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Timing is Everything: B2B Email Marketing with Gangbusters Results

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Timing is Everything: B2B Email Marketing with Gangbusters Results

In the realm of B2B relationship marketing performance, timing can be the secret weapon that transforms your campaigns from mediocre to extraordinary. A recent experiment with one of my clients' monthly email newsletters has shed new light on the optimal timing for sending out B2B emails, and the results were nothing short of gangbusters.

The Experiment

Our client granted us the autonomy to experiment with the send date and time for their monthly newsletter. On July 1, at precisely 11:58 AM ET, we sent out the newsletter. The results were staggering: a 4X increase in open rate and a 30X increase in engagement compared to a similar newsletter sent on June 3 to the same audience.

What Do These Results Tell Us?

  1. Holiday Weeks are Not Off Limits: Traditionally, marketers might avoid sending emails during holiday weeks, assuming that their audience is less likely to engage. However, our experiment suggests the opposite. The remarkable boost we saw on July 1, which falls just before the Independence Day holiday, indicates that these periods can actually be prime opportunities for engagement.
  2. Strategic Timing: The timing of 11:58 AM ET was chosen to ensure the email landed in inboxes just before the lunch hour on the East Coast. This timing leverages the natural breaks in a workday when recipients are more likely to check their emails.
  3. Audience Behavior: Understanding the behavior of your B2B audience is crucial. Our audience, likely taking a breather before the holiday festivities, had more time to engage with the content. This insight challenges the conventional wisdom of avoiding holiday periods for email sends.

Planning the Next Experiment

With the success of the July 1 newsletter, we're eager to test this timing strategy further. The next target is the Monday before Thanksgiving. Given the similar context of an upcoming holiday, we anticipate a comparable boost in engagement. Here’s why:

  • Pre-Holiday Window: Just like the Monday before Independence Day, the Monday before Thanksgiving presents a unique opportunity. Professionals are often wrapping up tasks before the holiday, and a well-timed email can catch their attention during this pre-holiday lull.
  • Consistent Timing: We will maintain the 11:58 AM ET send time to capitalize on the mid-morning check-in period.

Key Takeaways for B2B Email Marketing

  1. Experiment with Timing: Don’t shy away from sending emails during unconventional times, including holiday weeks. Experimentation can yield surprising and valuable insights.
  2. Understand Your Audience: Know your audience’s behavior and schedule your emails to align with their natural breaks and check-in times.
  3. Monitor and Adapt: Continuously monitor the performance of your emails and be ready to adapt your strategy based on the results.

Conclusion

In B2B email marketing, timing truly is everything. Our recent experiment has demonstrated that strategic timing, even during holiday weeks, can dramatically boost engagement. As we prepare to test this strategy further with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we remain committed to fine-tuning our approach and uncovering the best practices for our clients.

Stay tuned as we continue to explore the impact of timing on B2B email marketing and share our insights to help you achieve gangbusters results with your campaigns.