Should you advertise year-round?
What a wonderful summer we’ve had. Warm sunny days, very little smoke in the air and fewer budworms to contend with. All in all, I give this summer an 8 out of 10. If not for the ruptured Achilles tendon I suffered being a “weekend warrior” playing softball with Millennials, I would give this summer a perfect 10.
As a business owner, how was your summer? The trails, golf courses, local events, shops & eateries were packed with visitors so hopefully your advertising efforts were successful in attracting customers and growing your business. And your bank account.
Last month I questioned whether businesses should seek creative expertise in brand building and name recognition from an advertising design agency or graphic design studio. I hope whichever direction you applied, your “creative team” steered you right. With the shoulder season at your doorstep, what’s your advertising strategy now that fall approaches? A question often asked by our clients at this time is, “Should I be advertising year-round?”
The easy answer: Absolutely. Whether you’re a year-round or seasonal business, keeping your target audience within ear’s reach 24/7 is critical. If you don’t, your competition will gain an upper hand if they continue to advertise and grow their audience.
If you’re a seasonal business, understandably, most of your ad budget was spent preseason generating awareness for your business. Now that customer traffic has slowed down, I hope you’ve allotted some of your revenue to continue advertising in the shoulder seasons. It doesn’t have to break the bank.
Focus your spending on local traffic instead of tourists now that summer is over. Maybe shift what products/services you have to offer? Instead of souvenirs, offer day-to-day items. Just make sure your product/service aligns with your brand and your most loyal customers. Regardless, you’ll always want people to know that you’re “open for business”. Nothing kills your brand more than being perceived as “always closed”.
If you can’t make a seasonal change to your product/service, stay connected by running smaller ads in local publications, use social media platforms or get involved with the community on a volunteer basis to increase organic marketing (efforts that generate word-of- mouth). Just make sure you’re visible. Sponsor an event, join a local volunteer board, or offer your time. You’ll make connections, start conversations and these initiatives won’t cost you a dime. It’s all in effort to establish, build, and maintain your brand recognition 365 days a year.
Take out a calendar and look up events, holidays, special occasions, etc. that might generate sales opportunities. For example, Halloween generates a lot of local excitement. Plan your advertising around that special day. Long weekends attract tourists so offer up something a visitor would appreciate. With the help of your advertising-design agency or graphic design studio, you can create and deliver messages that are in line with your brand, you’ll stay in touch with your loyal customers, grow your customer base, and be profitable all year. Just don’t become invisible.
Until then, keep it raw.
Cheers, mark.
