When to schedule email, SMS and social media posts
What works best for your target audience will be a case of trial and error. Your XL.Today™ subscription allows you to trial different campaigns on different days, then compare results to see the best days and times to schedule emails, SMS and posts to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In a relatively short time your XL.Today™ subscription can help you and your team understand optimial campaign scheduling, however, to give you a start point, try the suggested following days and times for each channel. Remember, even within the one campaign workflow, your XL.Today™ solution allows you to individually schedule for each channel.
Best days
The best time to send your retail emails is Tuesdays, with second emails on Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can use your XL.Today™ subscription to schedule multiple campaigns, then see in near-real time on your graphical dashboard which days, times, images and messages deliver the best results.
Best times
Most people check their email when they first wake, so you can schedule posts from 6am. Also, try between 10 and 11am. 2pm is also a good time as it is when people at work are looking for a distraction.
Another time to consider is 8pm to midnight is the peak time for retail emails, as it is when people check their emails when they have down time, prior to going to bed.
SMS
Best days
Due to the ability to put an offer right in front of customers eyes at any time, and high engagement rates (as high as 50% of those who receive an offer made a purchase, as a result), it’s best to align to choose to send SMS’s on the day when it is practical for your customers to respond.
Best times
It is recommended that SMS campaigns are scheduled for working hours. Peak times are 11am to 12pm, 5pm to 6pm and 6pm to 7pm. Weekends start at 9am to 11am, then 6pm to 7pm.
Other considerations
Weekend sales are best promoted on Thursday mornings and special events on the day of the event. If you’re creating emails for Holiday sales, start your campaigns one month in advance and then send additional messages two weeks out, 3 days prior and on the day.
Best days
Thursday to Sundays are the best days for engagement on Facebook, however, it is best to use your XL.Today™ subscription to discover exactly which days work best for your customers.
Best times
The best times for retail posts on Facebook are 9am, as well as between 1pm and 3pm. These times coincide with the times customers are distracted at work.
Best days
Start tweeting on Wednesday and retweeting the same messages on other days. Your XL.Today™ campaign allows you to run multiple campaigns and compare which days and times work best for your followers.
Best times
The best times for retail tweets are at 12pm, 3pm and between 5 and 6pm.
Other considerations
It’s a good idea to retweet your morning tweets in the afternoon to capture those who didn’t check Twitter accounts earlier in the day.
Best Days
Start your Instagram posts on Mondays and Thursdays, then use your XL.Today™ subscription to experiment with scheduling, then compare campaigns to find what works best.
Best Times
The best times for your retail Instagram posts is between 8am and 9 am, and 5pm, however it’s best to experiment with what works best for you. Your XL.Today™ subscription is one of the few solutions that has developed a way to compare Instagram posts to see what works best for you.
