There’s no way around it . . . marketing costs money. So when companies spend money on marketing, they want to be sure they do it right and get the most bang for their buck. That’s simply smart business. What’s not so smart sometimes is what companies sometimes focus on in pursuit of that goal.
Over the years, we’ve hosted quite a few marketing seminars and webinars here at TMR. And invariably, one of the most popular parts of these events is when participants get to ask questions about their particular marketing needs. And it seems that—regardless of the topic being discussed—the question of timing always comes up.
Companies contemplating a direct mail campaign want to know that perfect time to drop their package or card in the mail so that it hits their customers when they are most likely to buy. If you offer tax preparation services, you probably don’t want to mail on April 16th. But often companies get really concerned about what day of the week a mailing will hit their customers.
The same thing happens when companies launch email campaigns or publish blogs. They spend a lot of effort trying to figure out the perfect timing for their emails and blogs. They’ve heard that Mondays aren’t good for emails or blogs because people are busy organizing their workweek. They’ve heard that Fridays aren’t good because people have mentally checked out for the week. They’ve heard pros and cons about what time of day is good or bad. The thing is, with a few exceptions (selling Christmas cards in January) the concept of “perfect timing” is a myth. And focusing on that is micro managing. They need to focus on the bigger picture.
Instead of worrying about exactly when your mail, email, or blog will arrive, you should focus on making it irresistible whenever it arrives. If you have genuinely helpful information and a compelling offer, it’s really not going to make a big difference when your message arrives.
The fact of the matter is that even if we can control when our messages are delivered, we can’t control when people will read them. But if we deliver genuinely useful content—that helps people solve a problem or meet a need—and provide a clear call to action, people will respond.
Some people say that timing is everything. There are times when timing is important. But what your deliver is even more important than when you deliver it?
Thoughts?