Marketing Insurance Surveys Small Biz. Starting Out Sales Mgt. Timing Is Everything especially when it comes to buying advertising. No matter what size your business is, the best time to buy advertising is in the first quarter always. The next best time is the third quarter.
Inventory needs to be filled to make budgets, and the buyer is really in the driver's seat.
Rates can drop by half in the first quarter, so look at your budget, and hunker down with the reps from your chosen forms of media. That's not your problem. They don't want you to turn into one of those clients who insist on a lower rate every time, knowing it's possible to negotiate. And political campaigns can run as many ads for that low price as they want. So stations have to be careful about what rates they show.