How to Avoid the Summer Slump
The summer season is probably the most anticipated time of year: school is out; baseball season is in full swing; the weather is warm; pools are open; people head to the beach; vacations are taken…and more. It’s also a time of year when we find ourselves busy with “other things” that can easily distract us from our business. There are those who’ll say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter – it’s summer and no one does much business this time of year.” And then others will say, “Let’s just wait until summer is over and hit the ground running after Labor Day.” There it is: the summer slump. Here’s how to avoid it.
Revisit your marketing strategy & plan
This is a great time of the year to do the things you may not otherwise have time to tackle. Right off the bat, revisit your marketing strategy and plan. Compare what you have already accomplished this year against what was planned. Then, you can revise accordingly: what worked well?...what didn’t? Look at what you have planned for the second half of the year and determine if that is still realistic or requires some tweaking.
Tighten up your marketing toolkit
After revising your marketing plan, review your sales and marketing toolkit to see what needs to be refreshed, added or even removed. Pay careful attention to the tools that are helping you connect well with your market and consider tossing out those they do not. Can your existing tools be improved or are you missing any that would help you achieve your business objectives? Taking the time to update these communication tools with fresh content and the right messaging will ensure your team is properly equipped to win new business.
Refresh your website
Now turn your attention to your website. It’s easy to neglect your site while busy with other priorities, so use the summer months to spend some quality time with your website. In all likelihood, you’ll need to refine the content to maintain messaging consistency with your sales and marketing toolkit. Update images, graphics and videos along with links so that your site performs at its best. While you’re under the hood, review your title and meta tags along with your meta descriptions in case these need to be revised. This will help maintain your organic search rankings so that your business can easily be found.
Obviously there are other areas you may need to spend time on, but the point is to maintain a proactive mindset without falling prey to the luring summer sun. If you use your summer to address these key marketing areas, the dog days will be your friend!
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