The right time can make a huge difference in your marketing message. Image: Flickr / robandstephanielevy / CC-BY

Marketing is all about getting your message out in front of the right people at the right time. That right time can be especially important when it comes to getting responses to your e-mail, post, tweet or message.

The importance of timing

Timing your message correctly can have as much as a 10 percent effect on the amount of engagement your message may get. Though 10 percent is not necessarily going to make or break a campaign, an extra 10 percent engagement can make a huge impact on the effectiveness of your message. Sending an e-mail, Facebook message or Tweet at the right time makes the difference between it going viral and falling flat.

Go where your customers are

The biggest thing many marketers and affiliates forget is to go where the customers are. This means first knowing who your customers are. Business-to-business products, for example, are likely best marketed during business hours. Customer-focused products, on the other hand, might be best marketed during peak usage hours for social networks. Afternoon and evening are when most people are on social networks, and that is when you should be putting your message out.

Test and re-test

Every business is slightly different. Generally, business-to-business marketing e-mails sent out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the late morning tend to be the most effective, but your business might be different. Customer e-mails sent out in the early morning, before 9 a.m., tend to be the most effective, but again, your business may be different. Split-testing is easier to set up in most e-mail programs than on any website, so you should test and re-test time, day and tone of your marketing e-mails. For social networks, keep a record of engagement and responses and track trends over time.

More reading

Campaign Monitor
Business E-mail lists
What Counts
Digital Marketing Institute