When is the Best Time to Send an SMS? [Infographic]

A question I frequently get asked is – when is the best time to send an SMS? The answer depends on what you are doing, and what you are trying to accomplish. Here are a few common scenarios:

1) General Marketing Messages

• 10:30am-11:30am
  
• 2:30pm-3:00pm
  
• 6:00pm-6:30pm

Reasoning: The key here is to send your message after all your competitors are done sending their ads. This way your message is less likely to be lost in promotional clutter. These times have shown to produce the best results. That being said, always remember who you are targeting. When possible, try to not send a message during their peak hours of work efficiency, which is usually between these recommended hours.

2) Appointment Reminders

• 24hrs notice
  
• 1hr before the appointment – A secondary text has shown to also be helpful

Reasoning: When it comes to appointments, although customers want to prioritise these events, there is chance they can still forget. Reminders have shown to be the most effective 24hrs before an appointment, and again 1hr before the appointment. This gives the customer a chance to put the appointment in their schedule 24hrs before. This also sets a secondary reminder for more forgetful customers 1hr before the appointment – giving them optimal time to organise last minute commute routes.

3) Special Weekend Sales

• Thursday before

Reasoning: If you would like customers to keep your promotion in mind ahead of a weekend sale, you send them your campaign the Thursday before. Apply the General Marketing rule above, and adjust it to your customer’s profile as needed.

4) Restaurant/Cafe Promotions

• Breakfast: 8:00am
  Reasoning: If you’re trying to catch the early crowd before work, send a message 1hr before their shift. Try not to send an SMS anytime earlier than 8:00am as a general courtesy rule.
  
• Lunch: 10:00am-11:30am
  Reasoning: Research has shown that 72% of people decide where they want to eat 1hr before they eat. Therefore if most people take their breaks between 12:00pm-1:00pm, then 11:00am-11:30am will be the sweet spot.
  
• Dinner: 5:00pm-5:30pm
  Reasoning: Similar to the breakfast and lunch concept, you want to target your consumers when they are thinking about what to eat. Research shows that 46% of people decide what they want to eat for dinner 1hr before. The remaining 54% need more time to decide. Keeping this in mind, dinner ads may not convert as immediately as breakfast or lunch ads, however consistency is be key. Repetition is welcomed when it comes to food-related campaigns.

Infographic

I know all this content can be hard to remember. That’s why I made a handy infographic to make it easy to save for later. When you’re ready to send an SMS, click here to signup for a free 14 day trial at Burst SMS.

*Originally published on: Burst SMS

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