Marketing your business is a year round effort, and every business person, from the small company owner to the CEOs of major corporations know it. However, the way you market to your customers should be changing with the season, not staying the same all year long.
The reason you need to change your marketing efforts in the Summer is because people’s priorities shift with the weather. It might sound silly to think that people are only thinking about fun in the sun, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that it really is a priority for many people to take some time to relax or go on vacation in the summertime.
Here in the US it’s summer, but no matter when summer arrives in your region, try these simple summertime marketing principles to keep your small business growing.
Keep Your Message Fun
No matter what type of business you have, there’s a way to make your product seem more fun. Perhaps you can change the colors of your marketing materials to summer ones or create new ones that use summertime elements like the beach. This will serve as a subtle attempt to relate to the customers. Your emails to your customers can explain how the product either improves Summer for the customers, or allows them to get out and enjoy the Summer. Be light-hearted and encouraging. Even if you sell office supplies, you can make your message fun by telling customers that better, more efficient office supplies means less time behind a desk and more time with their toes in the sand.
Make Mobile a Priority
More and more people are accessing websites through their smartphone or tablet, and with the high number of people traveling, mobile engagement is more important in the summer than any other time.
A Mobile Website or a mobile application is more essential than ever during this time of the year. Mobile phones are more than handy tools, they’re lifelines, so people are much more likely to be carrying one around while traveling than a laptop. However, if there’s one thing that a phone doesn’t do as good as or better than a laptop, it’s surfing the web. Consider having a mobile site designed in order for customers to navigate your website with ease and convenience and not forever having to zoom in and click buttons with pinpoint accuracy. Customers will inevitably be more impressed and satisfied.
Have a Summer Sale
It might sound obvious to have a summer sale as a way to get people interested in your product, but a lot of people really do feel like the summer months are a time to celebrate and enjoy themselves. With vacation and travel on the menu, Summer is prime time for people to binge on shopping; it’s necessary and a perfect excuse to do so even if they’re not traveling! The simple fact that you’re having a sale to celebrate with them will be enough of an incentive to get them in your store, browsing your website or talking to you about your services. Never underestimate the power of a sale!
Strengthen Internal Relations
Another thing to remember about summer is that it’s an ideal time to improve internal relationsbetween people in your office because of the more relaxed atmosphere. While that might not sound like an immediate way to boost your marketing efforts, improved relations have been proven to make people work harder and care more about how the business is really doing. Take the time to host a barbecue or take employees out for lunch. Use the enjoyable summer months to strengthen your marketing efforts from the inside out.
Run a Summer Contest
Like a sale, almost every customer likes a contest if they can get something for free. Best of all, because it’s free, you don’t have to modify your product message. Examples of a summer contest could include a prize for the best beach photo or even a kid’s story or poem about summer. What you choose doesn’t matter too much, just make sure it applies to your client or customer base and isn’t too difficult for people to submit. You might even think about entering anyone into the contest who likes your summer contest on Facebook or who signs up for your email list thus also building a connection and potentially an enduring relationship with the customer.
If your company doesn’t sell a summer product, don’t sweat it, you can always give something summer-appropriate away like a barbecue grill, patio furniture or even a summer vacation if you have the means to do so.
For a small business, summer doesn’t change much as it’s always running, but the customers are what keeps a business afloat, and in the summer, their priorities tend to change dramatically. Children are out of school and on summer vacation, and we’ve all been there… that’s what kids live for. The customer will be changing things up during these glorious three months, so small businesses need to do so as well.
About the Author:
Owen Andrew is a journalist and tech enthusiast who enjoys his morning black coffee while attempting the crossword puzzle. He has written for numerous publications, both in print and web format. As of late, he’s enjoyed researching and writing on all-things eCommerce and entrepreneurship. We hope that you enjoy this article and find it useful.
