Don’t Let Your Marketing Cool Off If You Want Summer Sales To Sizzle!

The weather is heating up, but that doesn’t mean your marketing efforts should be cooling off! Depending on your type of business and your target market, you may experience different trends in your business over the summer months. Savvy marketers know there are two times to advertise; when business is good and when business is bad! So, whether summer means an increase in demand, or those dog days mean a dip in revenue –  you shouldn’t take a vacation from your marketing! Summer means that the year is about half done which is a perfect time to update and fine tune your marketing plan.

First, it’s important to keep in mind that during the summer people are very distracted with vacations and family, trying to deal with keeping kids occupied, planning outings, etc. and this means you need to work even harder at grabbing the attention of your target audience. Whether it’s the launch of new product/service, special summer sale or promotion, or you’re trying to gear up to avoid the summer lull, when you have a well planned on-hold marketing strategy in place the term “summer sizzle” just may take on a whole new meaning!

Here are some of our top on-hold script tips for developing engaging summertime on hold content whether you’re looking to increase sales due to higher summertime demand, or to help mitigate the summer lull and help give your business a boom!

First, we’ll start with the obvious. Many times we encourage our readers to tie in holiday themed marketing into your on hold message advertisement, and with summer just about in full swing think ahead to create promotions around Graduation’s, Fathers Day or July 4th. And, while we’re certainly not rushing summer along, don’t forget to plan ahead for when summer winds down and consider Back-to-School or Labor Day Specials.

With the change in summer season, also comes a change in consumer taste. More time is spent outdoors, traveling, backyard gatherings, etc. and your message and promotions should reflect these changes. Whether it’s free ice cream for the kids or a free bag of coal with the purchase of every BBQ, there’s a variety of ways to craft creative custom on hold content for the summer.

For example, A/C companies know they receive a lot of first time callers when a homeowner’s a/c has quit on one of the hottest days of the year. This a great time to promote and sell them on the benefits of purchasing a service maintenance agreement, which provides them with: priority service in an emergency, valuable discounts on parts & labor, as well as pre-season inspections and tune-ups for year round comfort! Restaurants can promote enjoying the warm weather with “cool” drink specials, plumbers might offer some advice on summer water conservation, or some cautions against common summer plumbing problems, physicians might offer some advice about summer safety and the list goes on and on.

If your sales are usually tight during the summer, there’s only one way try and change that – MARKETING! This also means that promotions regarding competitive pricing and deals are more important than ever, because even the slightest edge over a competitor might get you a few extra sales. If summer is not your busy season, here are some ideas to include in your on hold message programming: Promote Discounted Off-Peak Specials. We’re all familiar with early bird dinner specials and discounted matinee movies, but off-peak and off-season pricing is not just for the senior citizen circuit. If midday or midweek is slow for your spa or salon, promote discounted pricing offers for all services Tuesday through Thursday before 4pm. Why not encourage your customer loyalty programs, gift cards, or buy-one-get-one offers. The slower pace, may also be a perfect time to include a customer win back program into your message?

While it might be nice to take the summer off from marketing, for most of us it’s just not a practical idea. So, before you get ready to hit the beach, evaluate and prepare your summer marketing plan. This could mean the difference between sinking or swimming, because if there’s no marketing, there’s no business!