Don't Take Your Eye Off the Marketing Ball This Summer

While small business owners work hard year-round, a large percentage are less productive in the summer months. Studies show that they tend to scale back on their marketing efforts during the summer. They claim it is because it is slower then. The question is, is it slower because it is summer or because you scaled back on activities?

 

“Business owners should not take their eye off the ‘marketing ball’ during summer months,” says business coach and small business marketing expert Kevin Poland of The Renaissance Group. “Working on your marketing during this ‘slower’ time will set yourself up for greater success down the road.”

 

To explain, Poland offers the following areas you could work on this summer:

 

Reflection: July is the halfway point of the year, making it a great time to take a step back and reflect on the previous six months of marketing activities and results. “A careful review of the first half of the year will reveal what has worked and what corrections or adjustments should be made in the second half of the year,” says Poland.

 

Reward: Business owners can get so focused on what’s not working that they forget to recognize the activities that did work.  “Reviewing what worked is a good business habit. Rewarding yourself and your team is a great habit.  Recognition has proven to be the best way to motivate your people and repeat your successes.  Celebrate both the hard work and the results and treat yourself and your team to a meaningful reward for a job well done.” continues Poland.   

 

Relevant:  Based on your results from the first-half of the year, is your marketing strategy and marketing plan still relevant?  What adjustments do you need to make?  What marketing activities should you keep doing?  Which activities should you stop doing?  Are there any new marketing activities you need to start this quarter?  “Update your strategy and plan to ensure it is relevant for what is going on in your business and your industry.”

 

Research: If you have conclusive data that proves your summer marketing activities are not a good use of time and money, you can still work on your marketing.  “It is a great time to update the profiles of your target markets.  Customers evolve over time; make sure your profiles are evolving with them.   It is also a great time to work on your marketing message and make sure it is still resonating with your targets.  You might also want to research and even test market a new product or service, or a new target market.” 

 

Repeat:  Reflecting on what is working and not working, rewarding accomplishments and making adjustments and changes to ensure your marketing strategy and plan are relevant should now become an ongoing process in your business; not just a summer activity. “Repeating these steps either monthly or quarterly will prove to be an effective way to produce more consistent results and growth.”   

 

“While it is true you, your team, and your customers may take a vacation during the summer that should not be an excuse for taking your foot off the gas entirely,” added Poland. “Not to mention, it is a great time to get ahead of competitors who are using the summer as an excuse to put marketing on the back burner.”

 

About The Renaissance Group:  The Renaissance Group is a management consulting and coaching firm to the growth and success of small businesses and organizations.  The Renaissance Group, creator of the Growth by Design™ business development program, is based in Tampa, FL.  For more information, go to http://www.renaissanceconsultants.com or call (813) 636-9181.