Thursday, March 10, 2005

The Worst Time to Send Your Marketing Materials/Resume

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TODAY’S POST

Did you know that the day of the week that you send your marketing materials/resume can have an impact on whether or not they get opened?

It's true. When applying for jobs/freelance assignments, something as simple as when your materials are received can mean the difference between being tossed or opened. This is true whether your materials are sent electronically or via snail mail.

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So, when is the best time to lick, click and send? Try to time your delivery so that it hits your target's desk on Tuesday, Wednesday or early Thursday. Why?

Monday is usually a busy day. Most of us are cleaning out our in-boxes or sorting through mail that has come in over the weekend. And, really, who is receptive to sales pitches (ie, your marketing material) on Monday mornings?

We are much more likely to toss things that are not extremely important if they are received on Monday or Friday because we want to start fresh. If it's Friday, we may toss things because we "just want to be done with it already" so that we can get on with our weekends.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and early Thursdays are much better days because we have weeded through the piles on Mondays and are in a much more receptive mood. Therefore, material received on these days, especially unsolicited materials, are much more likely to be opened.

So, while everyone else is thinking weekend, spend Thursdays and Fridays addressing envelopes and getting your materials out the door. Depending on how far they have to go, they are likely to land on your target's desk midweek.

Wednesdays are good days to schedule e-mail campaigns. I like mid-mornings and mid-afternoons because emails are much more likely to be tossed first thing in the mornings and near the end of the day.

Good luck!
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