Want to increase your online visibility? Paid search is the quickest and most effective way to make that happen. When you are running and targeting your advertisements there can be a dizzying array of options available, and most of them are quick and easy to sign up for and utilize immediately. The downside to this practice is that these ad services may be quickly overlooked, or worse, set up incorrectly, which can lead to wasted time, effort, and marketing dollars.

Get Started With Ad Scheduling

Ad Scheduling is a common feature with paid advertising, allowing users to schedule the time of day that their ads appear. For example, if you do not want to take calls overnight then your ads can shut off at 6 pm and turn on at 6 am. This ensures that people will only call or visit your store during the hours that you can help them. While this seems like a thrifty strategy to most small businesses, it can actually end up costing you money in the long run. Other features may allow you to increase or decrease your bids throughout the day so that if you know that most customers call during a specific time period, you can place your ad in a better position during that time, and perhaps have a lower position during the off hours. Again, this may seem like a sound marketing strategy, however, there are a few things to keep in mind before using products like Ad Scheduling:

What are your company’s hours?

If your business operates 24/7, then why would you want to turn off your advertising during the night or during the day? Disasters, especially in storm situations, can happen at any time.

What is your daily budget?

It can be tough to identify and target the times where your marketing is most effective and an error in calculation can cost you big. Consider increasing your budget and rotating your ads throughout the day.

What are your competitors doing?

It is important to remember that while other companies use Ad Scheduling for various reasons, that doesn’t mean that it will work for you. In fact, many times you can get cheaper clicks during off hours because someone is not 24/7 and you are.

 Who are your customers?

Knowing your clientele demographic is essential to planning an effective marketing strategy. Don’t count on disasters only getting reported first thing in the morning, or after business hours. There are plenty of people who work/stay at home during the day. Ignoring this portion of the population can lead to your potential customers going elsewhere.

Ad Scheduling can be a very powerful tool when used properly. However, residential service-related issues can happen at any time, and turning off for even an hour may severely decrease the likelihood that your customers will find you. Ad Scheduling is not for everyone, and misusing it may result in a loss of potential customers. If you have the data to show when bids in your area are low or high, setting bid adjustments for certain times can help you get more out of your ad spend, but it is not a step to be undertaken lightly.