Whether your business is bustling year-round or experiences high- and low-sales seasons, there will be times during the year when you have a predictable drop in both your number of customers and revenue.
Use the strategies below to head into the off-season with purpose and move into your busy sales season with a better and more profitable business.
Revamp your marketing and experiment
Now’s the time to experiment with bold, innovative marketing tactics that spark renewed interest, attention, and excitement around your brand.
For example, if your testimonial videos typically get plenty of likes on Facebook, it may be time to test Facebook Live or Instagram Live—put yourself and your brand front and center. You could also use this time to test new print marketing strategies. Whether your business focuses on a local market or nationwide, direct mail marketing, for example, is ta great way to reach your audience directly without fighting through the clutter that comes with online marketing.
Optimize your website for SEO
Nearly 80% of consumers use search engines to find the products or services they need. If your digital footprint is non-existent, meaning your website can’t be found, you’re losing opportunities for revenue.
The best way to get your website in front of customers online is to use search engine optimization (SEO), which ensures that Google both sees and ranks your website for the terms that your customers are searching for.
Use your slow-season downtime to make some of the following updates:
- Update your business’ blog regularly with fresh content, images, and links to new blog posts.
- Check that your business information (name, address, phone) are all consistent and correct on your own site, your Google My Business listing, and any other listing sites.
- Update your title tags and meta description for all the pages on your website and use the right keywords.
Step up your leadership
At the helm of every successful business is a leader who motivates, empowers, inspires, and unifies their team.
Work on customer service
The people who consume the products or services you offer are the lifeblood of your organization. That means a customer-oriented approach needs to be at the core of your business model.
During slow seasons, brainstorm ways that you can upgrade the customer experience so all of your systems and processes are more interactive, effective, streamlined, and convenient.
Make your next slow season a productive one
A slow sales period can be difficult to navigate, but it doesn’t have to be an unproductive period. These seasonal ebbs can help you evolve your business—you just have to be strategic with the extra time on your hands.
Use these ideas to make the most of your next slow season, boosting leadership, marketing, and your website all at the same time.
