Timing is Everything -- When Should I Send My Marketing Emails?

I’ve been asked repeatedly when helping an agency start an email marketing campaign, “Is timing really THAT important? Can’t I just send these whenever?” If creating a successful email campaign was as easy as writing a sales pitch, using a few graphics to catch someone’s eye, formulating the perfect subject line, and sending your message there would be no use for this blog. Unfortunately, like most things, it’s never that easy. The day and time you choose to send your email is as important as your subject line, spelling your client’s name correctly or making sure your agency name is mentioned in your email. 

So, yes, timing really is that important. And, no, you can’t send your emails whenever you want if you expect to get a positive result. 

Dilemma of the Day -- I will let you know that a percentage of your readers will open your email no matter what day you send it on or what time. It is, however, not true for the majority of your readership and you should keep in mind the habits of most internet users during the day when calculating the right timing for your message.

Most people will hit social networking sites in the morning as opposed to checking their inbox because Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn require less of a time commitment than checking their email. If your readers do check their inbox in the morning, they are usually working, and are checking their inbox for the first time that day. While on the job and in an attempt to de-clutter their inbox, you readers may delete your message labeling it unimportant at the time. 

Just as some people read their email as soon as they get them, there are a vast majority of your readers who will not see or open your email for several days once it’s been sent. At one time there was a commonly accepted statistic that a newsletter or marketing email had an open tail of three days. In recent years, this metric has changed though and most email marketers will allow up to five days after sending a mailing for stragglers to receive and open their mailings. You should keep this in mind while testing your open rates as well as the day and time you send it on.  This is also important if you’re sending a mailing that relates to a specific event or offer. At a minimum, try to send your email three days before your target event date. If you have the lead time, increase that to five days just to be sure all of your contacts are able to see your mailing prior to an event or offer expiration. 

Below are some guidelines that I’ve created based on my experience in email marketing. These are just a few fast and easy generalized tips to help you choose the best day to send mailings.  By sharing these tips with you, it does not mean you should stop testing your mailings to find out if these rules hold true for your agency. 

• Internet activity in general reduces on weekends. This means Friday, Saturday and Sunday may not be as successful as other days to send your mailings. On Friday, people tend to check out before the end of the work day and will put your email off until next week, which really means, it’s been forgotten as soon as it’s come through their inbox. On Saturday and Sunday, it could be that folks spend more time with their family, have things to do around the yard, or they are burnt out from working on a computer all week. Almost every online metric category goes south on the weekend, and that includes email open rates.
   
•  Now that the weekend is over and we’re all back to work, you may think everyone if refreshed and ready to check out your email. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Never send a marketing email on Monday. The fact is your readers spend most of their inbox time at work. When you come into work on Monday, if you’re like me, you start deleting anything that appears to be junk or non-essential so your inbox isn’t as overwhelming. Unless, through your testing, you’ve noticed that your readers exhibit a different pattern, avoid sends on Monday.
• When you take out Monday, and the weekend, it boils down to sending emails on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to yield the best results.

Morning, Noon, or Night? -- Early morning email sends have the lowest open rates. This makes sense when we look back at the patterns of most internet users who begin clearing out emails they deem unnecessary or unimportant as soon as they open their inbox. 

While metrics are different for different groups, as a general rule, the best open rates tend to come with emails sent around lunch time (noon or 1:00pm). People tend to relax a bit over lunch and are on the downhill of the day when they return from their break. In turn, emails sent in the afternoon do not have the same overwhelming feeling they may have in the morning.

If you’re going to send your mailings in the evening, when your readers have settled in from work, be sure they are optimized for mobile devices. Studies show that most people check email and social networking on their phone or tablet during commercials as opposed to firing up their laptop while watching TV. 

The only way to know for sure which day and time works for your audience is to run various tests and then select the best day and time based on your readerships response. Following the midweek – midday rule of thumb will yield a good result, but through your testing you may find a time and day that yields a greater response.

The Email Marketing Process

Since the dawn of email marketing, folks have been trying to figure out the science behind it. So far this is what we know; it's a touch of creativity, a dash of pizzazz, a hint of using the right buzz words at the right time, and a whole bunch of trial and error.

Knowing that many insurance agents and agency owners have limited time for trial and error, we've searched for an easy reference for you to check out while formulating your next email marketing campaign.

(Special thanks to Kirsten Thornton of our Insurance Website Builder and SEO team for finding this awesome infographic)

The Consumer Decision Journey

Written by Jim Clark, Agency Marketing Coordinator for ITC - Insurance Technologies Corporation

The simple, most important goal of marketing to your insurance customers is to reach them at the moments that most influence their buying decisions. Insurance customers shop much differently today than they did ten years, five years, even two years ago. In fact the consumer decision journey is an ever-changing process. It has morphed into a multidimensional process where the customer receives information from multiple sources. Are you using the power of email to reach customers and prospects at the times the customer is making a buying decision? The Internet opens up a whole new avenue of communication to you, and the power of email is almost limitless.

The process of buying insurance that the consumer goes through is no longer the “funnel technique”, where many agencies send information and offers of quotes to customers and then let them “funnel” out the agencies they want to work with. The process has evolved into an inbound process where the customer is researching agencies online, reading marketing material sent to them by insurance agents via email, listening to recommendations of friends and family, reading customer reviews on websites, forums, and social media pages, etc. Once the customer has started their research they need to be able to find you, at the exact moment they are shopping. Your agency, now more than ever, needs to have top of mind or top of search engine presence.   

This is not to say that the tried and true traditional marketing techniques no longer work, they do. Now it is also very important to integrate your traditional marketing techniques with Internet and email marketing. These marketing techniques will help you build your online presence. They are what will drive customers to your website to learn about your agency, get an online quote, and fill out forms allowing you to capture their contact information.

It can be difficult to give all the time necessary to develop and implement an effective Internet marketing campaign. Internet marketing is a sales tool that can work for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. There is a technique to Internet marketing, from email campaigns to websites and search engine optimization. Learning and mastering this technique will help you grow your business and build ongoing, meaningful relationships with your clients. The happier your clients are the more likely they are to refer other prospects to your agency. These prospects can be turned into customers easily if you market it to them at the right times through email and personal attention. Don’t miss the email and Internet marketing revolution. Start learning the techniques now or contact an expert who will be more than happy to show you the ropes, or perhaps manage it all for you.   

Writing an Effective Email: the difference in formal and informal writing in business.

Discerning whether an email correspondence is formal or informal is an important step in writing an effective e-mail marketing piece. The etiquette is different for each type of email. So, what are the main differences between formal and informal writing?

•    When writing a formal e-mail correspondence you should only use Standard English terms. While informal writing may contain colloquial terms and slang. You should also be aware of common grammatical missteps so you can avoid them. 

•    Be aware that in formal or business writing, the use of contractions such as won’t, can’t, don’t, shouldn’t, haven’t, etc. should be avoided.  These expressions should be written in their complete form in a formal or business communication.  Will not, cannot, do not, should not, have not, etc., can be used as a contraction in an informal email or correspondence.

•    Formal writing often uses shortened, less detailed or obtuse sentences also known as using “the passive voice”. Informal writing makes use of the active voice or a more detailed sentence.
“Your quote request was received yesterday.” – Passive Voice
“Karen received your quote request yesterday at 9:30." – Active Voice

When sending a business letter, a formal tone of voice is most often used because it conveys a professional demeanor; as opposed to e-mail marketing where an informal tone is preferred by marketers. The informal tone of a marketing email tends to be friendlier and is more effective in generating positive response.


Even though a marketing email is informal, this does not mean that you should stop paying attention to grammar and the respectful manner you should use when speaking with a prospective client. This is still a business correspondence after all, and you should be thoughtful about what you say about your agency and how you say it.

The correct salutation: When writing a marketing e-mail, you should address your contacts by their first name. This creates a since of familiarity and begins to build a trusting relationship between you and your client. By using their first name in a correspondence, you’re conveying to them they may address you by your first name as well. If you’re on a first name basis with your clients, they look to you as a confidant of sorts when it comes to their insurance coverage and protecting their family. 

Never use emoticons:  Even if you’re writing an informal email, if it is business related, it’s best not to use emoticons if possible. Emoticons should only be used when writing a personal e-mail to your friends and family.

Double check your grammar and spelling:  It’s easy to overlook sloppy writing when you’re composing an email. Checking for correct spelling and grammar can be the difference between someone trusting you as an insurance professional and someone dismissing your expertise because your misuse of their, there, or they’re made you appear less than educated. Regardless of whether you are writing a formal or informal e-mail, you should take the time to proofread your message before sending it out. If you’ve spent too much time looking at one email before sending it out, have someone else take a look at your work. It’s better to have your assistant catch a mistake before an email goes out than to have 15 clients reply to your email telling you the difference between then and than.

USING ALL CAPS MAKE YOU APPEAR TO BE YELLING AT YOUR CLIENTS: Never, never, use all caps.

If you have questions about how to effectively communicate with your clients, we’re here to help. Call our office at 800-383-3482 and we will be happy to offer you solutions to market yourself as the insurance expert you really are.

Email Marketers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Just as in most aspects of business, there are three groups of folks that work with email marketing; the good, the bad and the ugly. 

•   The Ugly: Spammers. Unethical, list buying, product misspelling, most likely they are phishing for your identity, spammers. These unprofessional “marketers” send millions of pieces of spam without any regard for the damage they’re causing.
•  The Bad: By this, I mean bad at email marketing, not bad folks mind you. They’re often very good business people, too. Most have been in business or sales for many years, but they’re new to email marketing. Being so green, they make a few blunders and they typically have no idea what kind of mess they’re about to create for their spam rankings. If this is you, we’re glad to see you around The AgencyBuzz blog. Continue educating yourself, and your staff, on email marketing best practices.  You want to create an email marketing strategy that encompasses your brand and ethical business practices, not one that will sink your spam ranking and throw you into the abyss of junk mailboxes everywhere. My goal is to make all of you part of our last group, the Good.
•  The Good: Businesses who practice email marketing following industry etiquette and delivery guidelines. Today, let’s talk about etiquette and delivery guidelines so each of you makes a step toward the good.

Rule #1: The first rule of email marketing is to obtain permission before you email your materials to anyone. This really is a must. Building your own mailing list through outbound calling is one of the best ways to do this. I’m sure you have clients who you’ve not collected their email address, start here by giving them a call.  If you buy lists of email addresses they will be loaded with bad or old addresses, and these are people who didn’t opt-in to receive anything from you. Good email marketers also collect their list of email addresses from visitors to their own sites. This can take some time to build up your list using a newsletter subscription through your site, but you will be sure that everyone on your list actually wants to hear from you. You can also ask your existing contacts to reach out to people they know and share your information with their friends and family. You may already have a referral contest in place, and you could expand on that by adding newsletter referrals as well. This definitely counts as a new lead, and there will be potential to quote them on coverages they need.   Your response rate to emails sent to contacts who’ve opted-in to your list (delivery rate, opens and click-throughs) will be considerably higher than if you’re just sending stuff out to any ol’ email address that comes your way.  

Rule #2:  You should always clean your mailing list. Despite the fact that you will be using an opt-in list from now on (hint, hint), it is always necessary to check emails for validity. Some contacts change their email addresses regularly and forget to update their information with you. You can do this easily by checking your mailing stats after every campaign. By contacting your recipients who have “hard bounced” right away, you can stay on top of changes to their information.  Separate the hard bounces from the soft bounces before you contact any of your bounced emails. A hard bounce means the email address is no longer valid at all, and your message will never be received (these are the folks to call). A soft bounce is a delay in receiving your message and may mean their inbox is full or they are having a technical issue. You don’t need to call the soft bounces right away, but I would recommend monitoring these addresses and if they show up as a soft bounce more than once you can contact them for better information.

You should also check for invalid domains and typos to domains or extensions when you’re initially entering a new contact into your database. Make sure you stop sending to people who’ve unsubscribed from your list immediately.  Having an automated unsubscribe system in place makes this a much simpler process. AgencyBuzz offers an automated unsubscribe feature and once an address is opted out of your account, you cannot change that status in the system to ensure they will no longer be contacted by email.  

Rule #3: Know and understand the laws when it comes to email marketing. Before starting your email marketing campaigns for the first time, you should read and comply with the CAN-SPAM laws to ensure compliance. AgencyBuzz is CAN-SPAM compliant and we monitor abuse reports to stay that way. Being CAN-SPAM compliant will help your send score which helps you spend less time in junk mail oblivion. You can read about being CAN-SPAM compliant here: http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business.

If you’re thinking about skipping this step because you’re strapped for time keep in mind, each separate violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties and fines of up to $16,000 for each email.  Is the 5 or 10 minutes of your time it takes to read over the rules worth more than $16,000?
 

Rule #4: Try not to send too many emails or send emails too often. Unless you’re a news or market source, you should try to keep your emails to one or two a month to regular subscribers. This can include your monthly newsletter or information about a referral contest you’re having, etc. This is not your active leads that you’re pursuing; this is your list of regular email subscribers who look forward to your newsletters and information about your agency. You run the risk of annoying or harassing your contacts by overloading their inbox with articles, blogs, and advertisements over and over. Try to include as much as you can in your monthly newsletter. Put yourself in their shoes is what this rule amounts too.

Rule #5: Make sure all aspects of your email work properly and it looks the way you intend BEFORE you send your mailings to your contact list. Send yourself a test mailing and click through all the links, check your spelling and spacing as well. Also, make sure your placement of information is where you meant for it to be. By testing your mailings you will alleviate embarrassing mistakes that could create an unprofessional appearance for your agency.

Rule #6: If you’re not using a dedicated email marketing system or software product, do not show your mailing list to all of your recipients. Many times someone new to email marketing makes the mistake of entering their entire email list into the CC field of an email.  This is a problem for MANY reasons but the main two are: You’ve given all of your clients email addresses out to everyone on your list and "Reply to All". 

By following email marketing etiquette, you’re taking steps to increase your open rate and the overall success of your email marketing campaigns. You should strive to be as good of an email marketer as you are an insurance agent.

Writing an effective Subject Line

When you're writing an email subject line, there are a few tricks you can try to have your email commanding your reader’s attention.

Identify yourself

Recipients are more likely to open an email from a sender they recognize. Including your name in your subject line (or an abbreviated version) is one way to be seen in a crowded inbox. Display your agency name at the beginning of the subject line: ITC Agency: Your Online Quote for the most impact.

Be brief and to the point

Most email clients will cut subject lines off at 50 characters ("characters" include spaces). Compose a few engaging words and keep it under 50 characters so people see the full subject line. There are some schools of thought that suggest you can get the best results by reducing your email subject lines down to 35 characters.

Steer clear of spammer techniques

Your customers will keep an eye out for spam in their inbox to prevent identity theft and threats to their computer. Mimicking common techniques that spammers load their subject lines with is the fastest way to be deleted or end up in your recipient’s junk box. Being flagged as spam could also have your emails blocked by a recipient's email client.

Spammer favorites to steer clear of:

• Using ALL CAPS or RaNdOm CaPs.
• Hard selling in the subject line will raise suspicions instead of creating interest.
• !!! -- Exclamation points are easy to abuse and it's important to stay away from them in your subject lines.
• Using words like "free", "save", "win", "call now" and "toll-free". Leave them out of your subject lines if at all possible.

Practice makes perfect

You won't come up with the right formula on the first try. Analyze your email marketing campaign open rates to see which subject lines earned the most opens. Timing is also essential when it comes to how an email subject line is received. Sending an email with the subject of "Merry Christmas" on January 4th won't get much traffic.

By keeping a close eye on open rates and having relevant content, you should hit the right combination that puts you ahead of the competition.

The Importance of Relevant Content in your Email Marketing: Content is King

Getting readers interested in joining your email campaigns is the most important piece of the email marketing puzzle. A question that many email marketers ask themselves daily is, “how do I engage my readers while gaining (and retaining) subscribers?”

Studies show that as humans our number 1 interest is ourselves. Putting this piece of information into play while composing your monthly newsletter can help you grab your reader’s attention. Granted, you can’t write hundreds of personal newsletters that speak specifically to your clients day to day lives (namely because that would be creepy and take far too long) but you can use code snippets to personalize newsletters with client’s names and you should tailor your newsletters to relevant activities in your community as well as a compliment to your insurance information.

 

If your community’s high school just won a championship game, talk about it; or if a new restaurant opened up near your office, go there for lunch and write a (positive) review about it in your newsletter. Being a part of your community can go a long way to gaining clients through referrals. Using community news is also a great way to gain subscribers who are interested in how your agency is protecting your community’s financial future.  

Some agencies write business nationally, so incorporating content that suits everyone on your contact list, in one email, may not be feasible. Instead, put together regional newsletters and use distribution lists so the content is still relevant to your readers.  You can be a part of your client’s community by writing about topics specific to their area. Write about a festival or activity many people are interested in specific to their region. Including recipes, sports, and other regional common-interest topics can go a long way to appearing as if you’re in many places at the same time. Pre-written content can save you a ton of time when having to write several email newsletters a month. There are hundreds of professionally written articles included with your AgencyBuzz email marketing account. They are separated by line of business, and new articles are added every month.  Be careful when using your pre-written content though as sending a newsletter about winterizing your home to a client who lives in Florida may reveal that you’re unfamiliar with your client’s area.

Use these community/regional events as a spring board into a relevant insurance topic that is complimentary to your other content.  This is an insurance newsletter after all. You can use these complimentary articles as another way to show yourself as the insurance expert your readers NEED to have a relationship with in order to protect their financial future. Not only are you educated on the latest insurance news that can save them time, money, and keep them from being left high-and-dry after an insurable event but you’re also saying that you’re just like them. You eat at the same places, you shop at the same stores, and your family values the community just like they do.

Engaging, gaining, and retaining subscribers is the name of the game when it comes to email marketing. And to win the game you’ll need to remember one thing, content is king.