Summer can traditionally be a time when businesses don’t pro-actively market themselves, such as tourism businesses because it is main season and for others who are busy running their business and dealing with holidays. However people still need products and services over the summer. So we thought we would give you three simple tips to market your business over the summer and make sure when people are buying products and services that they think of your business.
1. SPLISH - Speak to your customers - Simple but true. Keep speaking to your existing customers whatever the season. In theory you can have hundreds of customers but if you don’t speak to them regularly how do they keep your business in mind when they next need your service or product?
Let them know all the products that you offer as they may only buy one thing from you as they simply don’t know the other services and products that you offer. The old marketing adage is true, your best business will come from your existing customers and they offer you the chance of word of mouth referrals, which in our opinion is the
best marketing in the world. Speaking to your existing customers is not expensive to do it’s just a matter of factoring in time and more importantly doing it. Depending on your business different communication tools will work best, from e-newsletters to face to face meetings or telephone. The important thing is that you make sure that you SPEAK.
2. SPLASH your business – Summer is a time when many businesses reduce their marketing spend giving you the opportunity to stand out from your competitors. So take the opportunity as people are still buying. You might be a business who is busy today but will you be tomorrow? If you don’t communicate people don’t know about you and then what do you do if you hit a quiet time. Test out a new form of marketing that you have never tried before. There are so many marketing tools that you can use from adverts, blogs, door drops, e-newsletters, Facebook and Facebook adverts, press and PR and social media. The point is to make your mark thereby increasing awareness of your business which could give you immediate business and importantly set your business up for the autumn and beyond.
3. SPLOSH - Spoil your customers – It is fact but people are in a better mood during the summer. This makes it the ideal time to have a summer barbecue and invite existing customers and potential customers along. Or arrange a golf trip or fishing trip or even a mountain biking trip. The possibilities are endless. Just think what suits your particular business and customers and arrange it. Not only could it get you instant business, the glow from being spoiled will last longer than the summer will and who will they think of when they next need your service? YOU so SPOIL them.
Don’t take a marketing holiday over the summer. See it as an opportunity to speak to your existing customers, splash your business to new potential customers and finally by putting on a summer event ensure that they think of your business when the summer is long gone.