Most small business owners run ads the way they leave lights on in an empty room like always on, always burning money.
And I get why they do that because Google and Facebook make it easy to just let ads run 24/7.
But and this is a big BUT as that is also the fastest way to waste your budget. So you need to be very careful when doing it because Timing really does matter.
Because if not it’s going to be a really expensive mistake to come back from so be wise and cunning about it.
Why Ad Timing Can Make or Break a Campaign?
Ok so think about your own routine for a second here. Would you click an ad for pizza at 9 am? Or shop for furniture while you are rushing for your 9 to 5 work routine?
Probably not right unless you are Superman.
Customers have daily rhythms too. And Ads that show up when they are not looking are as good as invisible.
So that is why every smart local advertising strategy starts with one question and that is when are people actually paying attention?
So let’s find out the answer together shall we?
Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Knowing The Difference
Here’s where a lot of business owners slip on and it is about thinking ads are ads no matter where they run. Big Mistake.
Because the truth is when to run Google Ads locally looks very different from the timing for Facebook ads for local businesses.
- Google Ads are intent driven. Like if someone searches for an emergency plumber near me then they are ready to call right now. Best hours? Well those are going to be in the Mornings, business hours and weekends.
- Facebook Ads are attention driven which means that nobody is searching and they are scrolling. And that can be in Evenings, weekends and late nights are prime time for catching someone’s eye with a promo.
So if you confuse these two and run them the same way then all you will be doing is simple and that is wasting money.
But hey not everybody can be so predictable all the time right? So if you don’t want to guess when your ads should run?
Oastreck is gonna take all that guesswork out of the window for you.
From ad scheduling for small businesses to full campaign management we will help you spend smarter and not a single penny more than necessary so come on what are you waiting for? Start with Oastreck today.
Seasons Change And So Should Your Ads
It is not just the clock you need to watch. Local ad performance data shows how much the season changes buyer behavior and that can be in the following ways.
- Summer: Outdoor dining, vacations and events. Here Midday and evening ads perform best.
- Back To School: Clothing, retail and tutoring. Many Parents scroll for this during the evenings.
- Holidays: Shoppers browse evenings after dinner like in November and December as they are a golden period.
- January slump: Gyms, wellness and many other self improvement businesses really do peak in the mornings.
So if your local advertising strategy doesn’t account for seasons then you are already way too behind in the race for exposure.
Mobile vs Desktop Behavior
Here is something business owners often overlook. And that is Ads perform differently depending on the device. C’mon this isn’t the 90s people and today everyone literally even toddlers has a smartphone so make sure to optimize them for:
- Mobile: Local searches for food, retail and urgent services that spike during lunch breaks and commutes.
- Desktop: Where more B2B searches occur during work hours.
The deal is simple and straight if you are not segmenting by device then your so called perfect timing might only be half right.
From Wasted Spend To 40% More Sales
There was this one café that had ads running around the clock. By 2 pm the budget was gone and dinner customers never saw a thing.
So Oastreck restructured their campaign to only run ads at around 11 am to 2 pm between lunch breaks and 5 pm to 8 pm at dinner times.
And lo and behold that same spending, same ads and sales jumped 40 percent in just a month.
And that is how you maximize ROI local ads not by spending more but by trimming the fat.
How a Heating Company Cut Leads In Half (Until They Fixed Timing)
And there was this HVAC company that swore ads just didn’t work. I mean they had campaigns running all night and every night.
But the problem? Yeah most calls came early mornings when customers woke up to freezing homes.
So once experts from Oastreck shifted their ads to 5 am to 10 am and again in the evenings and what do you know the next thing is the cost per lead dropped by 50 percent.
Same ads, same budget but different results all thanks to better timing by people at Oastreck who know their stuff.
Local Ad Performance Data You Should Check Weekly
If you don’t look at reports then I am sorry to say that you are flying blind. I mean it’s hard cold facts you don’t work without those.
And mighty platforms like Google and Facebook give you more data than you think so make sure to focus on:
- Hour by hour click through rates.
- Which days of the week convert better?
- Mobile vs desktop splits.
- Keyword performance at different timings.
All of this stuff really helps fuel for more smarter local advertising strategy decisions.
Mastering Quick Wins! Local Business Marketing Tips
So here is a treat for you all to get an even bigger edge over your competitors:
- Match ad copy to the hour breakfast vs dinner specials.
- Test weekends vs weekdays as service businesses often win weekends.
- Budget heavier during peak hours and pull back during dead zones.
- Don’t be afraid to pause campaigns outside proven hours.
All of these local business marketing tips may sound small but they make ads sharper and cheaper.
Conclusion
Running ads 24hours a day 7 days a week is like blasting music in an empty room and it doesn’t matter how loud it is because if nobody is there to appreciate it then what the hell is its use.
So for this reason alone the best times to run local ads really and I mean really depend on your industry, your platform, your season and even the device your customers use.
So come on man don’t throw money away. Study that data, build timing into your local advertising strategy and watch your results grow without raising your budget.
And the icing on the cake is that Oastreck can help someone like you and help you unlock smarter ad timing with when to run Google Ads locally, timing for Facebook ads for local businesses and complete ad scheduling for small businesses.
Because we are the only ones who can show you how to maximize ROI from local ads and finally make your campaigns pay off. Work with Oastreck today.
