If you are like me you love the summer months.
The days are longer, the pace is more relaxed and (sometimes) we get nice sunny days.
We also look forward to vacation time with family and friends.
With these long sunny days we are tempted to slack off in our marketing.
The ‘grind and hustle’ if off.
With the 2018 World Cup, the temptation is even greater. (My heart goes out to Germany; that’s a really tough loss.)
But…
It doesn’t have to be that way though.
Making the decision to make summer matter in your small business is a great place to start.
Creating good daily habits and using the brute force of your will power will take you over the finish line into fall.
The recommendations below are a mix of both classic and online marketing. Marry well and they can surpass your expectation.
- Consider Facial Recognition
I learned this term from Shawn Fidler, a business colleague. ‘Facial recognition’ as he described it, is a summer strategy he uses to check-in and reconnect with his clients over coffee or lunch. He also uses it as an opportunity to get out and about in his community.
According to Fidler, this is how he takes advantage of the summer months so there is no summer slump. “Summer is great for my business, my clients are more relaxed, their schedules are lighter and they tend to have a more positive mindset as the weather is beautiful,” says Fidler.
- Review your marketing plan
Now that you are half way through the year, set aside a few hours or a day to review your marketing plan and refocus your message.
Review whether or not your business is on track to reach its 2018 goals. What’s working, what not?
If you need to, tweak a few strategies or ditch some entirely, then go about resetting your success plan for the rest of the year.
- Reconnect with your clients
Remember the old adage: “Out of sight, out of mind”? Since this is the last thing you want, use this time to reconnect with prospects, clients and business partners over lunch or coffee.
Exchange ideas, catch up on what’s new and share your new products and services.
Not only is this a great time to reconnect but it helps to build lasting relationships. It also takes the strain off the holiday season when calendar conflicts are rampant.
- Refresh your website and other online channels
With search engines like Google always looking for fresh content, summer is the perfect time to review and refresh the information on your website. It’s a terrible idea to ‘set it and forget it’.
A ‘set-it and forget it’ is not a marketing strategy! It is a surefire strategy to move you into obscurity.
Content is air in today’s online market place.
If you have new products and services, if your prices have changed, if you have won awards or have been mentioned in the media, this is great content for your website.
If your site is dated, isn’t mobile first and doesn’t address the user intent, a redo is required.
Don’t believe me? Ask Google. They are very clear about sites that get ranked and sites that don’t.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms are constantly changing and adding new features.
Update and take advantage of the opportunities you have locally.
Did you now that LinkedIn has updated it’s user interface and added Hashtag Communities? Maybe not.
How about Google My Business? Did you know that they too have upgraded their features so you can add videos, create a message and posts?
These are simple and easy ways to refresh your brand.
Lastly, consider a make-over for a few of your marketing collateral pieces like your business cards, note cards and so on.
- Meet new people
Summer is a great time to meet new and interesting people. Make it your summer goal to attend a few local networking events, business mixers, golf days, barbecues, whatever.
Face to face meeting still trumps online connections.
Simply get out there and meet new folks. Once you’ve put yourself out there, begin the process of building long lasting relationships.
- Give back to your clients and community
Giving back to your clients and community shows that you care and appreciate their support. It elevates your business and provides meaningful exposure. Who doesn’t love a great barbecue, car wash or golf day? Don’t forget to offer your guest some kind of incentive or special.
- Back up your data
If you have not done this before, it’s time to back up your data. God forbid if your computer crashes and you lose your data. Intense pain and inconvenience.
This is a great time to back-up everything, do a tune up and upgrade where you need to. Don’t forget to hack proof too.
- Take a break. Get away
Rest and recovery is required. Your business success relies on your health and those of your team.
You can’t grow or be productive if you are sick or laid up in the hospital so make it a priority to schedule vacation time, disconnect from your electronics and chillax.
If shorter blocks of time work better, be open to a 4-day work week in the summer or work diligently in the mornings and take the afternoons off (if it suits the business).
It’s quite easy to succumb to the allure of the lazy, hazy days of summer. Leave that to your competitors.
When they zig, you zag.
What are your marketing reboot plans for the summer?
