How long do you spend on planning and implementing your promotions?

I read an article earlier that suggested running 6 promotions per year; This roughly works out as 8 weeks each. Given that some of the year will be contingency for time off for holidays, sickness or emergencies, childcare if it affects you, busier-than-average weeks for special events or seasonal changes to your business – this could reduce it by a couple of weeks each time. My guide timescale is 6 weeks, which I know has raised some eyebrows when I’ve suggested it in the past!

I reached out to my business community about this – and the results couldn’t vary more! For one, it was a simple two week turnaround for an online service and advertised purely on social media. For another, they are thinking ahead six months to fine tune a seasonal shift in their business which means their promotion is ready for the busiest time in their calendar.

But how much time do you actually spend on this? Iam interested to know your thoughts on this.