There’s no doubt about it – clear skies, sunny days, and blooming flowers all point to one thing: summer is coming, and soon! While we all love those lazy hazy crazy days of summer , it’s important for businesses big and small not to get lazy as the days grow ...
There’s no doubt about it – clear skies, sunny days, and blooming flowers all point to one thing: summer is coming, and soon! While we all love those lazy hazy crazy days of summer, it’s important for businesses big and small not to get lazy as the days grow longer and hotter.
I often hear excuses about how during the summer, it’s okay to do less in the marketing and communications department. The people you need to do business with, both internally and externally, all have different vacation dates booked off and it feels like there are less people to do business with. True, it might take a little longer in the summer to get approvals or move forward on projects, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up!
If anything, summer is an ideal time of year to reach out and develop your personal and professional networks as well as key partners and your client base. With everyone else busy running off to the cottage, the beach, or the baseball field you’ll find a lot less competition in getting the attention of the people you’re targeting. You’ll have more opportunities for engagement with the benefit of relaxed schedules, and you’ll be able to demonstrate your commitment by developing relationships when everyone else is off having fun in the sun (and on that note, who wouldn’t love a casual business lunch on a summery patio?).
If you’re a company that does a lot of public outreach, summer is not the time to roll over and let people forget about you! While it may not be feasible to run the same campaigns and events that you do the rest of the year, make sure you don’t simply disappear! Hold smaller events in the middle of the week to keep your audience engaged, or throw one big, memorable, festive event to keep your name top of mind and build positive memories.
You might want to consider newsletters, contests, or special promotions to keep your communications fresh and intriguing throughout the summer. Anything you can do to think outside the box and use innovative approaches to connect will only strengthen your brand when September hits and your competition is back in town.
It’s easier to retain loyalty (and build upon it) by putting in a little more thought throughout the summer than heading into fall trying to recapture focus on your company.
All that being said – it’s summer! Make sure you recharge yourself, your staff, and your brand. But don’t ignore your business relationships - just have fun in maintaining and growing them!
