The Science Of Timing - When To Launch Your Marketing Campaigns

Whoever came up with the saying that timing is everything, was probably not talking about marketing — but oh boy is it a perfect saying for every single marketing campaign.

Having a great product, service or brand is all good and dandy. But when it comes time to launch a campaign, something that can get put right at the bottom of the list is the timing of the launch. 

But putting it last means you are giving it less thought and attention — and timing is something that can make or break your launch.

The Psychology of Timing in Marketing

It is important to note that timing plays a very crucial role in how a marketing campaign is received by your intended audience.

This is also where psychology comes in, and there are a few key things that marketers can pay attention to here: 

Consumer Behaviour and Decision-Making.

According to Yotpo, this is "the process by which consumers become aware of and identify their needs, collect information on how to best solve these needs, evaluate alternative available options, make a purchasing decision and evaluate their purchase."

If you want to launch your campaign at the perfect time, you need to do your research and understand your consumers' behaviour.

Creatures of Habit

People are habitual — they check their social media pages at certain times, they read their personal emails at certain times and they are most engaged at certain times. Knowing and understanding your consumers' habits will help you know when to launch your campaign. 

Tap Into FOMO

Creating scarcity and urgency is a brilliant marketing strategy that makes consumers believe they will be missing out if they don't buy your product, or are part of an experience. 

FOMO marketing creates a sense of urgency, and by launching a limited time only campaign your consumers will be jumping at the opportunity to be part of the experience.

Key Factors to Consider When Timing a Campaign

There are a few things that marketers need to keep in mind when it comes to timing a campaign launch, and these are:

• define the goal of your campaign
• identify current market trends
• consider the time zones of your target audience
• determine the length of your campaign
• be aware of when your competitors are active, and 
• know when your target audience is most likely to engaged with your content.

Best Time to Launch a Marketing Campaign

It is important to note that where you launch your campaign also plays a significant role in when you launch. 

Social Media

Most brands will make use of social media when launching a campaign — but this means you need to focus on when people are active on social media platforms. So, it is imperative to do some research on each platform to know when the best times to post are.  

Emails

If you are launching your campaign via email, it's important to note the times that people are most likely to look at and pay attention to their personal emails.

Some of the best times to send out emails are:

• midweek
• mornings and early afternoons, and
• lunch breaks.

Seasonal Launches

Launching a seasonal campaign can be beneficial because you know you'll have engagement around it.

The reason seasonal campaigns work is because they:

• tap into your target audience's emotional and behavioural triggers
• build brand-customer rapport, and 
• promote urgency and action.

Data-Driven Timing: Using Analytics to Optimise Launches

The most important thing to know when you launch your campaigns is to make use of analytics. 

Focus on:

• A  / B testing different launch times
• analysing past launches, and
• scheduling and analytics tools. 

*Image courtesy of Canva