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Let's discuss when to run ads ahead of your busy season. Depending on your industry and business, your busy season may coincide with the holidays, the end of the year, or even the summer. To determine the ideal timing for your ads, examine your past sales data and do some research specific to your industry. Many clients at Sam DiNicola Digital, our agency, ask us when they should start running ads before their busy season. Some want to maximize their holiday sales, while others aim to prevent a slowdown during their slow season. These are the two most common scenarios we receive inquiries about.

If your busy season is during the holidays, such as November and December, running ads from November 1 is not the best approach. The ideal timing to start running ads for the holidays is actually in September or August. Similarly, if you want to use ads to boost sales during your slow season in Q1, you should begin running ads around October or November.

Regardless of the season you want to target with your ads, whether to enhance a busy season or counter a slow one, you need to start running ads at least three months prior to that season. This timeframe is essential for two main reasons. Firstly, ads require sufficient time for testing and optimization. While there are general ad strategies that tend to perform well, each brand, product, or service may have unique requirements. You need time to discover the most effective strategies, creative elements, and copy for your specific business.

Secondly, you need ample time to fill your sales funnel. When you run ads targeting new audiences who haven't heard of your brand before, they represent the top of your sales funnel. It takes time to serve ads to these cold audiences, introduce them to your brand, and nurture them through various stages of the funnel. This process involves retargeting, delivering additional ads, providing free content or lead magnets, and eventually guiding them towards making a purchase. Especially for higher-priced products or services, customers require time to move through the funnel, and your ads need to attract enough people at the top of the funnel.

Running ads for the first time ever on November 1 for a Black Friday sale may yield some results, but you won't achieve the maximum return on investment. By starting earlier and allowing your ads to gain momentum, you'll see better outcomes. Remember that ads work like a snowball rolling down a hill. Starting closer to the top allows the snowball to gather more momentum and grow larger.

To summarize, if you're considering running ads for your busy season or slow season, it's crucial to plan ahead. Give your ads enough time to reach a wider audience, optimize your strategies, and build the necessary trust with potential customers. Starting one or two months in advance will significantly impact the success of your ads. If you have any further questions about running ads for your business or need assistance with digital ad management and audits, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram (Sam.DiNicola) or visit my website, samdinicoladigital.com.

If you've been enjoying the "No Fluff Small Business Simplified" podcast, please take a minute to leave a review on iTunes or Spotify. We select one review to receive a free coaching call with me, which is an amazing opportunity to discuss your specific ad strategy, platform selection, budget allocation, or any other topic of your choice. Your review is greatly appreciated, and it's the most cost-effective way to receive personalized advice for your business.

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