As an American writer once said, timing can make all the difference between success and failure. Whether it’s in humor, offering an apology, unveiling a surprise or any other aspect of life, getting the timing right is crucial. It’s essential for events and actions to unfold at the moment to maintain their significance. For example, giving advice to a friend is most beneficial when they truly need it. Similarly, sinking a shot in a basketball game during the final game moment can add an extra layer of excitement to the win.
Timing also plays a role in marketing strategies. Even if you have content, missing the timing can diminish the impact of your message. This holds true for content marketing, which has evolved in an era filled with distractions and an audience that craves gratification.
According to the Content Marketing Institute this marketing approach involves creating and sharing relevant and consistent content with the aim of attracting and engaging a target audience. The goal is to build a customer base by influencing consumer behavior. Content marketing focuses on establishing communication with customers and prioritizes owning media channels rather than depending on external platforms. The underlying premise is that by providing information, businesses can cultivate customer loyalty. In essence, content marketing prioritizes placing content at the center of its strategy.
The Transition to Digital
A recent survey by Adobe revealed that 40% of marketing professionals in the United States are keen on reinventing themselves, with 64% anticipating changes in their roles within the year. Interestingly, only 14% of these professionals feel confident about navigating this transformation
One aspect poised for change is the data driven role of marketers. Anne Lewnes, Adobe’s Chief Marketing Officer, emphasizes the importance of embracing technology as a tool for content marketing and adopting strategies to harness data effectively. This shift naturally brings forth responsibilities, for marketers, who now need to engage across social media, web platforms and mobile channels.
With brands and businesses acknowledging the importance of content marketing, there is a growing recognition of the necessity to broaden ownership of the process. For example, marketing departments are now in charge of monitoring analytics, a task previously managed by IT departments. Consequently, content marketers find themselves scrutinizing blogs, web traffic patterns, and making technology related decisions.
Posting valuable content on media platforms is crucial to standing out in the ever-changing online world. Timing is key to marketing your content to capture your audience’s attention and leave an impact. Understanding your audience, their interests, behaviors and online patterns is essential for success. Scientific studies can offer insights into the best times to connect with your target audience.
Buffer, a company specializing in social media analytics, conducted research on the timing for social media interactions, as discussed in an article published by the Huffington Post. Their data indicated that engagement levels on Facebook see an increase of 18% on Thursdays and Fridays due to peoples anticipation of the weekend and heightened Facebook usage during work hours. The optimal posting times on Facebook vary; it is suggested to post at 1pm for shares, 3pm for clicks with a general time frame between 9am and 7pm being favorable.
For Twitter brands aiming to boost engagement rates, weekends stand out with a 17% engagement rate making it an opportune time for launching campaigns or promotions. Retweets tend to peak around 5 pm.
When sending marketing emails targeted at consumers, the effective time frame falls between 6 am and 10 am.
When it comes to deals related to real estate, finances, or vacations, the ideal time is, between 3pm and 7pm. It’s important to note that from 10am to noon, individuals are usually focused on work and tend to overlook their emails.
For blog posts, posting in the morning tends to yield the best outcomes. Buffer’s research indicates that 70% of users prefer reading blogs during this period, resulting in traffic before midday.
Keep in mind that these findings are meant as a guide and should be adjusted based on your understanding of your audience and their preferences. The effective times for posting, updating, and sharing content will differ depending on your target audience.
Timing plays a role
Having control over timing is an advantage in marketing. You have the ability to schedule content delivery, respond promptly, and take actions as needed. The key now is to figure out how to develop a marketing strategy that aligns seamlessly with timing or even transcends it altogether. Gerry Moran, a marketing blogger, outlines five ways to create a content marketing strategy that leverages timing
- Enhance discoverability
Moran notes that around 89% of people begin their buying journey by using search engines, like Google.
It’s important to structure your content in a way that makes it easy to discover using keywords and subtle details. This is where SEO plays a role in ensuring that you appear higher in the search results.
- Maintain a presence
Consistently providing content helps build a routine for your audience. Moran references a HubSpot study showing that companies posting 15 or more blog posts per month receive five times as much website traffic.
- Focus on reader content
Ensure your content is easily understandable by keeping blog posts concise, under 500 words. While there isn’t a length for content, Moran suggests most readers spend about two minutes on a 500 word post, allowing them to grasp the main idea efficiently.
- Facilitate sharing
Content thrives when shared. Make it simple for your audience to share your content by ensuring it’s mobile friendly as many shares happen through devices.
- Respond promptly and courteously
Show appreciation for your audience by addressing their questions and comments, within 24 hours or sooner. For complaints, aim to resolve them within an hour to demonstrate your dedication to customer satisfaction.
In today’s consumer landscape, content marketing has emerged as the go to strategy. With customers becoming increasingly knowledgeable and empowered, traditional marketing tactics have waned in effectiveness. Nowadays individuals crave insights, data and content that offer benefits. By conveying your message at the right time, you can make substantial strides in cultivating a devoted customer following.
