More summer, less stress
Balancing summer and a business can be a bummer, but with a little prep and forethought you can enjoy the summer season without feeling like you're dropping the ball on the business side.
Here's a quick list of tips to make the most of your summer season, so you can fully enjoy the best months of the year.
Communication 📣
Being proactive with your customer communication can save you (and them) a lot of time and energy. The experience for the customer is quick and effective and you can spend your time doing more productive things for your business.
Add a FAQ section
If you are constantly answering the same questions over and over, add a FAQ section to your website or social media. It reduces the amount of time and energy that you need to spend answering the same questions, and it also provides a more effective way of communicating with our customers.
Not every customer is going to reach out to have their questions answered, in fact, many of them will just leave if they can't find the information that they are looking for. When you add a FAQ section you are saving everyone time and energy, therefore increasing the chances of a positive interaction or sale.
Add a Quick Contact Form
Make it easy for your potential customers or clients to reach you,. Instead of just listing your email or contact information, add a quick contact form to your website. The less clicks between you and your potential customer, the better. It is. a big deterrent if they have to copy and paste your email address and then open another app to send you a quick question.
You can also add a message app to your website, so that they can send you a direct message right to your phone. The downside of this is that you are "on-call" all the time, but most apps will have office hours that you can sent so that you are not always on call for customer questions.
Check your Mobile Experience
A poor mobile experience is one of the quickest way to turn your customers away. Take the time to make sure that your website or online store is functioning and performing that way it is supposed to.
If you can provide your online customers with a convenient and easy way to make a purchase or decision while they are laying on the beach then you will both benefit. Click here for a few tips to ensure your mobile website is a beautiful experience and not a hot mess.
Pre-Plan 📅
Plan Ahead: content, promos, sales
Take the time now and you'll thank yourself later. Carve out some time in your schedule and think ahed for how you want to serve your audiences over the next few months. You don't have to put anything in concrete, but taking the time to plan ahead will make the process much easier over the summer season.
Check last years posts for some inspiration. Carry forward any content that did well and reimagine content or posts that didn't perform as well. Use apps to your advantage! Plan your content and then loosely schedule it for the summer months. You can use an app like Planoly to out all your social media ideas down in one place, and you can write or add images later on.
Instead of creating sales and promos on the fly, brainstorm how many promotions you want to do over the summer before you're in the middle of it. Plan your sales based on popular or seasonal products/services and pop them in the calendar ahead of time.
Schedule Content for the Summer
Social media, newsletter and blogs can be so time consuming, especially when you want to create high-quality content for your audiences. The entire process becomes even more stressful when you are experiencing FOMO for the beach or your summer schedule has you tight for time.
Schedule your content to publish automatically or notify you when it's time to post. When you pre-plan and create ahead of time, the process of publishing great content becomes a breeze.
Give your People Plenty of Notice
Summer is a busy and bustling time of the year, and as much as we want it to be true - no one is staring at their phone waiting for a new notification from you. If you have an important promotion or announcement to make, tease it out long before you make the actual drop.
Creating anticipation and excitement helps to reach more people and build more interest in what you have to offer. When you post on social media you are only reaching a small percentage of your audience, so posting multiple times will make more of an impact.
Don't be afraid of being repetitive! While it may seem like you're posting repetitive content, your audience is consuming such a high quantity of information when they are scrolling that they almost need the reminder over and over again to retain it.
Seasonal Spin ☀️
Lean into the Season
Consider how your products or services serve your customers during the summer and lean into that. Be specific and highlight how your products can improve their lives during the warmer months. Paint a picture for them, and include your products/services in the picture.
Check out your analytics from previous years for some insightful data into what perform the best. Additionally you can do some competitor research to see what ideas they have for fun summer ideas.
Update your Website for the Season
Give your website a little summer makeover! Update the graphics for a fun and summery feeling, and highlight the products that make the most sense for the season. Make sure to mention any promotions or sales that are happening (or coming soon.) Your website should reflect the same messaging that you are putting out on social media. This helps with a smooth transition from social media to the website, and educates new customers on what's fun and exciting with your business right now.
