Timing: An Art of Marketing

Marketing is an art and science game. It's a science in that there are some things that you can do, test and optimize. Reams of data has been written about the science of marketing. In fact, many of my own posts involves the science of marketing.

But marketing is also an art. There are some aspects of marketing that you just can not reproduce or even create by following a script or a plan. It is in the area of art that many marketers come out looking like geniuses. Market timing is one of the areas that falls into both the art and science of marketing.

There are some no-brainers when it comes to the science of message timing: Major holidays when people are predisposed to spend money; client/subscriber birthdays; overstocked inventory reductions; and channels that have heavy, targeted traffic to name just a few.

But there is also an art when it comes to message marketing. Sometimes a gut feeling or a hunch plays out when the science can not prove that this is the very best time to send a message. Granted, following too many unsubstantiated hunches can lead to a dismal ROI, but the well placed hunch can give a big payoff. Marketers with a history of successfully playing these hunches seem to develop a sense for these marketing opportunities that indeed, make them look like geniuses.

That said, most of these hunches are rooted in a common sense gamble. For example, I read of one pizza restaurant that started to send out e-mails highlighting the day's lunch specials at around 9:00am to 10:00am. These people were already predisposed to spend money on lunch when getting the e-mail. Brilliant!

Since the art of marketing can not be distilled into a nice 5 step process (otherwise it would be in the science of marketing), there are things you can do to help you develop your artistic marketing skills. For that, I can give you a nice little list:

1. Keep your eyes pealed- As marketers, you should be watching the marketing message of other book marketers. From time to time, they will do something that strikes the "Eureka!" moment for you. It may not be their message you recreate, but what they do may turn the wheels for your own artistic message.
   
   
2. Brainstorm with your mastermind group- Don't have a mastermind group? Then brainstorm with those business owners you have developed a close relationship with. Some pretty amazing stuff has come out of brainstorming sessions.
   
   
3. Read marketing messages sent to you- Don't just watch other book marketers. Look at the marketing messages people are sending to you. You may just find inspiration for your own book marketing message in that e-mail from the Cookie Company of America you just received.
   

Remember, the science of message timing instructs that you need to send your message at the precise moment when the receiver is emotionally ready for it and financially able to follow through. It's often in the art that you nail the home run. Just like any other skill or muscle, successfully using the art of marketing will get better with continued use.

Tony Eldridge