As a small business owner, I know the slow season can be stressful. With Quake, my retail business, January and February sales always slow to a crawl or simply don’t come. But rather than wallow in these slow months and get caught up in that “feast or famine” mindset, I found ways to get creative with my marketing while knocking a few things off my small biz to-do list.
Take the time to learn about your customers.
Would you know what to say if I asked you who your customers are? Knowing your customers is essential to marketing your small business. So, during the slow season, take the time to get to know the people who are fueling your business.
Consider age, gender, location, interests, buying habits, and the unique pain point your product or service speaks to. Then, use this information to create a picture of your target audience.
Pro Tip: Start by asking your audience! Create a short survey via Google Forms and encourage responses by offering a small gift card or a free product.
Reuse old content.
Slow sales don’t exactly inspire remarkable content. So why not reuse old emails, blogs, and posts your audience loved?
For example, let’s say you had an email that your customers loved. Use the key points as a video series, create some graphics for a carousel (multi-photo) post, or a series of story graphics.
Remember, you’re trying to work smarter, not harder. Be creative when re-using your content!
Pro Tip: Have a static social media post that worked well? Use it as a prompt for a video!
Plan for the small business's busy season.
Slow sales? Now’s a great time to write a marketing plan and strategy! Think of it as your essential roadmap to small business success in the new year, where you assess your goals, which platforms are working, define your customer, and more.
It sounds overwhelming, but I promise it’s easy!
Pro Tip: You can click here for a blog about crafting a marketing plan and strategy.
Communicate with old leads.
If you’re in the famine stage, why not pay attention to lost sales in the form of abandoned carts, old leads, or customers primed to buy but never did?
Take some time here to craft your message. Did they check out a product during the holiday? Did they contact you on Facebook about a service? Or did you have a ton of clicks on a particular email but fewer sales?
Crafting your message based on the context is essential here. After all, you have plenty of time, so why not give this the attention it deserves?
Pro Tip: You can check out the platform that hosts your website for notifications of abandoned carts, run a report on your email marketing software, or look through old messages on social media. And if you don’t have this workflow set on your website, message labels on social media, or email marketing software, now’s the time to do it!
