Navigating Digital Marketing During a Slow Season

Even the most lucrative businesses go through slower periods. Whether it’s based on industry trends or seasonal demand, knowing how to navigate slow seasons as a business owner can set you up for future success. Following these five tips can help you maintain momentum, optimize productivity, and remain agile in acquiring new clients.

Slow Season? Time to Refresh Your Profiles!

If business tends to slow down during the summer months, now is the perfect time to take a look at your social media profiles and directory listings. One of the most effective digital marketing strategies during a slow season is ensuring your online presence is current, active, and easy for potential customers to find. Keeping these digital spaces up to date serves two purposes: it shows your audience that you’re active and engaged online, and it prompts the algorithm to pay attention to your profile and push it out to new eyes. 

If your profile is outdated or hasn’t been updated recently, you may be unintentionally giving visitors the wrong impression, especially on platforms like Instagram or Facebook. In addition to making sure your contact information is accurate, you can also use this time to audit the effectiveness of your profile, asking yourself key questions to ensure that visitors to your page immediately understand what you do, who you serve, why it matters, and most importantly, how your organization impacts them. While these details may not change substantially, refreshing your messaging, telling more of your story, and adjusting your business listing can help to get your pages in front of new eyes. 

PRO-TIP: Review and update your business profiles at least twice per year – once a quarter is even better!

Make Sure to Respond to Comments and Reviews

It's easy to forget to check Google My Business or other platforms for customer feedback during busy seasons, but staying on top of this valuable input is vital for long-term success. Positive, 5-star reviews are great for repurposing into easy content; consumers trust reviews. Critical feedback is equally important, as the way you navigate responding to and remedying dissatisfaction shows your professionalism and commitment to customer satisfaction. 

Use this opportunity to thank your clients for their reviews and respond to questions, comments, and concerns. Try dedicating specific time in your marketing routine to stay on top of giving timely responses. This is also the perfect opportunity to request new reviews from your existing client base, as well. Try going back through your client lists, emails, texts, or other ways you communicate with your clients and seek out positive comments they've given you personally, and ask them if they'd take it one step further and leave that review publicly.

RELATED READING: 5 Ways to Simplify Your Monthly Marketing Process

Get Creative with Collaborations for a Business Pick Up

Tangential marketing allows you to connect with new audiences through related subjects, services, and products. Consider examples like the Michelin Star restaurant rating system, which was launched in 1900 by the French tire company Michelin. By publishing a free travel guide for drivers to explore more of France, the company positioned its brand top of mind for any incidental tire needs during those travels. 

That type of tangential marketing takes time to build, but there’s an easier alternative: collaborate with existing brands and businesses in related industries. Run a travel agency? Co-host an Italian-themed in-person event with a local restaurant to promote holiday itineraries in Sicily. Own a pet boutique and grooming service? Partner with your local shelters to offer special discounts for newly adopted pets. Spend some time brainstorming ways you can connect with other small businesses for mutually beneficial events or initiatives.

Reach New Clients and Give Your Website a Facelift

This tip goes hand in hand with tip #1: your website should be regularly maintained and updated with new content. As SEO and AEO trends shift with new technological developments, your online footprint should adapt to keep up with the changing landscape. Make sure you’re not relying on outdated tactics that could harm your website’s performance, such as keyword stuffing or poor UI. 

Today’s best-performing websites are lean, impactful, and solution-focused. This allows them to function optimally on any device, with many being designed with a mobile-first experience in mind. Streamline bloated pages, reduce file sizes, and keep your brand voice front and center to get the most out of your website.

PRO-TIP: There are plenty of services that let you set up and host an inexpensive website. Make sure you’re investing in a website that actually works for you, not just one with a low price tag.

Use Downtime to Optimize Your Marketing Processes

The slow season for your business is the perfect time to create an optimized marketing strategy. Create routines and find automation solutions that work for you now so they are already in place when business picks up again. Many of the digital marketing tools we love offer trials so you can test them before committing. 

If you’re ready to try a new innovative tactic, the slow season is also a good time to work out the finer details. Many of the most impactful digital marketing strategies take months to take full 7effect, so getting a head start now brings you closer to meaningful results. Reach out to Jali Creatives for the support and expertise you need to achieve your marketing goals.

How do you make the most of your business’s “slow season”? Which of these tips are you most eager to implement? Let us know in the comments!