The statement "timing is everything" is thrown around everyday, all around the world. But it couldn’t be more apt when it comes to advertising. Interacting with your customers at the right time is beneficial for your business and key to a truly effective campaign.
Here, we discuss the importance of a well-timed campaign and how you can get a leg up on your competitors.
Advertising is diverse, but there are two main techniques for approaching it: always on and event-based marketing.
While the approach that is right for you will depend on your specific strategic goals, savvy businesses employ a hybrid model to combine consistent, year-round marketing activity with maximised impact during specific periods e.g. Christmas, Valentine's Day.
For any seasonal campaign, it’s important you time your campaign perfectly. If, for example, you sell bespoke products like a furniture retailer, where it takes time and effort to complete an order, you will need to start your campaign well in advance of the event you are capitalising on (e.g. Christmas) to give you time to build and deliver your product.
When it comes down to it, there is only one judge for a successful marketing campaign: your customers. So if you want your audience to connect with your advertising content and your brand, you need to pay close attention to their habits.
Here’s a little marketing secret: when you share can be as important as what and where.
Your consumers are more inclined to do certain things on certain days of the week, so it wouldn’t hurt to do some research into the best times to interact with your audience.
Tuesday is the best day for sending out marketing emails, with the highest open and click-through rate. And according to Sprout Social, weekdays are the best time to post on social media, with Wednesday mornings a specific favourite for users on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
Put these learnings into practice when you next launch a promotion, discount or in-store event. Consider how these social media stats coincide with your own customers’ behaviour. Is there a specific day of the week where you’ve noted a spike in activity? Start promoting your event on social media, emails and in-store, and well in advance, giving your customers time to get involved.
Christmas is now on the horizon, and discounts and promotions have been found to be the most effective at driving purchases during the holidays.
In order to launch your campaigns at a sensible and relevant time, it’s important you pay attention to current talking points and trends. Failing to do so could harm your campaigns and you could miss out on key opportunities.
When it comes to output, it’s not enough to focus on your own. You have to tune into what the competition is churning out and what platforms, tools and techniques they’re investing in.
At the end of the day, what is new for everyone else, might not benefit your business. Check out this list of digital marketing trends in 2020 and decide for yourself which trends are worth chasing.
If you want to relate with the modern consumer, you have to stay up to date with what is going on in the world. This doesn’t just mean within the industry but anything your customers may be paying attention to. Show the human face of your business by building your print and digital ads around something topical, such as an award ceremony or sport event.
Timing really is everything and the key is to sit down and work out the optimum point during the day, week and season to run your campaigns for the best results.
It’s never too early to start planning your marketing for this year and the next. Want to get started? Contact our team of marketing experts today.
