What’s the meaning of ‘Noontime’ in online marketing?

Is it lunch time? Is it dinnertime? Are we having fun now?

Well, maybe not exactly. But maybe close. Or at least, that’s what we were thinking as we scrolled through Twitter during our office hours. And then it struck us: “Noontime” is the term used when referring to the time between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (or 6:00 p.m. in some parts of the world). As a marketer, you’ll see this time frame thrown around a lot. What does it mean? Let’s find out.

The Growth of Online Marketing

In the last decade, digital marketing has grown by leaps and bounds. We now have entire websites devoted to exploring this topic in-depth, like Statista and HubSpot Blogging.

Back in 2008, the term ‘digital marketing’ didn’t even exist — not in its current form. Back then, online marketing was still largely considered part of ‘traditional’ advertising. So when marketers talked about ‘digital marketing’, they were usually referring to email marketing, SEO, and paid advertising on websites.

What is Email Marketing?

You may be wondering what email marketing is exactly. Simply put, email marketing is the practice of sending promotional emails to customers with the purpose of getting them to take action.

For example, if you’re running an eCommerce store, you might use email marketing to send discounts and promotions to customers. Or you could use the email list to send out regular emails with tips and tricks on how to improve customer interactions and conversions.

In general, email marketing is about communicating regularly with people who’ve expressed an interest in receiving your messages. To put it simply, email marketing is about ‘keeping in touch’ with your audience.

Why is 9 To 5:00 p.m. considered ‘offline’ marketing?

Let’s take a look around our office. Where are we seated? In front of our laptops and desktops. Next to those, a large screen TV and projector. On the wall behind us, there is a whiteboard where we brainstorm, draw, and format marketing campaigns. On the other side of the room, there is a bar, which we regularly use to celebrate important wins and achievements.

If you work for a digital marketing agency, you’ll most likely work 5:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., and then again from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Your day starts very early, so this is when we consider noontime.

Does this sound like your everyday work environment? If so, then it’s very likely that you spend a lot of your noontime working on marketing activities. Email marketing, SEO, and paid advertising are considered ‘offline’ marketing tactics because they’re conducted independently of websites or stores. For example, you might design and send out an email campaign, but the actual delivery of that message takes place at a later date, once the email has been opened.

Now, if we were to extend our office hours and consider the time between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., we’d begin to see more interactions on social media. Our phone calls would start coming in, too. Between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., we begin seeing a decrease in both online and offline activity. This is when our employees are getting their work done, having their meal breaks, and winding down from a long day.

The Rise of the Digital Marketers

While many marketers work in an ‘offline’ capacity, others have embraced the digital age and have adopted a more ‘online-first’ approach.

This isn’t a trend that’s going to reverse in the near future. More and more businesses are realizing the benefits that come with a digital marketing strategy. Why? Simply because more and more consumers are researching and interacting with brands via mobile phones and other digital devices. This trend was driven largely by the expansion of the internet and the development of smartphones.

These days, if you don’t have a digital presence, you don’t exist. And if you do, you’re probably doing it all wrong. The best strategy is to use multiple channels to reach your audience, but to tailor your approach depending on what will resonate most with your target audience.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a type of digital marketing that helps businesses gain visibility in search results for relevant keywords.

The best situation for a business that’s looking to implement an SEO strategy is when they have lots of pages with relevant content, and those pages are ranked high in search engine results for their chosen keywords. In other words, they do a good job at creating content that will resonate with their target audience.

If you’re not sure where to start, try these helpful SEO tips for beginners.

How is Paid Advertising Different From SEO And Email Marketing?

Paid advertising, or Pay-Per-Click ads as they’re commonly known, involves paying to have your website or blog featured alongside relevant content in a search engine’s results.

For example, if you’re running an eCommerce store and want to promote a sale on your website, you might look into implementing a Pay-Per-Click ads campaign. You’ll want to do your research beforehand and choose a popular search engine like Google or Bing, as these are the ones that have the greatest impact on your business. Once you’ve found the right keywords, you can set up your ad campaign and begin to see results.

Paid advertising is a bit like SEO in the sense that both strategies aim to improve a business’ search engine rankings. The main difference is that with SEO, you’re trying to improve your rankings for ‘free’, while paid advertisements usually cost money. However, there are ways to get free SEO mileage if you’re willing to put in the work. You can use a free tool like Google Adwords to get started, and then use the affiliate programs that some search engines have to offer to make money online.

Key Takeaways

Now that you know the definition of noontime and the roles that email marketing, SEO, and paid advertising play in marketing, it’s time to put it into practice.

A good place to start is with your email marketing. Designing and sending promotional emails to customers is a fantastic way to build and maintain relationships and to keep in touch with your audience. By simply sending out periodic emails, you’re able to keep your name top of mind as a brand or business that they might need, want, or expect. If you do this regularly and with content that’s relevant to their interests, you’ll gain credibility and trust as an industry expert, which in turn, might lead them to take a liking to your products or services.

On the SEO front, you might want to consider applying for a Google Adwords account if you don’t have one already. Doing this will get you access to a whole world of relevant keywords that you can use to help your business and website show up when potential customers type in search terms relevant to your niche.

Last but not least, if you’re looking to implement a paid advertising strategy, you might want to consider using platforms like Google Adwords or Bing Ads. Building and editing a Google ad is easy to do, and with the right keywords and targeting options, you can be sure that your ads will show up when someone is searching for information on your topic.