Beware of the Pursuit of the Universal Magic MomentThere are a number of studies conducted to locate the best day for e-mail marketing.  These studies try to determine when people are most likely to read and to respond to your e-mail marketing.  What have these studies discovered?  Although I believe that timing can be important with your target audience, the studies show a need for caution about following timing fads.In early 2005, one firm charted the many shifts in “best days” over time.In the 2Q of ‘06, Saturday appeared best.In the 4Q of ‘06, Friday appeared best.In the 2Q of ‘07, Wednesday appeared best.Do the conflicting studies mean that timing is irrelevant?  No, but it should encourage us to retain a clear perspective.  Writing in Direct Magazine, Ken Magill included an admonition:

Yes, this means you might consider testing Wednesdays to see if you get a boost. But if someone waves this newsletter or eROI’s study in your face to make a point about when you should mail, you have my permission to pick up the nearest big-city phone book and repeatedly deliver two-handed, concussion-inducing blows to back of their head with it.

Ken is not against testing timing for your campaign nor does he discredit the possibility that timing can make a real difference.  But Ken’s point is simple: Keep the main thing the main thing.  He continued:It’s perfectly fine to use eROI’s findings as a reason to test Wednesday mailings to see if they get a boost, but if you create compelling e-mails that people want to receive in the first place, you won’t have to have the day-of-week, time-of-day discussion at all and, as a result, will be able focus on more important things—like creating compelling e-mail campaigns that people want.Ken’s point is worth repeating.  Feel free to pinpoint the time that best suits your unique audience.  It’s possible that Lunch time may work better for your audience or that Saturday night is the sweet spot for your demographic.  It’s possible. Feel free to test your results.  See what happens.  See if it maximizes your clicks and reads.  But don’t get too worried about it.  What will trump when.