Should you market your business over the summer?
Well, that depends. On lots of things. You, your business, your ideal clients and what you want to achieve in the Autumn months (and in the run up to, dare I say it, Christmas).
There isn’t really a ‘correct’ way to approach the Summer months. Engagement on social media is usually up and down while some people put down their phones and pick up a book, poolside. Some people will be juggling work and children, but not everyone will be. Some business owners will be prepping for the busy time ahead.
So, 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.
Plan your content across your channels
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 should about this!
Don’t forget to repurpose the content you’re creating. Start with your long form content like a blog, YouTube video or a podcast episode. Share it with your email audience (they’re your VIPS after all), 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 or trend led as at other points in the year, but they’ll still contain useful info that will keep me front of mind to my audience. 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? I use Tidycal, linked to my google business calendar and zoom and it works seamlessly (if you’re reading this and you’d like to work with me, you can book a disco call here 😉. If you’re scheduling social posts, you can use an automated service like Manychat to share links and resources while you’re busy 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 my business and felt exhausted by the end of the summer. Now I’m super clear on what time is earmarked for work and what is family time. I’ve booked in holiday camps: days dedicated to client work. I’ll also be replying to enquiries in the evenings - something 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 should. 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.
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 or check out the Tidycal magic for yourself here.