What is the best time of day to send an SMS?

There is no golden rule on the best time to send out an SMS campaign. To answer this question we recommend senders think logically about when the recipients might be the most interested in your message.

There have been a number of research articles confirming that SMS campaigns are the best form of marketing for open and read rates. Research shows that 98% of SMS messages are actually opened and read.

Other telecoms research has detailed that mobile phones are used most between noon and 6pm. As a general suggestion late morning through to mid-afternoon tends to be the most beneficial time to send your text campaign. However, carefully considering the timing of your text message delivery for your content will help increase your chances of a positive response, and also minimise the risk of a negative reaction.

Examples of time specific campaigns:

Appointment Reminders: If you are sending appointment reminders you may like to ensure they are sent between 48 and 24 hours in advance. This will allow the recipient time to respond with any cancellation. In some cases, such as medical or dental appointments that are hard to reschedule, you may wish to send these out with a few days’ notice. 

Restaurant Offers: If you are advertising a lunchtime offer the best time to send this may be mid-morning. However for larger value items, such as dinner discounts, special 2 for 1’s, etc you might want to send these at least 5 days in advance. Leaving enough time for customers to respond and make any personal arrangements will encourage more uptake.

Retail Outlets: If you are aiming for a special weekend sale, why not try to send out your campaign message early in the week. Complementary marketing can work very well with these notices. A last minute reminder text, sent in the early afternoon on the Friday, which includes a special extra discount code within the text for everyone who purchases something during the sale, can work very well to generate more business in store the following weekend.

Lastly, it’s always best to avoid generally ‘private’ times of the day, such as dinner or evening time, to avoid negative reactions. Showing such simple courtesy can go a long way to improving your customers’ experience and loyalty.

For more help with your SMS marketing campaigns, please call our Customer Service team on 08451 221 302 or at [email protected].