When Is The Best Time To Send A Marketing Email From Your SaaS Business?

Email marketing is one of the classics when it comes to digital marketing for SaaS businesses. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your customers and keep them updated on what’s new with your product.

But one of the most common challenges in email marketing is having the right timing for sending your messages to your email subscribers.

So when is the best time to send a marketing email?

The truth is that there is no single across-the-board perfect time to do it. But in this blog post, we will talk about what studies say and how you can find the best time to send YOUR marketing emails.

But first, let’s get on the same page on why you need to get your email timing right.

Why You Need To Send Emails At The Right Time

The answer is simple: when you time your email correctly, your open rate will improve.

And when your open rate improves, so does the likelihood of people taking the action you want them to take. Whether that’s subscribing to your blog, downloading a piece of content, or buying your SaaS product.

In other words, when you get the timing right on when to send marketing emails, you’ll see better results from your emails.

And that leads to higher revenue and improved return on investment (ROI) on your email marketing campaign.

Factors That Affect The Best Time To Send An Email

There are a few different factors that can affect the right time to send an email blast from your SaaS business to your subscribers.

In this section, we’ll go over some of those factors so you can take them into account when you’re planning your email campaign.

Your Target Audience

The first factor to consider when deciding when to send an email is the people you are sending the email to.

Are they stay-at-home moms? Business professionals? Teenagers? The time of day that you send your email will be different depending on who your target audience is.

For example, if you’re targeting busy business professionals, you’ll want to avoid sending emails during work days and hours when they’re likely to be bogged down with meetings and deadlines.

Instead, try sending emails early in the morning or late in the afternoon when they’re more likely to have some free time. Still, there could be strategic times in the day when they’re more likely to check their email, like when they’re taking a break for lunch.

On the other hand, if you’re targeting stay-at-home moms, mid-day might be the perfect time to reach them since that’s when their kids are in school and they have some free time.

The key here is to know your audience and when they’re likely to be available to read your email.

Your Email Marketing Goal

The second factor to consider when deciding when to send an email is your email marketing goal.

Are you trying to increase brand awareness? Drive traffic to your website? Make a sale?

For example, if you’re trying to build trust with your email subscribers, you would want them to have a longer engagement with your emails, right?

In that case, sending an email late at night when they have more free time might be a good idea.

Another possible goal may be to get subscribers to take action on your website.

In that case, you might want to send your email immediately before or after work hours when they’re most likely to be in front of a computer.

Or if your emails are just supposed to be reminders for an event you’re holding, you might want to send them a few days and a few hours before the event.

The Email Type You Are Sending

The next factor to consider when deciding when to send an email campaign is what type of email you are sending.

Some types of email content are better suited for certain times of day than others.

For example, emails that contain discounts or deals are more likely to be opened and acted upon if they’re sent early in the morning. After all, around that time is when people are trying to save money on their purchases.

On the other hand, emails with content that is meant to be enjoyed leisurely, such as an educational newsletter, are best sent when your target has the time to read through it. That can be before work hours, after work, or the break times in between.

Your Industry

Another factor to consider when deciding when to send an email in your industry.

Some industries are more active at certain times of day than others.

For example, let’s say your customers are in the retail industry. Most retail stores open at around 10 AM. So they will likely be busy starting those hours. As a result, before 10 AM might be the only free time they have to check their inboxes.

Let’s have another example. The healthcare industry is busiest during weekday mornings and evening hours when people are going to and from work. So, if you’re in the healthcare industry, sending emails during those times might be a good idea.

Best email send times may also depend on what time your customers need your SaaS product the most.

For example, let’s say your SaaS solution has something to do with the food industry. You may want to send promotional emails right before meal times when people are thinking about food.

So, when you’re deciding when to send your email, consider when people in your industry are the or the times when they would need your SaaS product the most.

What Studies Say About The Best Email Send Times

Now that we’ve gone over some of the factors to consider when deciding when to send marketing emails, let’s look at what studies say about the best time to send them.

Here are some pointers we can take from various studies from reputable sources.

1) Tuesdays To Thursdays Are The Best Days To Send Business Emails

According to a study by OptinMonster, the B2B email open rate is at its highest from Tuesdays to Thursdays.

That makes sense since businessmen and professionals are likely resting during the weekends. Mondays don’t work as well because of the rush of starting the work week. And as for Fridays, people are eager to start their weekends.

So, if you’re sending emails to a B2B audience, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are when your subscribers are most likely to open them.

But what about the best time of the day to send these emails?

That brings us to our next point.

2) The Best Send Time For Business Emails Include 8 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, & 6 PM

According to the same study by OptinMonster, the best time to send a B2B email include 8 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, & 6 PM.

What we need to remember is that the workplace is filled with diverse people with varying preferences and daily habits. Some prefer to check their emails in the morning, while others in the afternoon.

Here’s why the times we mentioned are the best send time for a B2B email:

8 AM: Sending your email blast at this time can help you reach those who check their emails before they get their work started.

1 PM: This is when people are most likely to take their lunch break. And what do some people do during their lunch break? They check their emails.

4 PM: This is when people are winding down from work and are checking their email one last time before they leave for the day.

6 PM: This is when people are done with work and are either relaxing at home or still on their commute out of the office. Checking their emails at this time can help you reach those who prefer to wind down with some leisure reading.

3) Best Email Send Times For Most Industries Fall Within 10 AM & 3 PM

Another study by Sendinblue analyzed the best email send times per industry.

They found the following best send days and times for each industry:

• Software or SaaS: Tuesdays or Thursdays, from 2 PM to 3 PM
• Ecommerce: Tuesdays or Thursdays at 10 AM
• Offline Retail and Hospitality: Thursdays, from 8 AM to 10 AM
• Marketing Services: Wednesdays at 4 PM
• B2B Professional Services: Mondays or Tuesdays, from 8 AM to 10 AM
• Nonprofit: Tuesdays or Thursdays, from 3 PM to 4 PM

How To Find The Best Time To Send YOUR Marketing Emails

As we discussed earlier, these studies we mentioned don’t necessarily apply to all types of businesses.

After all, each company is different. And what works for one company may not work for another.

So how do you find the best email send time for your email marketing campaign?

Here are some things you can do:

• Understand your target audience
• Find out what devices are being used to view your emails
• AB test your email send times
• Check out your competitors’ email send times

Understand Your Target Audience

Before you can find the best time to send your marketing emails, you need to understand your target audience.

Remember, your target audience is made up of people with different backgrounds, preferences, and daily habits. So, it’s important to know who they are and what they like before you can decide when to send your emails.

To get to know your target audience, you can start by creating buyer personas.

Buyer personas are semi-fictional characters that represent your ideal customer. They’re based on market research as well as real data about your existing customers.

The remarkable thing about having different buyer personas is that you can put yourself in their shoes.

And when you know what they’re thinking and feeling, it’ll be easier for you to understand why certain email send times work better than others.

Find Out What Devices Are Being Used To View Your Emails

Some devices are better suited for certain tasks than others. And when it comes to email, that’s definitely the case.

For example, smartphones are great for checking emails on the go. But they’re not ideal for reading long or complex emails.

On the other hand, laptops and desktop computers are better for reading lengthy emails. But they’re not as convenient when you’re out and about.

So, when you’re trying to find the best time to send your marketing emails, it’s important to consider what devices your subscribers are using to view them.

Are they reading your emails on their smartphones? Or are they reading them on their laptops or desktop computers?

The answer to this question can help you narrow down your search for the best email send time.

AB Test Your Email Send Times

Once you have an idea of when your target audience is most likely to check their emails, it’s time to start testing.

The best way to do this is through AB testing.

AB testing is when you send out two versions of the same email to two different groups of people. The only difference between the two emails is the send time.

For example, you can send one email at 10 AM and another email at 2 PM. Then, you can compare the results to see which email performed better.

By AB testing your email sending times, you can find out what works best for your business. And you can make sure that your future marketing campaigns are more successful.

Check Out Your Competitors’ Email Send Times

Your competitors are a great resource when it comes to finding the best time to send your marketing emails.

After all, they’ve probably already done the research and experimentation for you. So, why not learn from their successes (and failures)?

To find out when your competitors are sending their marketing emails, sign up for their email lists. Then, take note of when you receive their emails.

By checking out your competitor’s email send times, you can get a better idea of when the best time to send your marketing emails might be.

4 Tips For Sending Your Marketing Emails At The Right Time

Now that you know when to send your marketing emails, it’s time to learn how to actually do it.

Here are some tips that can help:

• Schedule your emails in advance
• Send at the right time using email marketing automation
• Take different time zones into consideration
• Compare your performance to email marketing benchmarks

1. Schedule Your Emails In Advance

One of the best ways to make sure your marketing emails are sent at the right time is to schedule them in advance and plot them in an email marketing calendar.

When you schedule your emails, you can choose the day and time when you want them to be sent out. That way, you don’t have to worry about forgetting to hit “send” at the right moment. Instead, you can just set it and forget it.

Most email marketing platforms come with built-in email scheduling features. So, if you’re not sure how to do this, just check your platform’s documentation or support forums.

2. Send At The Right Time Using Email Marketing Automation

There are plenty of email marketing platforms that come with built-in features to help you find the best time to send your emails.

For example, tools like Mailchimp and Sendinblue both have “Send Time Optimization” features that analyze when your subscribers are most likely to open and click on your emails. Then, the platform automatically sends your emails at those times.

Using tools like these can spare you the time and effort of having to do your own research. And they can help you ensure that your marketing emails are being sent at the best possible time.

3. Take Different Time Zones Into Consideration

Another thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to find the best time to send your marketing emails is time zones.

If your target audience is located in different time zones, you’ll need to take that into account when you’re sending your emails. Otherwise, they might not receive them at the most ideal time.

For example, let’s say that your target audience is located in both the US and Europe. And you want to send your marketing emails at 8 AM EST.

Well, 8 AM EST is only 1 PM GMT. So, if you’re targeting people in Europe, they might not see your email until the afternoon. But if you’re targeting people in the US, they’ll receive your email early in the morning.

To avoid this issue, you can either send your emails at different times for each time zone or use a tool that automatically converts the time for you.

One example of a neat tool for this purpose is Mailchimp’s Timewarp feature.

With Timewarp, you can automatically send your emails at right time in each time zone.

For example, if you want to send your email at 8 AM EST, it adjusts send times for subscribers in different time zones.

If you have subscribers in a GMT time zone, your email would automatically be sent to them at 8 AM GMT.

4. Compare Your Performance To Email Marketing Benchmarks

In addition to testing and researching, it’s also a good idea to compare your performance to email marketing benchmarks.

This will give you an idea of how well you’re doing in terms of email open rates and click-through rates. And it can help you determine whether or not you need to make any changes to your email marketing strategy.

As of this writing, here are some email marketing benchmarks in the tech and software industry:

• Open Rate: 22.7%
• Click Through Rate: 2.0%
• Click-To-Open Rates: 9.8%
• Unsubscribe Rates: 0.2%

Still, remember that send time is not the only factor that affects these email marketing metrics. They are also affected by your subject lines, preview texts, email content, and a lot more.

Don’t forget to take those other factors into account when you’re evaluating your performance.

Final Thoughts About Sending Marketing Emails At The Right Time

There’s no magic time when you should send your marketing emails. The best time to send them depends on your particular audience and situation.

Still, the studies we’ve talked about in the article are there as guides. They can help you get started on finding the perfect time to send your marketing emails.

Or perhaps they can serve as control variables when you’re AB testing your email send times.

And once you’ve found a good send time, don’t forget to keep testing and analyzing your results. Doing so can help you further fine-tune your email marketing strategy and get even better results.

Looking for more guides and strategies that can help you grow your SaaS business? Check out our blog here.