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Perfect Timing for Targeted Marketing Campaigns

You know that old adage “Timing is everything”? Well, that especially true when it comes to marketing. Marketers are constantly trying to pin down that perfect sweet spot for launching marketing campaigns. We run A/B tests to determine the most favorable time to send an email blast. We re-read last year’s press coverage to deduce the right time to start this year’s PR campaign. And there have been dozens of articles written about the best time to post on Facebook or send that carefully crafted tweet.

When you’re trying to reach a specific audience with a targeted marketing campaign, timing can be even more critical. Sending out that press release or launching a new exclusive discount at just the right time can increase your reach by up to 51%, according to our own marketing team’s tests.

So when is the right time to reach a targeted audience? Well, it depends who you’re trying to reach.  We work with a lot of clients who are interested in reaching niche audiences with messaging about new discounts. Using the Google Trends tool, it’s easy to see why. Interest in specific types of discounts has been on the rise:
Google trends student discounts over timeGoogle trends military discounts over time
Google trends teacher discounts over time
So, in terms of timing, there couldn’t be a better time to launch a new, targeted, exclusive discount to reach new audiences or increase incremental revenue.
If you are going to announce a new discount, certain times of year are better than others, depending on who you’re trying to reach.
For example, if you’re trying to reach teachers, they’re most likely to be actively searching for teacher discounts in late July and early August during the beginning of the back-to-school season. May is also a good time, especially during Teacher Appreciation week.
Google trends teacher discounts 2013

Students’ searches for student discounts also increase during back-to-school season, but they really spike between Black Friday and Cyber Monday when everyone is on the lookout for the best deals possible.

Google trends student discounts 2013
Military consumers have a very different pattern. Their searches for discounts center around military holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day, and year-end sales.
Google trends military discounts 2013
By knowing your target market, and using helpful tools like Google Analytics and Google Trends, you can zero in on the best time to launch your campaigns and see the most success. If you’re interested in reaching any of these particular targeted audiences, we can help keep your exclusive discounts truly exclusive and share a few tips on how to reach military, teachers, and students. Give us a call!

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