The Messaging Times

Timing is everything. A couple of years ago, in my post How to Almost Always Increase Your Digg Readership, I posited that the best time to submit a story on Digg was between 10am-2pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) based on the assumption that Digg traffic increases in line with blog post submission statistics.

Malcom Coles did much more research than I did to find a statistically relevant timestamp on which to benchmark (and optimize) your tweet distribution.

“…The best time to tweet if you want people to notice is … 4.01pm, according to my survey of nearly 120 Twitter users…” continue reading

For email, the old (and consistent for some years) benchmark for the best day to send email was somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday; but recent studies suggest there are even better days to send email.

The danger in getting too caught up in these “best time” benchmarks though is that it is easy to get distracted from the variety of other important factors that will cause your email, tweet or digg submission gain visibility and traction.

Here are other, perhaps more important factors to consider when sending an email or posting a tweet or Digg submission:

1. Frequency — Sending one email or one tweet or one submission to Digg at an optimum time might cause a spike in traffic or even some conversions if the communication offers some sort of immediate value. But long term success in email marketing or social media communication requires a consistent frequency of communication. It’s all about being part of the larger conversation that is occurring across all of these platforms at all time — not just during rush hour. Your strategy should consider the frequency of communication across all channels. That frequency should be enough so that you are noticed as a valuable and reliable contributor to the conversation. Consistent frequency will result in brand recognition over time. If your frequency is too high, however, you may very well fatigue even the most ardent follower. If it’s too low, they may forget about you over time.
2. Content — Content is king, hallelujah! The Subject line of your email, the headline of your Digg submission and the first 50 of your 140 words that you tweet need to pique the interest of the people who read it. There is so much information in front of us that we are instinctively fickle when it comes to what we consume. We simply can’t consume it all, so we scan for keywords and relevancy. Our initial attention to content lasts for only milliseconds. So your key point — your headline — your post glance must capture the attention of potential readers quickly. In this sense, what you send is more important than when you send it.
3. Personality — On the X-Factor, they call it the x factor. The same is true for online communication. In the same way that there is an overall style of the performer that makes her stand out, there is something about the style of your social media and email presentation that causes some tweets to get more attention. It’s not just about the words you use, but the timing, tone and general feel for how you present your information. It’s interesting how two people can present the same content, but one will appear to be self-serving (visit my blog and learn more about me) and the other will appear sincere and helpful (check out this cool/relevant/interesting information I want to share.)

So, yes — timing is important. Sometimes, the right post at the wrong time will fail to meet expectations. Alternatively, the wrong post at the right time can exceed expectations. The luck or good fortune of being in the right place at the right time has propelled many careers.

But for a long term strategy that you can rely on over time, ensure that you include all of the other factors of effective email and social media communication into the mix.

…and good luck!

I can’t remember how many email offers I subscribed to during the last two years. I do know that I don’t read most of them today, even if I haven’t unsubscribed from them officially. The reality is that more and more people are reaching email fatigue and frustration because of the increased demands on their time and attention.

But what causes email fatigue and frustration? Three primary factors relate to content, frequency and technology.

Stale and Valueless Content

Over time, email recipients become desensitized to recurring 10% discounts and new articles saying the same things over and over again. Are you really saying something new or worthwhile? Does your email offer some real value that is worthy of your recipients’ attention week after week? Eventually, people will tire of clever marketing, creative HTML designs and good copywriting if it isn’t backed up by some actual value.

Email campaigns tend to have a distinctive pattern over time. Patterns can be good, because they help to build brand recognition and trust over time. But recurring message patterns can also dilute the interest and perceived value of your brand. Do you trust the store that has a perpetual “Clearance” sign in the window?

Frequency overload or underload

If I hear from you too often, I feel that you’re demanding too much of my time. If I don’t hear from you enough, I might forget about you in between emails. Finding the right frequency balance is critical in email marketing; and the right balance depends upon your content.

Until recently, email marketers sent their messages on daily, weekly or monthly delivery schedules – in line with traditional broadsheet publication cycles. Several years ago, companies like Amazon illustrated how email could be used effectively when delivered in response to customer actions and behaviors rather than by a predetermined publication schedule. Behavior-driven or transaction-driven email has helped to change the frequency paradigm for many email marketers.

Flylady.com turned email frequency benchmarks upside down as early as 1999 by serving up home organization tips and reminders to recipients in the volume of 500+ each month. My wife subscribed for a while, until the frequency became too exhausting for both our inbox and her commitment level. She unsubscribed after two months.

Take a look at your own email campaigns – whether they be newsletters, promotions or updates. How often would you like to receive them? More often than not, content determines frequency.

Complicated Technology

Technology, in and of itself, doesn’t magically make things more efficient. Efficiency requires some human thought behind the machine. It involves removing unnecessary steps. Making things more complicated than they need to be is a good way to lose email recipients – and business.

If your opt-in, opt-out, click or conversion processes require more than two clicks or burden recipients with the need to navigate through numerous pages, you may cause your recipients enough fatigue and frustration to abandon the process – and the “Report as Spam” button only requires one click.

Systems are designed by people, and those systems can be designed to be easy or hard for users. The choice is yours.

Mark Brownlow has a very insightful post about email sending frequency.

As the marketing world (re)discovers email, many people are asking if they can send out more email to keep sales/responses flowing through difficult times.

Experts are skeptical, citing the risks of increased spam complaints, unsubscribes and list fatigue. Short-term response boosts can come at the cost of delivery problems, damage to your brand, and long-term loss of sales/responses … [continue reading]

While more might mean initial increases in open, click-through and conversion rates; it can also mean increases in fatigue, frustration, unsubscribe requests and even spam perception (especially if someone signed up to receive your monthly email and they are now hearing from you every week.)

Sometimes, even the most interesting guest becomes a pest when they visit too often.