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The best time to advertise depends on 3 factors, the product or service you are selling, your target market and foreseeable external influences. For many businesses the best time to peddle their offering will seem to be obvious, but even then, timing can be critical.

So sometimes the clue is in the product name - sell Easter Eggs before Easter, Christmas cards before Christmas, Halloween costumes in the lead up to Halloween. How soon before the event itself do you want to advertise? Too soon and you might risk alienating a potential customer base. Leave it too close to the event and people may already have stocked up with offerings from competitors. Analyze last year's sales data. When did sales peak in relation to the event? The day before? Three weeks before? This information is important and should influence the timing of the campaign.

But what if the product or service is something that people require year round? Let's think about a dental practice. The service offering can be divided into 2 groups. Services that people need - such as treatment for a painful abscess - and treatment that people would like - such as cosmetic work. Cosmetic work is a matter of choice so people will spend discretionary income on this service. Know your potential market. If it is an affluent one, the customer will be less likely to feel pressure on their finances over Christmas, for example, than a middle class family with 3 children. So in fact, suggesting that the customer could have a fabulous new smile by Christmas could be good advertising. For the less affluent customer, a special offer during a time when demand is slack but the customer has no obvious demands on discretionary income would make for a more effective campaign.

As I mentioned in the previous example, there are clearly periods during which the market is highly active. External events which are outside our control can work either for or against us when we are preparing to launch an advertising campaign. Wimbledon for example is an obvious time to sell tennis clothing and equipment. Look at the calendar. What events are coming up? Not just annual events but one-offs. Look for advantages generated by changes in how we live. Sales of energy efficient lighting is rocketing as we grow increasing concerned about our environment. Now is the time to advertise environmentally acceptable produce - the opportunity exists.

Finally, never ignore the competition. What they are advertising and when are absolutely essential factors to consider. If they are launching a similar product and get it to market more quickly than you they will benefit from first mover advantage - particularly if it is something people will only buy one of. Smart advertising of an inferior product can still push it to the top of the best seller list.

Every advertising campaign that we undertake provides us with information for the future. After the campaign ensure everyone responsible is gathered together to discuss the outcome. Was this a successful campaign? What went well? What went wrong? How many additional sales did we generate? What lessons did we learn that we will use in the future? Did we get the timing right?

Learn more about this author, K T Cass.
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