Summer Marketing Strategies

As summer approaches are you planning to make any changes to your marketing strategy? Or are you just expecting there to be a lull in business as people go on vacation and start spending more time outdoors? With the right strategies, you can actually curb any slowdown and maybe even increase your business. Lets explore how…

Think mobile

Last month we discussed responsive websites and this could be just what you need at this time of year. More and more people will be spending time outdoors – in parks, on beaches and generally away from home. Ensuring that your website is responsive will ensure that more people can access it on their smartphones and other devices. As the trend it edging towards increased mobile usage anyway, if you haven’t already made the move to a responsive site, then now would be a good time to get started.

Social media marketing

Don’t believe for one minute that your target audience is going to stop using social media during the summer. Again, the increased use of mobile devices means that people can access their social media pages when they are on the move so keep up the momentum on your social media pages. If you haven’t started utilizing social media pages, open accounts as soon as possible. Make sure you focus on the social media sites that your target audience might use frequently (Facebook, most likely, but perhaps Pinterest and Instagram as well?). You can start social media advertising campaigns and when your audience logs in to upload photos and comments on their vacation, your targeted ads will appear in their newsfeed, directing them to your page and all the latest information on your products and services.

Boost engagement

Make the most of the summer trend of uploading vacation photographs to social media sites by having a competition. Offer a prize for the best photograph or video and encourage interaction with your business page.

You can also encourage engagement with the help of the ever-present hashtag. These are not just used on Twitter – all social media sites are finding them a very useful way of starting a trend. Brands are now making the most of this trend by creating their own #hashtags that are unique and catchy.

Draw in the attention of your target audience by starting a survey.  Ask customers and those who are just browsing your website for their opinions and use this opportunity to find out more about your customers and visitors, their likes/dislikes, preferences, etc.

The fact is that when it looks as though business might slow down, all you have to do is change tactics slightly to engage and drum up some new business. Don’t just expect the slowdown and accept it.  People still want to shop and spend money during the summer, so take advantage of it and remind them that you are there.

I hope you found this month’s marketing post helpful. As always, if you have any questions about your online marketing strategy (social media marketing, email marketing, advertising, etc.) contact me, Amy Grishman, at amy@socialfocus.com. Thank you!