How to bring in more business during a slow season

You might hit a slow season for all sorts of reasons. This post looks at how to keep sales coming in during quieter months by building an audience. If you’re more interested in offering new products or services, I’ve written about that in another blog.

Why businesses struggle in off-peak months

Seasonal trends

Seasonal trends play a crucial role in business performance. Certain industries, such as retail or hospitality, may see booming sales during the festive season and a stark decline during off-peak months.

Understanding these trends allows businesses to plan better, adjust stock, and modify marketing campaigns. By embracing seasonality, companies can forecast better and implement strategies that align with consumer demand throughout the year.

Low product diversity

During off-peak months, many businesses experience a significant drop in customer footfall or bookings. Businesses relying heavily on products that are only needed some of the time may find themselves struggling to maintain sales and revenue. Analysing local market trends and consumer patterns can help identify peak times and strategise ways to mitigate the impact of the slower months.

Audience building

Building an audience provides a safety and might be your answer to how to drive sales in quiet months. When businesses struggle to attract new customers during off-peak seasons, having an engaged audience allows them to communicate effectively with existing customers. You can use your audience to gauge what your customers might need at different times of the year, and adapt your business accordingly. Utilising channels such as email and social media keeps your brand top of mind and encourages repeat business, even when footfall is low.

While pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a great way to get business in the off-season, having a robust email list or social media following means you own the connection with your audience.

Unlike paid advertising, reaching out to your subscribers or followers doesn’t cost a penny. You can share promotions, updates, or valuable content directly with them, which can drive sales during slow periods.

How to build an audience in peak times

Email capture strategies

During peak periods when customer engagement is high, it’s vital to implement effective email capture strategies. Use enticing offers like discounts or exclusive content to encourage website visitors to subscribe to your email list. Pop-ups, landing pages, and in-store sign-ups are all excellent methods for capturing email addresses. Make sure to follow up with a welcome series that introduces your brand and sets the scene for future communications.

Content creation (e.g. blogs, guides, videos)

Investing in content creation during peak times can help build a loyal audience. Create valuable resources such as blogs, guides, or videos that offer information relevant to your customers. This not only provides them with useful content but also improves your SEO and drives organic traffic to your site.

Don’t forget to make social media content when you’re busy! It can be easy to let your social media strategy slip when you are busy serving customers, but this is the best time to make engaging content.

Film yourself doing your job, run contests, and interact with followers through comments and messages. Encourage customers to share their experiences with your products or services online, and leverage user-generated content to enhance community involvement and increase brand visibility. These efforts show you audience that you know your stuff, and make sure that you have a following when its time to post discounts and promote your services.

Off-peak business strategies

Seasonal offers

Bespoke discounts or exclusive deals can incentivise previous customers to return, leveraging their loyalty to drive revenue during off-peak months. Personalise offers based on their previous purchases to make them feel valued and understood. The best way to do this is through email segmentation. Whenever you collect a customers email, tag it with the type of product that they are interested in. This way you can send out bulk emails to smaller segments of your audience, increasing the likelihood that your offer appeals to them.

Re-engagement campaigns

Launch re-engagement campaigns targeting inactive customers. Use your email list to send personalised messages that remind them of what they loved about your business. Highlight new products, improved services, or upcoming events that align with their interests to re-capture their attention.

Special events or loyalty rewards

Just because your product isn’t in high demand year-round doesn’t mean you’ve got nothing valuable to offer. You can still engage your audience by sharing knowledge that’s useful during off-peak times. This might include:

Tips for caring for your product when it’s not in use
Advice on alternative products customers might use in the meantime
Content that helps them plan ahead for peak season

You can also use slow periods to create activity through loyalty or engagement-based strategies:

Run special events, in-store offers, or online workshops
Launch webinars or short tutorials that add value
Offer exclusive loyalty rewards to keep existing customers engaged

Social proof is a powerful tool during quiet months. Highlight positive reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content to build trust with potential customers. Share case studies or success stories on social media to showcase how your products or services have aided others. This not only strengthens your brand reputation but can also encourage new customers to make purchases.

Start planning now

Focus on building your audience

Don’t wait for the next peak season to start building your audience. Implement effective strategies today to capture your audience’s information and begin nurturing relationships. Collecting data about your customers and building out your target audience means that your marketing strategy is well informed, and your time is well spent.

Building a social media following and an email list might seem like a lot of work, but putting in a small amount of time to grow these audiences will give you a wealth of first party data to work.

Create a content calendar that matches seasonal trends

Plan ahead by creating a content calendar that aligns with seasonal trends. This will ensure your marketing efforts are timely and relevant, helping your business thrive even in off-peak months.