How to market your business over the Summer
Ok, so there isn’t really a ‘correct’ way to approach the Summer. Social media engagement is usually down. Some people will be juggling work and children, but not everyone will be. Therefore, it’s a great idea not to completely switch off your marketing for the whole of July and August.
My top tips for marketing your business over the summer months.
Plan your content across your channels
You know I’m a fan of a plan and summer planning is always a great idea. (I have a handy 6 week planner here, if you’d find it useful). Try to think about what you want to achieve over the summer. Are you selling something in the Autumn that needs a warm-up? Are there any resources that your ideal clients would find useful? What are your plans for your business over the summer? Do you have capacity to work with clients in July and August? If you do, absolutely market this! Don’t forget to repurpose the content you’re creating. Start with your long form content like a blog, or a podcast. Share it with your email audience, then break it into pieces for social content. One idea can be reused across multiple platforms to make your content planning much easier.
Schedule your comms ahead of time
Scheduling is my best friend over the summer. Social media posts - scheduled. Emails - scheduled. Ok, they won’t be as impromptu as at other points in the year, but they’ll still contain useful info. Think about what you can help your clients with ahead of an autumn buying period and prep and schedule where you can.
Automate
If you have a booking system, can you organise the automated replies? If you’re scheduling social posts, can you use an automated service like Manychat to share links and resources while you’re doing other things?
Block out dedicated times to work on your business.
This is a really important one for me. I used to try to juggle the children and work and felt exhausted by the end of the summer, and I didn’t feel like anyone got the best version of me. Now I’m super clear on what time is earmarked for work and what time is family time. I’ve invested in holiday camps: days dedicated to client work. I’ll also be replying to enquiries in the evenings - which I’m usually very hesitant to do.
Even if you don’t have children around, having some blocks of time to rest, reset and relax is key before we go into the Autumn.
Be kind to yourself
You are allowed to take time off. Summer is a brilliant time to relax, take the foot off the marketing pedal. So if you want to take time off, you absolutely can. On the flip side, if you’re happiest working, then you should crack on! You’re running your business to suit you and only you can choose how much energy your business needs over the summer.
I have some really useful downloadable marketing resources, so if you’re looking to go deep on your marketing strategy, you’d like some clarity on content planning, you’d like to leverage the power of Pinterest or you’d like to tap email newsletters into your marketing mix, there’s something for you.
If you’d like to book a call with me to discuss a strategy or email marketing project, just drop me an email at barbara@barbaragillmarketing.com