Summer is quickly approaching, and with this particular season can often come a lot of uncertainty and stress for small business owners.
For some, it’s a time of peak demand, while for others it’s the opposite – quiet inboxes, fewer sales and unpredictable revenue.
Wherever you land on this spectrum, one thing remains true: your business is bound to ebb and flow over time. And rather than resisting these shifts, I like to emphasize the importance of moving with them.
Instead of panicking during a summer slowdown, consider leaning into it. Embrace this as a time for rest, reflection, and recalibration.
Here’s how to approach a period of slower sales, strategically.
Step One: Recognize the Unique Rhythms of Your Business
Every business has its own internal seasons.
Your audience has unique habits, preferences, and routines that can influence their availability and motivations at different times of the year.
In turn, this can impact how they engage online, as well as when (and what) they buy.
So – when does your business thrive? When do things naturally slow down?
While you can look to general trends and market predictions for some guidance, the reality is that your business is unique. What works for another company – even one within your industry – may not work for yours.
Here are a few ways to begin recognizing these seasons within your business.
1. Look at anecdotal evidence and patterns.
Start with what you’ve noticed. Have there been times of the year when things feel slower? Is there an energetic shift in how clients are showing up (or not showing up)?
Is your audience more likely to be on vacation during specific periods of the year? Have their routines shifted? Are they simply too busy or checked out?
Understanding your client’s habits can help you to rethink your offers. Maybe you can adjust their focus, simplify their delivery, or create something seasonal to meet your clients where they’re at.
2. Dig into your sales data.
What have you seen historically within your business? Review month-to-month sales and client bookings to identify natural dips and spikes throughout the year.
This analysis can help unlock telling insights you can use to form your business and marketing strategies.
Important note: sales numbers alone don’t tell the entire story. Make sure you also take into account your marketing tactics, schedule, and launch timelines. Are the metrics more representative of your online visibility and efforts? Or are they indicating a genuine dip in your audience’s interest? Always consider the context behind the numbers!
3. Review your marketing metrics.
Website traffic, social media reach, and email open rates (among other important metrics you should be tracking), can help you discover when your audience is most active and engaged.
Are click-through rates lower during certain months? Do you tend to receive more DMs or comments during specific times of the year?
Try to uncover any patterns and use this information to optimize how you share your content.
Step Two: Use the Data You’ve Uncovered to Inform Your Strategy
When you begin to recognize these natural ebbs and flows, you can learn to:
- Post your content when it’s likely to be seen and interacted with
- Step back intentionally when your clients and customers are logged off or checked out
- Launch offers when your audience needs them most (and is ready to receive them)
Take time to analyze your efforts and data, and then adjust your strategy accordingly. This process can help you create a business that works with you rather than against you.
Step Three: Prepare for Your Season of Slower Sales
Intentionally preparing for a season of slower sales can help ease some of the stress and uncertainty that often comes with it.
1. Revisit your offers.
An impactful way to approach a slower season might be exploring how your offers could shift, so that your “slow” season doesn’t feel quite so slow after all.
If your goal is to have more consistent year-round income, adjusting your offers during these slower periods can help keep things moving in the right direction. Just make sure you’re still blocking off time for rest! (We’ll cover that more below).
Start by digging into the why behind the slowdown.
➡️ Is it because you tend to step back, travel more, or dedicate less time to promoting your services during this time period?
➡️ Or, is it more about your clients? Do their schedules, motivations, or habits tend to change with the seasons?
If the dip is more likely client-driven, consider this a sign to shift your offers to meet your clients where they’re at.
Consider,
- What do your clients need right now?
- How are their routines shifting?
- What kind of support might feel more manageable for them during this season?
- How can you repackage your support in new and exciting ways?
Look for opportunities to create summer-specific sessions, bundles, or programs that are more likely to resonate.
For example:
- Reducing the number of calls in a program
- Offering shorter, more digestible modules
- Switching to virtual offerings or self-paced programs
- Limited time services
- Summer specific messaging, programs, or events
Simple adjustments can go a long way.
2. Strategically save
If you know summer tends to bring a dip in revenue, consider saving more of your income earlier in the year to create a buffer for yourself.
Having some savings (even a small amount) to fall back on can help reduce financial stress.
This might also be a good time to do a financial audit of your business. Take a look at any software, tools, or subscriptions you’re paying for that you’re no longer using, and cancel or downgrade what you can (even if it’s just temporarily).
3. Partner with like-minded business owners
Consider how you can creatively collaborate with other small business owners in order to increase your reach during your period of lower sales and engagement.
Look for mutually beneficial partnership opportunities that will enhance your online presence and boost visibility. I have some ideas for you in this blog post.
Step Four: Use Your Downtime to Your Advantage
Now that we’ve covered what to do before a period of slow sales, let’s talk about the slow season itself.
If and when your calendar opens up, use it as an opportunity to look behind the scenes.
Use your extra downtime strategically, to continue moving your business forward.
1. Evaluate and refresh your online presence
A slower season is the perfect time to take a step back and evaluate your digital presence with fresh eyes.
How is your online visibility? What needs an update? What’s been on your to-do list that you simply haven’t got to?
With fewer day-to-day tasks demanding your attention you have the opportunity to allocate time towards:
- Refreshing your service offerings
- Refining your branding
- Optimizing your digital strategy
- Updating your website
- Cleaning up broken links
- Prioritizing AI search and SEO-motivated content changes to improve your online visibility
- Launching the blog, podcast, or newsletter you’ve been meaning to
Give your online presence some attention now so that it’s more effective when business picks back up.
2. Check-in with your data
Review your marketing and business efforts thus far.
What has been working well? What hasn’t? Get familiar with common analytics and metrics so you can recognize what’s driving your traffic, leads, and engagement.
Rather than continuing to execute on autopilot, it’s more impactful to step back, reflect and reassess. Allow yourself some time to analyze your past efforts so you can move forward with more clarity.
A comprehensive digital marketing audit can be incredibly insightful!
3. Plan ahead by batching content
While you have extra time, energy, and space in your calendar, consider working ahead.
Plan out future blog posts, draft future emails, batch evergreen social media content, or prepare for future launches.
Prioritize the tasks that tend to fall to the wayside during busier seasons, so that your marketing efforts can remain consistent year-round.
Step Five: Prepare Your Business to Run Without You (Here’s How to Step Back Without Losing Momentum)
As small business owners, it can feel impossible to take time off. But rest isn’t a luxury – it’s an essential part of building a sustainable, long-term business.
If your clients and customers are taking time off, take it as a sign that you can relax too.
Book a vacation or simply allow yourself slower days. Intentional time away from your business can help you:
- Recharge and clear your mind
- Gain clarity
- Realign with your goals and re-focus your efforts
- Calm your nervous system and reduce stress
- Create space for more inspiration and creativity to strike
Your business doesn’t need to be “on” at the same level all year round.
With a little thoughtful planning you can take time off, knowing your business is running, your clients are supported, and your energy is being replenished.
1. Hire support
It can be challenging to let go of control as a small business owner. I get it – you want things to be done in a certain way and that’s okay!
But the truth is, you don’t need to be the one executing every task within your business.
Hiring ongoing support or outsourcing specific projects can clear significant space in your calendar.
Whether it’s bringing on a virtual assistant, contracting out content creation, or hiring a social media manager for the summer, take a look at your schedule and determine what tasks you could let go of (even just temporarily).
Start by identifying tasks that:
- Don’t require your unique expertise. Tasks like data entry, scheduling, or editing are easily delegated. Create training videos or guides outlining your exact process, and allow someone else to step in and mimic your work.
- Can be drafted by someone else and reviewed by you. This gives you the opportunity to be involved in the process and have the final say, without spending hours doing the initial work.
- Aren’t in your zone of genius. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Oftentimes someone else can complete these tasks more efficiently and effectively.
- You don’t enjoy doing. If a task consistently drains your energy, it’s a good option for outsourcing.
- Always seem to get pushed aside. Be realistic – when are you going to get to these tasks? Let someone else check them off your list.
Delegating even a few hours of weekly work can free up space for you to rest and reset.
2. Batch and automate content
Automating and batching tasks gives you the freedom to step away from your business, while keeping it visible and active.
Consider,
- Scheduling some evergreen emails to be sent out while you’re away.
- Prepping a few weeks of social media content now, and scheduling those posts to go out later.
- Automating your onboarding process and/or email sequences so that your audience can stay engaged even when you’re offline.
3. Set clear boundaries and communicate them
Before you step away, set your out-of-office email, tweak your availability on booking platforms, and let your clients or customers know your revised hours or response times.
Setting clear expectations upfront can help you feel more confident when you unplug.
4. Repurpose and reuse existing content
Instead of feeling like you need to reinvent the wheel, prioritize repurposing content.
- Turn a blog or email into bite-sized social media content
- Re-share a high-performing freebie
- Reassess frequently visited pages on your website and make relevant updates to refresh them
Using what you already have in your archives can help you stay consistent with posting, while speeding up the content creation process.
5. Automate an offer
Create and automate the delivery of an offer that can run without you.
A digital product, mini course, or PDF bundle can help bridge the gap for you while you rest.
Your audience will feel taken care of, and you’ll be able to relax knowing you’re still supporting your clients.
Alignment is key
At first glance, the concept of “tuning into the rhythm of your business” might seem abstract. But, it’s actually an extremely useful and practical tool.
Whether summer brings a season of slowness or a surge in sales, the key is knowing how to respond.
When things are slow, use the downtime to your advantage. Plan ahead, batch content, refresh your marketing efforts, dig into the data, and allow yourself time to rest.
That way, when things pick-up again, you’re not scrambling to catch up. Instead, you feel prepared to move forward with greater strategy and clarity.
Alignment is key. Get to know the ebbs and flows of your business and audience, and adjust your schedule and efforts accordingly.
If you’d like some support planning your summer strategy, building out an evergreen funnel, or figuring out what to focus on next, I’d love to help.
Book a discovery call today so we can get started.
