What is the best time to launch an SMS campaign?

The most popular electronic device in the whole world is the mobile phone. The invention of smart phones has revolutionized people’s lives, to the point where it is difficult for anybody to move around without their mobile phone, all day, every day.

The fact that people live practically glued to their phones makes it very easy for an SMS message to reach its destination quickly. SMS mobile marketing is a digital strategy created especially for mobile phones, particularly effective when you consider that no other electronic device is programmed to receive SMS messages.

What is the best time to launch an SMS campaign?

Created in 1992, since their dawn of their invention SMS have adapted to the needs of users, often overtaking the emergence of new messaging services. In the business sector, SMS mobile marketing campaigns allow any mobile phone owner to join the target market for digital marketing strategy.

Since SMS messaging directly to customers’ mobile phones could be seen as an intrusion of privacy, it’s vital to know how to choose the best time to launch a SMS mobile marketing campaign. What time? What day of the week? These are the two basic questions of SMS strategy.

According to results found by Zokem Mobile Insights, the time when most messaging applications are being used coincides with the working day: more or less between 10 in the morning and 8 in the evening. This period is the most common time for people to surf the internet or use their favorite apps.

Remember that the time required to read an SMS is a lot shorter that other notifications, and that it can be read almost anywhere. However, it’s essential to identify the best time for sending it.

Firstly, choose the right day

Except when this is linked to a reminder for a medical appointment or for a delivery or pick-up, Monday is the worst possible day to launch an SMS campaign. Throughout the weekend mobile users are overwhelmed with all types of messages linked to their leisure time, and on Mondays, people take longer to open their email inboxes and other message services. Fridays, on the other hand, everybody is focused on the weekend. So if you send your messages on one of the rest of the weekdays, you’re on target!

Time of day is another thing to keep in mind

What we could consider as rush hours – taking the children to school and driving to work (until 9am in the morning), and when people start leaving work or picking children up from school until the end of the working day (between 5pm and 7pm) – are not good for sending SMS, simply because the person receiving the message won’t be able to read it immediately.

So any times around that framework will give you the best results, but don’t give into the temptation of sending SMS very early in the morning or late at night when the recipient is bound to feel a certain amount of invasion of their privacy. With this in mind, time differences between countries also play a key role. Although of course, the time zone doesn’t change as much between countries in Europe, or states in the United States for example.

Regularity is also key

It is estimated that more than 80% of consumers prefer to receive only a few commercial SMS per month. The difference between the success and failure of your SMS marketing strategy is that if you send too many messages, you could risk consumers unsubscribing from your list. Respecting the wishes of the client is the way to establish a relationship of trust between the company and the client.   

A different matter, however, is sending a reminder for an appointment, or containing specific information. Firstly, you should send the message with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. Secondly, depending on what it is, you could send messages weekly or even monthly, but remember, you should always warn the recipient of how regularly they are going to receive messages.  

Finding a balance between the time, day and regularity of an SMS campaign help to ensure your SMS mobile marketing strategy is a success.