Marketing automation helps you save a lot of time when it comes to being in touch with your clients. The right software can allow you to create workflows and templates to get important and engaging information out quickly. Additionally, you can keep track of your various campaigns and check the analytics after. This way, you know how your customers are responding to what you’re sending out.
Marketing automation allows you to also have workflows going even when you’re not around. This is done by scheduling campaigns and posts, so they get sent out even if you’re not at your computer. Scheduling is a great feature of any marketing automation software. However, it’s important to know a little bit about best scheduling tactics beforehand.
Why Schedule a Campaign or Post in the First Place?
Imagine every Monday and Wednesday, you want to send out a newsletter to your subscribers. But, sometimes, you are not free to sit at your computer, write up the campaign, and hit send at 11:00 AM (or whenever you need to send it). Being able to schedule your campaign will give you peace of mind, allowing you to go about your business while being sure your campaign is still reaching the right people.
Of course, people also like to schedule social media posts or large, promotional campaigns, too. Really, anything can be scheduled. That being said, there are certain scheduling times that are better than others. And, if you know these times, you can use it to your advantage. Likewise, if you schedule campaigns or posts in no specific pattern, you might find that your reader activity isn’t as great as it can be.
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Choosing the Best Scheduling Times
Once you figure out what to schedule, the next question is, “when?” While many websites and blogs will try to tell you the best times to schedule campaigns, the truth of the matter is, there is no perfect answer. However, the best advice generally teaches business leaders to ask themselves, “When do you check your email or social media feeds?”
For people who work a typical 9-5 job, there are certain times during the day that they are checking their personal inbox and feed more than other times of the day. When they wake up, perhaps around 6:00 AM. A little while after they get to work, around 9:30-10:00. On lunch break, between 11:30-12:30, and again at 2:00 PM on break time. People tend to also check their phones towards the end of the workday, and then again before bed. However, before bed, people are less likely to engage in the emails they receive, mostly because they are exhausted from their day.
With all this in mind, it’s not necessary to post at all these various times. What is important, though, is experimenting with different times on different days of the week, and analyze the campaign reports thereafter. After trying different strategies out for a few weeks, you should be able to determine which scheduling times are best.
What to Remember Before Scheduling
Scheduling campaigns certainly gives time back to busy business leaders. But, if scheduling becomes too much of a comfortable habit, it can leave room for errors in your posts. Even if you’re scheduling for the next day, it’s important to always send yourself a test e-mail to make sure everything is clean. It’s also important to remember the date you’ll be sending the campaign, as you don’t want to accidentally write “Happy Tuesday” when the campaign is due to go out on a Wednesday. When people send out campaigns immediately, they can pause the campaigns if they catch a mistake right away. But, scheduling can take this “extra chance” away.
Marketing automation software gives you the ability to schedule campaigns and posts so you can go about your day. To learn more, request a demo with The Mission Suite today!