Surviving the Summer Slump: Four Ideas to Keep Your Business Moving Forward
Summer in the United States is historically slow for most industries. With kids out of school and families taking extended time off to get out of town, most online behavior begins to dwindle – especially online sales. So how can you make the most of the “slower season” between Memorial Day (end of May) and Labor Day (beginning of September)? Here are a few ideas to keep your business moving forward.
#1) Offer Sales
Amazon, Best Buy and many other large retailers have begun implementing “Christmas in July” sales which mimic their Black Friday deals. Expensive electronics are often on sale during this month and satisfy needs – or wants – from customers who can’t wait until November. Take inventory of the excess product you have and begin promoting a simple sale. It can be 10% off, buy one get one or even free shipping if the customer spends a specific amount. The key is to promote this sale or special during a very specific time frame. Either one month, one week or even one day if there is a specific “National Holiday” that fits your brand (for example, July 2 is Made in the USA Day).
#2) Build your marketing calendar
In July, you have officially entered the second half of the year. Have you thought about how you will set yourself apart from your competitors come the busy holiday season? Do research on what others in your space have done (or are doing) and brainstorm ways to create a totally unique selling strategy to your customers. For example, can you offer a free gift for customers who spend X amount of money on your best-selling products for the holidays. Now is the time to begin producing those items so they are ready to ship in Q4.
#3) Gather Client Reviews
Perhaps you haven’t been as diligent about asking for client reviews as you would like to be. No problem. If your customer had a good experience, they are likely to remember and be willing to share their feedback. Set up an automated email to text message campaign (or both!) with a link that drives your customers to Google, your Facebook page, or your online shop to write a review. You can even encourage them with a coupon towards a future purchase if they take the time to complete the review. Finally, the best part of this task is you now have all the pieces to set up an automated process going forward so you don’t fall behind on client reviews ever again!
#4) Finish Setting Up Your Online Profiles
You know you have a Google business account (and a Facebook page you need to claim and a YouTube account that you need to upload your unboxing videos) but everytime you click through that link you are met with a dashboard full of analytics and pop-ups “reminding” you to turn on this tool or re-connect that credit card. When sales are going well, it’s easy to skip all of this and continue letting organic word of mouth keep the business going. But the truth is, you can’t run away from these platforms forever. Block out two to three hours in your calendar and get it done. Finish setting up any online pages that you haven’t looked at in months, or, ever. Trust us, your future self will thank you for it.
Remember, just because business is slow doesn’t mean that it’s dead in the water. Things will undoubtedly pick back up as we head into the busy holiday season. Now is the time to establish best practices for your business (like asking for reviews) and deepening customer loyalty with summer sales.
Want to get ahead of the busy season? Talk to our team today about establishing a logistics strategy that will support all of your business goals. Contact us today!
