All too often, you’re feeling full of fire and inspired to do some marketing so you just quickly do it right then without thinking about your promotion as part of the big picture. Why waste your advertising dollars just because you were a little too eager? Taking the time to consider every step before you do it will save you money in the long run.

1913 magazine advertisement for Waltham Watch Company. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Firstly, consider the volume of business you’re currently experiencing. You don’t want to start a huge marketing campaign at a time when you’re already swamped with work or don’t have anything in stock. What a shame it would be to turn new readers away because your book isn’t out yet or to bring in an wave of clients while your service is on vacation.

Secondly, keep the calendar and current events in mind. Your novel’s about the Titanic disaster so it makes sense to do a big promotional push around the historical anniversaries. But if there’s recently been a tragedy that calls the disaster in mind, your marketing could backfire.

It’s so easy to schedule marketing in advance, particularly on social media like Twitter and Facebook. A message that was innocent when you created it can have a darker or unintended meaning in the light of current events and a promotional message you scheduled months ago can damage your networking by making you seem callous or cruel in the current context. You can’t possibly know what’s going to happen in the future, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be aware of what’s going on. As tempting as it is to use the Set It and Forget It method of marketing, you’ll need to monitor your efforts and keep them in mind in the context of what’s happening in the real world (or, at least, the internet world).

This comes down to a few simple pointers:

• Reevaluate any scheduled marketing in light of big news that could effect it. Decide whether something needs to be rescheduled, reworked or cancelled entirely.
• Never piggy back on a trending topic blindly without understanding what it’s really about. What may seem like a simple Twitter hashtag game at first glance may be tied to a very sensitive cause or a debate you don’t want to wade unwittingly into.
• If you do goof, own the mistake and offer a genuine, truthful apologize promptly. Anything else is just going to make the problem worse.

In general, it comes down to thinking every advertising move out thoroughly before taking the plunge. Not only will this keep you from wasting money, it will also give you the best result from the money you do spend. Taking the time to highlight the best times for your marketing a few months in advance doesn’t take long and can save you from missing opportunities and making misteps.