Ever wonder why some of your online ads seem to fall flat, even when you're spending good money on them? It might be because you're running them at the wrong time. This is where ad scheduling comes in - a simple yet powerful tactic that can make a big difference in your marketing efforts.

Ad scheduling is all about showing your ads at the right time to the right people. Think of it as setting business hours for your online advertisements. Just like a store that opens when customers are most likely to shop, you can set your ads to appear when your target audience is most likely to see and respond to them.

This tactic is particularly useful for businesses where timing is crucial. For example, if you're a local restaurant, you might want to run ads just before lunchtime when people are deciding where to eat. Or if you're a B2B company, you might focus on business hours when decision-makers are at work and more likely to engage with your content.

By using ad scheduling, you can potentially save money and improve your results. Instead of running ads 24/7 and possibly wasting budget on times when your audience isn't active, you can concentrate your spending on the most effective hours. This can lead to better engagement, more qualified leads, and ultimately, a better return on your advertising investment.

Why this works

Ad scheduling works particularly well for digital businesses because online behavior tends to follow predictable patterns. Here's why it's effective:

• Peak engagement times. Most internet users have specific times when they're most active online. By aligning your ads with these periods, you increase the chances of reaching your audience when they're most receptive.

• Cost efficiency. Digital ad platforms often use auction-based pricing. During off-peak hours, competition for ad space decreases, potentially lowering your costs while still reaching your target audience.

• Improved quality score. Many ad platforms, like Google Ads, use quality scores to determine ad placement and pricing. By showing ads when users are more likely to engage, you can improve your quality score, leading to better ad positions and lower costs.

• Better conversion rates. Timing your ads to coincide with when your audience is most likely to take action can significantly boost conversion rates. For example:

• SaaS company. A project management software startup noticed that their free trial sign-ups peaked between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays. By concentrating their ad spend during these hours, they saw a 35% increase in conversions.

• Marketplace app. A gig economy platform noticed that service providers were most likely to sign up between 7 PM and 11 PM. Focusing their ads during this window resulted in a 28% increase in new provider registrations.

• Alignment with business hours. For B2B software companies or marketplaces that require customer support, scheduling ads during business hours ensures that potential customers can reach out immediately if they have questions.

• Syncing with user behavior. E-commerce stores can align their ad scheduling with typical shopping patterns. For instance, running promotions during lunch breaks or evening hours when people are more likely to browse and make purchases.

• Capitalizing on time-sensitive offers. Digital product creators can use ad scheduling to promote limited-time offers or flash sales, creating a sense of urgency that drives immediate action.

Remember, the key to effective ad scheduling is data analysis. Regularly review your ad performance metrics to identify patterns and adjust your schedule accordingly. This ongoing optimization can lead to significant improvements in your advertising ROI over time.

How you can steal this

Here's how you can implement ad scheduling for your digital business:

1. Analyze your data. Start by reviewing your existing analytics to identify peak engagement times. Look for patterns in:

• When users are most active on your platform
• Times with the highest conversion rates
• Periods when you receive the most customer inquiries

2. Set up ad scheduling in your ad platform. Most major platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads offer ad scheduling features. Here's how to access it in Google Ads:

• Go to your campaign settings
• Under "Advanced settings," find "Ad schedule"
• Click "Ad schedule" and set your preferred times

3. Align with your audience's time zone. If you're targeting users in different regions, adjust your schedule accordingly. For example, if your SaaS company is based in Europe but targets US customers, schedule ads to match US business hours.

4. Start with broad time blocks. Initially, you might want to schedule ads for entire business days (e.g., 9 AM to 5 PM) and gradually refine based on performance data.

5. Test and optimize. Run your scheduled ads for at least two weeks, then analyze the results. Look for:

• Time blocks with highest engagement. These are prime spots for increasing your bids.
• Underperforming periods. Consider reducing spend or pausing ads during these times.

6. Adjust bids by time. Once you've identified your best-performing times, increase your bids during these periods to maximize visibility.

7. Consider day-parting. This involves adjusting your ad schedule for different days of the week. For example:

• B2B software company. Might focus on weekdays and reduce or pause weekend ads.
• E-commerce store. Could increase bids during evening hours when online shopping typically peaks.

8. Sync with your sales team. If your business model involves follow-up calls or demos, ensure your ad schedule aligns with your sales team's availability. This can significantly improve lead quality and conversion rates.

9. Use ad scheduling for promotions. Time-limited offers can be more effective when scheduled strategically. For instance, a digital product creator might schedule flash sale ads during high-traffic evening hours.

10. Monitor and adjust regularly. User behavior can change over time, so revisit your ad schedule every few months to ensure it's still optimal.

Remember, ad scheduling is about finding the sweet spot where your audience's engagement meets your business's readiness to convert. By aligning these factors, you can significantly improve your ad performance and ROI. As the Econsultancy case study showed, effective ad scheduling can lead to impressive results, with one company seeing a 69% improvement in Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) after implementation.

Examples of ad scheduling

Let's dive into some real-world examples of how different types of digital businesses can effectively use ad scheduling:

• SaaS company. A project management software startup noticed that their free trial sign-ups peaked between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays. By concentrating their ad spend during these hours, they saw a 35% increase in conversions and a 20% decrease in cost per acquisition.

• E-commerce store. An online fashion retailer analyzed their sales data and found that most purchases occurred between 7 PM and 11 PM. They adjusted their ad schedule to focus on these prime shopping hours, resulting in a 45% boost in sales and a 15% improvement in return on ad spend.

• Digital product creator. A course creator selling online marketing tutorials discovered that their target audience (marketing professionals) were most likely to engage with ads during lunch hours (12 PM - 2 PM) and after work (6 PM - 9 PM). By scheduling ads during these specific time blocks, they achieved a 50% increase in course sign-ups.

• Marketplace app. A freelance services platform noticed that both clients and service providers were most active on weekends. They implemented a weekend-focused ad schedule, which led to a 40% increase in new user registrations and a 30% decrease in customer acquisition costs.

• Subscription box service. A meal kit delivery company found that their ads performed best on Sundays and Mondays when people were planning their meals for the week. By allocating more budget to these days, they saw a 55% increase in new subscriptions and a 25% decrease in cost per subscription.

• B2B software company. An enterprise CRM provider discovered that their ads were most effective during business hours (9 AM - 5 PM) on weekdays. By pausing ads outside of these hours, they reduced their ad spend by 30% while maintaining the same number of qualified leads.

• Online learning platform. An e-learning startup offering professional development courses noticed that their target audience (working professionals) engaged most with ads during early morning hours (6 AM - 8 AM) and late evenings (9 PM - 11 PM). Focusing on these times resulted in a 60% increase in course enrollments.

• Fintech app. A personal finance management app found that users were most likely to download and sign up for their service during lunch breaks (12 PM - 2 PM) and after dinner (7 PM - 9 PM). By scheduling ads during these periods, they achieved a 40% increase in app installations and a 25% decrease in cost per install.

These examples demonstrate the power of ad scheduling when applied to various digital business models. The key is to analyze your specific audience behavior, identify peak engagement times, and align your ad schedule accordingly. Remember, as the Econsultancy case study showed, effective ad scheduling can lead to significant improvements, with one company seeing a 69% improvement in Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) after implementation.

To get started with your own ad scheduling strategy, follow the 5-step tutorial from Wordstream, which provides a solid foundation for implementing this tactic. As you refine your approach, you'll likely see improvements in both ad performance and overall return on investment.