subject: Make the Most of Summer Marketing [print this page] Make the Most of Summer Marketing Make the Most of Summer Marketing
Summer is the time when nothing happens because everyone goes on vacationright? Maybe not.
Once June rolls around, many business owners take a cue from school kids and decide that all the serious work is done until September. Oh, they're technically "open" over the summer, but they drop back on attending marketing meetings (because "no one goes"), slack off on blogging, direct mail or newsletters (because "no one's reading it") and hold off on making contacts (because "nobody's in the office").
Then September comes and they're in a panic because business is slow!
In my opinion, summer is a fantastic time for cultivating business opportunities. Don't worryI believe in going on vacation as much as anyone, and I unplug when I go. But like warm weather and fresh fruit, summer offers seasonal possibilities that are too good to pass up.
Here are my tips for making the most of your summer marketing:
#1: Prospects have more time to connect. During the summer, the people you have been trying to reach all year may see a seasonal slow-down. They will probably adapt with a little more laid-back, casual pace themselves. Now is the time to catch them for a short phone conversation or even a meeting over coffee that they were too busy for earlier in the year.
#2: Summer is the time to set up events for next year. Whether you're planning an event of your own or you want to be booked as a speaker at someone else's event, there are only six more months left in the year, so many planners are already looking at 2011. This is especially true if their annual event has already happened for this year. Get a jump on the competition by putting in your pitch early.
#3: Summer slow-downs leave more time to read. If the target audience for your newsletter, blog and social media posts experience a little slower pace during the summer, they may well use it for more online reading time. Instead of taking a break from communicating, make sure that your summer written communications are especially spicy and good!
#4: Summer is the half-way point in the year. Because the year is half gone, it's a great time to check in with clients and prospects to see if their revenues or goal-achievement is on schedule. If not (and if you can help get them back on track), you've got built-in urgency for them to hire you!
#5: Budget season is coming. Many companies prepare their new year budget beginning in October. If prospects have been stalling with a go-ahead "because it's not in the budget," now is a great time to update your proposal and re-submit it, with a cover letter that helpfully notes the fresh figures "for your new budget cycle."
#6: Slow periods are great times to work ON your business. If client work really does slow down for you, seize the opportunity to tackle your own improvement projects. Update your website, blog more frequently, spruce up your marketing materials, write articles to submit to industry publications, spiff up your speeches, and dust off your business plan to check on your progress.
You can enjoy the summer and make headway on your business goals by keeping these six points in mind. Not only will your summer marketing soar, but you'll find that come September, you are still top of mind with prospects who are ready to buy!
