Email marketing is a powerful tool, and understanding how to wield it lets you build increasingly high returns on your campaigns. One of the details home improvement marketers must master when dealing with email campaigns is timing.

Here are three things you need to know to ensure the highest possible open and click-through rates for your email marketing campaigns:

1. General Benchmarks for Email Marketing
   At the very least, develop an understanding of when various types of emails are likely to perform best. An approach supported by general benchmarks is good if you’re just starting out with email marketing and don’t have your own metrics to base timing on.

   For example, consumer-facing brands typically find that their emails are opened at higher rates on Saturdays. This is when people have time to spend checking their personal emails.

   For home improvement businesses, weekends have another benefit: This is often when people are at home, thinking about their home and considering improvement options.

   But be careful when timing weekend messages, because Sundays don’t follow Saturdays when it comes to open rates. Tuesdays take that honor.

2. Who Your Audience Is
   Your audience impacts optimal email marketing times. Younger audiences tend to open emails later in the day, with optimal times ranging from noon to around 7 p.m. Audiences aged 40 and up tend to check email a bit earlier, with optimal send times ranging from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

   Other factors that can impact the best time to send an email include someone’s profession, income, or whether or not they have children.

3. How Your Audience Interacts With Your Emails
   The tips above draw on general data for a variety of industries. Your audience is always going to be unique, so take time to view metrics such as open rates and click-throughs on your past campaigns to understand the timing that works best for your company.

   Don’t be afraid to run tests—sending emails at different times—to discover the sweet spot for your target audience.