Summer is around the corner. During this season, most kids are out of school and families are going on vacation. Unfortunately, not everything is awesome during this time. Some businesses may face a slowdown in sales. As a result, these companies scramble to make up for lost profits.
As an entrepreneur, you can combat the dreaded summer slowdown.
Here are six business tips to help you make your summer sales sizzle:
1. Offer Summer Promotions
Special offers and summer deals are pervasive in the retail sector. Why not take a cue from this industry and offer summer discounts or special, limited-time promotions to your customers?
If you’re a residential and commercial landscaping services provider, for instance, you could offer a 10 percent discount on grounds care and irrigation. If the promotion succeeds in producing new or increased business, you could tweak and repeat that campaign for next year.
2. Celebrate Special Days or Months
The fourth of July isn’t the only special day during summer. There is a “day” for everything. Fun fact: did you know that August 19 is World Photography Day? If you’re in the business of selling cameras, you could celebrate by offering freebies for every camera purchase. Another suggestion is to slap discounts on high-end DSLRs.
Alternatively, you could hold month-long celebrations at your business establishment. If you’re selling desserts, for instance, you could celebrate National Ice Cream Month in July. Introduce new flavors to your ice cream product line.
3. Launch a Gratitude Campaign
You might be thinking that a gratitude campaign is something that’s exclusively for thanksgiving. This, however, isn’t always the case. You can turn the sizzling summer into a season of appreciation. Send a thank-you note to your regular and high-paying clients to let them know how much you value their support. Alternatively, you could shoot a quick gratitude e-mail. Taking the time to show you appreciate and care for your customers goes a long way – and this simple gesture may just help your business succeed.
4. Go Where Your Customers Are
During the middle of summer, you can expect to find people at the beach, the mall, community events, baseball matches, and more. Instead of the customers coming to your store, you bring your “store” to them. Try setting up a booth and selling your goods to customers. If you are unable to set up a booth, hang a banner or become a brand sponsor.
5. Release a New Product or Service
Some small businesses wait until the back-to-school or autumn season to launch a new service or product to the market. Businesses looking to overcome the summer slump may consider announcing and releasing a new product or service during this period.
Why? There isn’t a lot of new items on the market during this time. Your product or service has a better chance of standing out from the crowd and drawing attention.
As a bonus, introducing a new item gives you the opportunity to gauge interest by testing out your launched product or service to a smaller audience. If your customers aren’t interested in the new item you released, you can easily cancel the offering without much embarrassment or fanfare.
6. Hold a Contest on Social Media
During summer, many will post selfies or photos related to their awesome vacation. Look at this as an opportunity to attract more customers to your business establishment.
You could hold a photo contest on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social networking platforms. Ask people to post and share photos of themselves using your product or service during their vacation trip. If you’re running an ice cream shop, for instance, you could run a contest for pets who love to eat ice cream or the messiest “ice cream” face. Then, award winners with huge discounts or freebies from your store.
7. Make a Summer Must-Do Adventure List
Some people have plans to go on vacation this summer, but don’t necessarily have a solid or specific itinerary in mind. Your business can provide the itinerary they need by creating a must-do adventure list for summer. A few of the items that you could include in this list are to try new dishes, visit an amusement park, have a picnic, and ride a hot air balloon.
Then, give the list a special hashtag and encourage people to post pictures using that hashtag. If you see customers using your product or service on those photos, give them a discount or a small freebie. This will encourage draw attention to your business and help boost sales.
Don’t let your business succumb to a long summer siesta. Make the most of the slower months by following these seven suggestions.