In the last couple of posts, I’ve talked about the importance of seasonal advertising, and knowing what’s coming up in the sales cycle of your business. You can certainly use the information to prepare for your busiest revenue-generating periods, but you can also use the low points in the sales cycle for planning and testing strategies, and introducing changes.
Seasonal advertising cycle can be used strategically
Seasonal advertising and marketing can help you take advantage of consumers’ natural tendency to buy, but it can also help you “make” advantages that your businesses and customers can use later in the year. For example, a period of low sales might be the ideal time to roll out a new website design. The pressure to make sales is off at this point in the cycle, and you can tinker with elements of the website design, introduce new services or begin offering 24-hour online sales without negatively impacting the way the majority of your customers make their purchases. Along the same lines, if your business doesn’t have a website, the low point in your sales cycle might be the ideal time to introduce one.
If your business doesn’t currently use social media, your low cycle point may be the best time to introduce it, since you can more easily see the impact it is making. Use the time to help your staff learn how social media works and how they can use it as a sales and marketing tool. You can also apply this to other types of outreach media, like blogging and video production.
Even if you don’t want to use the low point in your sales cycle as a testbed for new promotions, seasonal advertising and marketing strategy changes, you can still take advantage of the time. Use it to plan your seasonal advertising campaigns and prepare the advertisements ahead of time. You may also be able to get better pricing on production services, promotional products and advertising space if you make your advertising, marketing and promotional products commitments early.
If you would like more information about other ways to take advantage of low revenue periods in your seasonal advertising calendar, or you are interested in adding social media, a new website design or planning the purchase of effective promotional products during your sales cycle, contact our Creative Director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation.
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