Tips to market your business during the Off-Season

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The dreaded ‘off-season’, many entrepreneurs perceive that it is the worst time to be in business.  Sales slow, the buzz decreases and the business becomes a virtual ghost town.  But guess what, it does not have to be and in reality, it shouldn’t.

Entrepreneurs and their marketing teams should take the time to generate new ideas, capitalize on leads and use the off-season wisely to prepare the business for smashing successes when peak season returns.

The following are some tried and true tips for marketing your small business during slow season:

Get social and stay there – Firstly, if your business is not online, then you are effectively not reaching a significant amount of your market.  Social media plays a big role in keeping the business at the forefront of the customer’s mind.  Utilize Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube to continuously generate and share messages, customer reviews, new and revamped products, tips and just about any relevant information about the business.  You can also use the platform to run contests, offer discounts and generally keep in touch with your client base.

Use up your database – So you’ve spent years building a customer database.  You have contact information, product preferences and information about specific customer interests’ at your fingertips, what do you do with the information?! There are several actions that come to mind.

-       Cold calling: Cold calling is a great way to prepare for the next season.  It will give the entrepreneur an opportunity to find out what the specific needs of the customer are for the upcoming season and provide insight as to how the business can prepare to meet those needs.

-       Emailing: Sending emails are another great way to keep in touch with clients.  Be careful though that your messages do not become spam. Use acceptable time lapses between messages to engage with your customers.  Be sure however, that you are delivering high-value content to their inboxes.  This will prime the business for success when the season returns. 

Reward existing customers and lure new ones – Let’s face it customers love free items, particularly if they have supported your business year in, year out.  Nothing solidifies their loyalty to your business more than free samples of their favourite products.  This will give your business an edge over your competition which may not offer programmes like this for their loyal customers.  Use the off-season to reward customers by offering incentives for early orders.  Incentives may include discounts or they may qualify for longer credit terms etc., Rewards programs are just another inexpensive way to market your business and gain new customers by offering a valuable freebie.  Also, create a referral programme where existing clients may refer up to a specific number e.g. 5 new customers to qualify for additional discounts.  Remember your existing customer base is your best source for garnering new clients because they have experience with you and your products. And when they keep coming back, that means they like your service or products.

Identify a niche and operate therein – Capitalize on your earnings during the slow season by identifying niche markets in order to keep the business steady.  For example, if you are a tailor/seamstress who only sews uniform for say 5-10 high schools, your busiest period would possibly be between April-August of each year.  During the months of September to March, you could offer a special on uniforms to nurses or doctors or any other specific profession.  Notice, you are still within your expertise but instead of focusing on the group that provides the lion’s share of the business, you are focused on a niche market that can help to pay those bills which are guaranteed to come in at the end of the month.

Extend your season – How many of you have noticed the numerous ‘Christmas in Summer’ promotions now taking place in the market? Well if you haven’t, then it’s time you do.  What these businesses, (albeit they may be bigger than yours) have done is to generate interest in their products while creating a certain buzz around their offerings.  As a small business owner, you may not be able to afford the marketing campaign, but certainly within your database and your network, you should be able to identify products which can benefit another customer segment during the slow period.

Of course, there is much more that you can do to keep the buzz going during off-season; these tips should however do your business justice if they are applied in a strategic manner.