3 Timing Tools Your Marketing Strategy Needs Now

In the marketing arena, we are often quick to use "why" questions as the foundation of our marketing platforms. For example: why do our customers need this product?

But just as important are the "when" questions. When is the time your customers are most likely to buy? Traditional marketers often focus on this question to guide their strategy. This might explain why as soon as you buy a house, you suddenly get coupons from home-improvement stores, offers from home-warranty companies, and promotions from local insurance agents.

A timing-focused marketing approach translates to the B2B space particularly well. Here's why timing should be a key part of your marketing strategy.

FIND THE BUYING TRIGGER

Bill Gross, founder of Idealab, recently spoke on TED about the top factors in startup success. Timing took the top spot, contributing 42 percent to success. Behind it were Team and Execution (32 percent), Idea (28 percent), Business Model (24 percent) and Funding (14 percent).

How does a marketing team determine the best time to target their audience? Here's an example: Let's say you are a medical-billing company selling software to physician offices. Medical offices have been scrambling to meet new medical coding (ICD-10) deadlines. In these times especially, offices need their current billing processes to work well for them. But what if they don't? That's where B2B companies using a timing-focused strategy can step in: by concentrating on significant events that might prompt current or potential clients to look in their direction, they use timing to make connections and even increase sales.

LET THEM COME TO YOU

The aggressive direct-sell approach to increasing sales rarely works on today's buyers. The traditional sales cycle has evolved into a consumer-driven buying cycle determined by the purchase decisions of clients. Buyers are prompted by a want or need and make decisions at their own pace based on these wants and needs.

Let's get back to our example. Having the right timing doesn't necessarily mean you start cold calling medical offices right when they are busy with a major IT conversion. Instead, sellers in that industry should think about marketing strategies that will prompt prospects to come to them. Again, timing is everything. Knowing their prospects' concerns, the medical-billing company creates a blog entitled "The ICD-10 Checklist. Are you ready?" or "Top 5 Concerns About ICD-10 Conversion." The blog could link to a longer resource guide, providing valuable tips and tutorials about how to prepare an office for the conversion. The blog may include an original video, infographic, or outside research.

What does all this accomplish?

Timing your marketing strategy around topics you know will be important to your customers at that moment is essential in order to capture their attention. Looking to address a company concern, the office manager may do a search related to one of the topics listed on your blog. Or, one of her industry peers may send a link to your resource guide. One of the company's existing clients may pass along the infographic through his social media account, exposing the product to his friends in the industry.

Successful marketing is about attracting without selling, engaging through relevant content, and then converting when the time is right. Engaging your target audience at the right time positions you as an authority and trusted expert in the industry. It puts you on the industry radar. When members of your target audience are ready to buy, you'll be at the top of their mind. The key is getting on a prospect's radar before the need arises—and then staying there.

BE AWARE AND PERCEPTIVE

Do you know your prospects' buying triggers? If not, find out. A good place to start would be with your current clients. What prompted their buying decision?

Next, keep up with industry news and trends. If your industry doesn't have major deadlines approaching, trends will at least let you know what issues may currently occupy top-of-mind awareness. The medical-billing company would not have been able to take advantage of good timing if they didn't know about the new government deadlines.

Finally, find out what's discussed at industry conferences. Prospects that recently attended may be eager to make buying decisions.

Including a time-based component in your marketing strategy is critical to showing your prospects that you are truly interested in their industry. With proper timing, you'll be able to reach them at just the right time.