// WIDSIX WRITTEN WORD //
How to Make a Splash With Your Summer Marketing
Summer is the slow season in the marketing and advertising world. In fact, it’s kind of a slow season for everyone and everything, even the businesses and clients we serve hit a decline in revenue and traffic. You’d think the market would be heating up in summer… what gives?! Tons of people go on vacation during summer, so they’re not really thinking about interacting with content or consuming goods. Kids are all out of school, so everyone is extra busy with various summer activities. Plus, the heat just has a way of making people feel sluggish. It’s a shocking contrast to the fast-paced, high energy world of marketing. But just because everyone else is slowing down, doesn’t mean you have to. In fact, summer is the perfect time to catch up on all of the things you’ve been avoiding or putting off during the busier season. It’s also an excellent idea to start thinking up new and creative campaign strategies for the upcoming busy season. Don’t let the summer blues get to you, here are our best tips for summer marketing.
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Take advantage of the holidays.
Huh? Holidays? In summer? YES! Any holiday, no matter how small, is an opportunity to flex your marketing prowess. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day are the three major summer holidays that you should take advantage of. The Fourth of July is especially critical because it’s considered a major annual holiday. Most businesses will do some kind of promotion or big sale during all three of these holidays, and you don’t want to be the only one not in on the action.
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Plan ahead and try new things.
Do you have a list of big ideas you’ve been creating throughout the year but can never seem to get enough time to actually tackle any of them? Summer is the perfect time to play around with your creative side. Got an innovative new email marketing campaign you’ve been itching to try? Perhaps a crazy, guerilla marketing art installment you’ve secretly been sketching out at your desk? The lull in business will free up your schedule a bit more to finally make those marketing dreams a reality.
You can also take this time to catch up on the more boring, menial tasks as well. Which aren’t as fun, but are likely equally if not more important. If you have a backlog of housekeeping tasks, this is the best time to knock them out. Plus, the more you accomplish now, the less you’ll have to worry about when business picks up again and things get chaotic.
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Load up on content.
There’s no better feeling than having a whole database of content to pull from when you’re in a tight spot. The more content you build up in advance, the less you have to stress about keeping up with a consistent posting schedule when everything else has become overwhelming during the busiest season of the year. By the time summer is over, you will have replenished your content stores with a whole wealth of options for the coming year.
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Automate.
Automating tasks can help free up your schedule immensely, but they usually take some initial time investment to set up. This is why summer is perfect for creating these automated tasks, so that you can focus on the important stuff throughout the rest of the year. In addition, if you are planning to take time off in the summer for vacation, setting up processes to unfold automatically will be a lifesaver for your colleagues who will have to pick up the extra slack while you’re gone. And it’ll give you peace of mind. For example:
- Lead generation. Email auto-responders can be set up to send out emails to people who sign up for your lead magnet. These email sequences can keep new subscribers engaged with your content.
- Blog posting. WordPress will allow you to schedule out a set of blog posts to post at a certain date and time, so you can load up all of the pre-written posts into the site and it will do the work for you while you’re away.
- Social media posts. Apps like Buffer or HootSuite can be used to schedule posts in advance for social media, so you can maintain your consistent posting schedule.
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Hold summer contests or giveaways!
Summer is all about fun, and there’s nothing more fun than a good old fashioned contest or giveaway. Not only is this great for increased engagement, but it’s also a nice way to give back to your followers and customers. Bonus points if you hold a summer-themed contest or giveaway! The options are endless. Just make sure it’s relevant to your brand and what your customers would be interested in.
Summer doesn’t have to be a drag. Take this time to play catch up while at work, but don’t forget to set aside time for relaxation for yourself as well. Perhaps the best use of your extra free time is to just enjoy the break from the fast-paced and often cutthroat nature of the advertising industry. Then, come the busy season, you’ll be more than ready to hop back in the saddle!