Surprising “Best Times to Advertise”

When is the best time to advertise apartment rentals online? It might be Saturday night.

I recently asked the marketing director of an Indiana apartment complex what the busiest day of the week was. She said,

We get the most calls on Monday. But when we looked at our analytics, we realized that there’s always a jump in web and mobile traffic on Saturday night. It jumps at about 7pm, and the peak lasts until 10:00.”

Her theory is that couples spend more time together on Saturdays, alcohol enters the picture during the evening, and they start fighting. Eventually one (or both) of them decides to start looking for new living arrangements.

This is an example of oddball spikes in demand that are specific to particular industries.

Another example: Think with Google reports that YouTube video use is strongest on the weekends, with one exception:

Tuesdays are the peak day of the week for YouTube fitness videos on TV screens,1suggesting people are building sweat equity right in their own homes.

This is consistent with data released by ClassPass in 2016, indicating that Tuesday is the most popular workout day nationwide.”

Advertise exercise facilities on Tuesdays

Photo by Monika Wisniewska

If you’re calling on a gym, you’ll want to put messages in front of viewers and Internet users when they’re most likely to be thinking about working out. Load ‘em up on Tuesdays!

Sometimes consumer behavior manifests itself is off-the-wall ways. A plastic surgeon in Omaha told me that he increases his marketing budget every February… because that’s when Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue comes out!

Women come home from work, and their husband or boyfriend is looking at Kate Upton in a bikini. They’ll be calling someone the next day, and I want it to be me.”

When you conduct your next needs analysis, ask the client if there are any unusual times when demand peaks for them. The answer may surprise you – and help make the campaign more successful.

Question: What’s the most unusual traffic pattern you’ve heard about from a client? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Categories: Advertising, Phil Bernstein
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