Are you in the majority? Did you let your marketing sit quietly on a shelf all summer while you went to the beach, took a vacation, or otherwise took a business siesta? Well, you’re not alone. Most business owners let their marketing slide during the summer, thinking that people aren’t paying attention…it’s a slow season…people will be back in the routine once fall hits. I’m not saying this is the right thing to do…I’m just saying this is what happens.
Snap Out of It! Fall is coming fast and you need to get your head back in the game! Don’t know where to begin? Well, I’m going to give you some tips to get you started.
Make sure your marketing plans are in place:
- Is your website in need of changes or updates?
- Do you need to make any changes in your branding or extend that branding?
- Do you have business cards, brochures, postcards, and other marketing materials on hand–0r at least on order?
- Is your email list up and running? If not, be sure to get a sign-up form on your site ASAP!
- Do you need to invest in any local advertising?
Plan for success:
- Are you working part-time and expecting a full-time pay? Time to re-think your strategy! Hard work pays off, especially for the small business owner or solopreneur. So put in your time and make that success happen!
- Are you doing the things you know you should be doing?
- blogging at least once a week?
- marketing your business in some way every day?
- building valuable connections on social media?
- getting involved with local business networking groups?
- continuing your education/training to make you a better business person and better at what you offer your customers?
Reconnect with your past customers:
- Offer them an incentive to come back and do business with you (exclusive sale, sneak preview of new items, etc.)
- Ask them to give you an endorsement that you can use in your marketing (website, promotional items, etc.)
- Send them a token of appreciation or thank you note
- Send out a newsletter, telling them about your plans for the upcoming fall or holiday season
Find new customers:
- Ask your customers to introduce you to people who may be interested in your product or service
- Host an open house of gathering where people can meet you in an informal setting
- Interact with your community, whether that’s a local community or a community of online people with similar interests
The key is to keep juggling! It’s not easy, but it’s very important to keep building your business–even when it doesn’t seem like you have the time to do so. Yes, the things you are busy with may be making you money, but if you don’t keep up your marketing, things will eventually slow down and you end up in a cycle of busy/slow/busy/slow. Wouldn’t it be much nicer to have steady…and better yet, steadily increasing business?
Now, I realize there are a lot of other ways to gear up for your fall marketing campaign than I’ve mentioned here. I’d love to hear some feedback from my readers. What techniques have you successfully used to get back into the swing of things after a “vacation” time like “summer break”? Let me know…that’s what the comment section is for!
