. Let’s examine some of the elements that may affect the response rate.
The Subject Line
Most of the time, your receiver will view your email’s subject line first. Therefore, ensuring that your subject lines are straightforward, simple, and captivating is crucial. The first subject line is unique and provides value to the recipient. On the other hand, the second subject line seems desperate and self-serving. The stats reveal that 47 percent of email recipients open their emails based on a catchy subject line.
The Sender
The sender is another factor that may impact email’s open rates. If the receiver does not know you, they will not open your emails. Therefore, including your name and contact details with the email is crucial.
Additionally, you have to refrain from utilizing cliched email addresses like sales@ or info@. Using a real name and email address will increase the chances of response rates.
The Time Of Day
When sending cold sales emails, it’s crucial to consider the recipient’s time zone. The time of day can also impact email’s open rates. Try to submit your email during regular business hours instead. People are more prone to check their email during this time, making it more likely that they will notice your message.
The Security Of The Email
Email security is another factor that may influence open rates. Your email’s receiver will not open it if they see that it came from an anonymous person or wasn’t correctly encrypted. Due to this, it’s crucial to use a secure email provider and ensure your recipient is aware of your identity.
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Does Timing Matter for Email Marketing?
The ideal period for sending cold emails has no precise definition. Depending on the audience, a different time period may be ideal.
People receive a large number of emails daily in their inboxes. However, most of the emails go to the trash box. According to studies, if your intended audience doesn’t read the email within 24 hours of sending it, they won’t ever open it again. Your outreach emails become a nightmare if no one opens them. Email response time is crucial in email marketing to enhance sales processes.
What Are The Perfect Days to Send Emails?
According to numerous studies, the best time to send an email to cold prospects is Tuesday and Thursday, with Wednesday coming in third. The best days to get things done are Tuesday and Thursday since those days will help you improve open rates.
Mondays can be challenging because everyone attempts to catch up after the weekend and re-enter the workweek. People are typically less focused on their jobs on Friday as they prepare for the weekend.
Of course, none of this is definite. Send it on a different day if you know your recipient will check their email then. However, generally speaking, the perfect days to send a cold email are Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The Best Time to Send Emails
Your cold emails’ open and response rates might significantly change if you choose the right time to send them. But it’s not just picking the most favorable day of the week.
The ideal time to send cold emails is between 8 and 11 am in the receiver’s time zone. This is because officials typically begin their workdays early, and students wake up early for class. Cell phones have made it simpler for users to access their email anytime, even if they are not at work. Therefore, even if your receiver is not at work, they will likely see your message when they wake up.
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Things to Consider in Choosing a Time to Send Emails
Consider the following before you send an email to cold prospects:
Audience Demographics and Behavior
Before you send cold emails, you should research your target customer’s behavior, that of his email subscribers, and his location and time zones. It is not a wise choice to conduct outreach initiatives on Sunday to people who reside in European nations. Moreover, the receiver may not open emails on weekends.
Short Email Body
Everyone is so busy these days. Their schedules don’t allow them to read your lengthy email. Therefore, your email body should be concise. Three components make up a cold email body.
- Introduction (where you describe your business);
- Purpose (the main idea);
- Salutation (Conclusion).
Sending Emails Frequently
Your target clients will become irritated if you send too many emails daily. However, sending a few emails will not accomplish your objective. Therefore, before sending cold emails, you must maintain frequency. Each week, you may send one cold email.
Reader Experience
Your audience expects an email that is simple to read and comprehend. Almost everyone uses a mobile device to check email.
As a result, your cold email needs to be responsive. Future customers won’t even open your email if it is not reader-friendly.
When to Avoid Sending Cold Emails?
It’s best to avoid the evening hours. People are likely to have less time and energy around this time as they are winding down. Additionally, they are more likely to view your message as a disruption.
Additionally, it would help if you avoided lunchtime. People are eating lunch and mingling with their colleagues. Moreover, they plan to relax during this short break and do not want work-related disturbances. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid sending emails during weekends when employees are busy with their families and friends. Most people do not check their inboxes on Saturdays and Sundays. So, sending emails over the weekend will not be helpful.
What Email Frequency is Perfect for Your Prospect List?
Sending emails twice a month, then weekly, would be an intelligent strategy. You may send emails two to three times weekly if you have excellent content, dynamic offers, or frequent promotions. Keep an eye on these initiatives.
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What Metrics Help Can You Use to Measure the Success of Your Cold Email Outreach?
The best time for sending an email depends on how you assess success when conducting a cold email outreach. These are some metrics that you need to consider:
1. Click-through rate
You may determine the number of people that click the image or link in your email by looking at the click-through rate. This email metric will be lower than the overall number of emails opened because not all recipients will read your emails.
2. Click-to-open rate
The click-to-open rate is the percentage of receivers that both opened and clicked on the email’s link. You can evaluate the success of your email campaign using this metric.
3. Open rate
Email open rate is the percentage of receivers of recipients who opened your emails. High open rates show that the emails were exciting and engaging because of catchy subject lines.
Conclusion
Numerous studies have shown that there is no ideal time or day to send an email, as you can see. Finding a time that suits you, though, is crucial. You can base it on research into buyer personas, A/B tests, and comparisons of your outcomes to benchmarks in the industry.
Don’t forget to improve your email copy, subject line, and outreach procedure. Finally, test out several email marketing tactics to determine which resonates with your target audience the most.