One of the many benefits of digital marketing is how quickly it can be executed. Campaigns can be initiated relatively quickly, and copy changes can be made in an instant. For those utilizing offline marketing tactics, though, deadlines remain a beast with which to wrestle.
Television and radio stations need materials uploaded to their systems and indexed to run within a timeline of limited space. Billboards, which are also limited in supply, deal with vinyls being printed, transported, and applied at the structure site. Newspaper publishers can add paper, certainly, but there is only one “Page 3,” as well as limited space available around obits or puzzle pages, and demand for color may be high while the number of pages receiving color is sparse.
Inserts can be even trickier. Will the newspaper publisher print them? Or is it more cost-effective to go through a third-party printer and have preprinted materials shipped to the paper for insertion only?
The only thing all of these tactics have in common is a firm deadline.
During certain times of the year, the deadlines become even more critical. One of those times is approaching — Memorial Day.
When a major national holiday rolls around, we can expect the deadlines to be moved up, or “accelerated.” When this occurs, it’s best to “pad” a deadline by a couple of extra days to ensure the run date is met. Media companies like Audigy and many others are typically closed during major holidays. And Fridays prior to a Monday holiday find early closings, or perhaps a skeletal staff.
Major Monday holidays for 2017 are Memorial Day, May 29, and Labor Day, September 4. Another holiday that doesn’t occur on Monday but will likely still affect the preceding weekend is Tuesday, July 4.
Another good thing to keep in mind when running media during and around holidays is customary annual sales.
If looking to change copy for an existing radio run to advertise an event, try not to run it just prior to Mother’s Day (May 14), Memorial Day (May 29), or Father’s Day (June 18). It won’t come around for quite some time, but the same goes for the next Presidents Day (February 19). A week prior to Presidents Day, try not to compete with the advertising clutter centered on Valentine’s Day (Monday, February 5 – Wednesday, February 14).
Marketing is hard work; marketing well is very hard work. Some days it is difficult enough to choose and meet timelines for campaign execution, much less what dates to work around. Thankfully, the membership benefits from a team of marketing partners equipped to meet their needs, as well as anticipate challenges.