• by Jess Nelson , November 1, 2016

A new study from GoDaddy suggests that Wednesday, November 2 may be the Holy Grail of holiday email marketing.

The company analyzed the engagement rates of emails sent from its email marketing platform between November and December 2015, pinpointing November 2 as the day with the highest email engagement of the busy holiday season.

In fact, open rates on November 2 were 16% higher than the average open rates through the rest of the two-month study and 38.5% higher than on Black Friday. The first two weeks of November displayed significantly higher open rates overall when compared to the rest of the holiday season as well.

“November 2 is in that sweet spot when customers are eagerly awaiting the holidays but haven’t been completely bombarded with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing campaigns just yet,” says Eric Gilbert, director of GoDaddy Email Marketing. “November 2, along with the first two weeks of November, are a great time for marketers to engage with consumers ahead of the noise. We recommend marketers get a head start on their holiday marketing campaigns to make an impression early on, when open rates are high and inboxes aren’t oversaturated.” 

Email fatigue plays a critical role in diminishing email marketing returns, and a recent study from SendGrid displayed how Black Friday email engagement decreases the closer it is to Black Friday. 

This is likely due to inbox overload as the stalwarts of holiday commerce, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, saw the highest volume of emails sent during the two-month GoDaddy study. Cyber Monday had nearly twice the volume of emails sent compared to November 2 -- an increase of 98%.

GoDaddy’s research also points to the importance of mobile optimization this holiday season, as more and more customers open their emails on mobile devices. Almost half of all emails -- 46% -- sent from GoDaddy’s Email Marketing solution were opened on a mobile device in 2015.

Gilbert recommends that marketers keep their subject lines “seasonal and snappy to encourage recipients to read and engage with your content.”

Gilbert says the first thing a marketer can do to minimize email fatigue during the busy season is to be smart about their timing.

“Rather than blast customers with promotions throughout the holiday season, schedule your email campaigns on optimal open-rate days to get more engagement,” says Gilbert. “We’ve found that the first few weeks of November are an ideal time to launch holiday campaigns.”

GoDaddy is primarily a technology for small- to medium-sized business owners, and Gilbert says email marketing offers small business an opportunity to display their unique products, services and personality.

“Be authentic, tell your story, and embrace being a small business,” says Gilbert. People are rooting for you, and you have something unique to offer that the big guys don’t. Your brand has personality, and email is a great way to let that show.  Email marketing levels the playing field for small businesses, so get in the game this year and don’t miss the opportunity to engage.” 

Although the first two weeks of November have historically offered email marketers positive engagement rates, GoDaddy warns that perhaps marketers should steer clear of bombarding consumers on Election Day.

“Most businesses should probably steer clear of Election Day on November 8,” says Gilbert. “Unless your business has a relevant tie to the election, it’s best to send on another day in early November.”