With the end of school past, the official summer season begins. Our community associations dial it down and take July and August off, people in Calgary tend to go camping every weekend, in Ontario they head for cottage country. So how does a business, who is open over the summer deal with this shift in seasons? Is advertising more important or less?
I will suggest it is more important. Just like it is more important in a recession. Target those customers who are not going away every weekend. There are many events and promotions you can put on in the summer that can attract customers to your place of business. A BBQ? In Calgary a Stampede Breakfast? Outdoor carnival, OR sponsor one of these events being held by others. Advertise your event, make sure your target audience knows it is on get ready to spend some money to gain their business. Go above and beyond the norm. Make it a special event that will leave a positive feeling about your business. Then, you will hopefully gain a new customer that will be with you all year long.
If you do the opposite and pay no attention to gaining new customers, you have the potential to let your current customers go to the competition. If your management team are away for prolonged periods during the summer you are also saying something to your customers. In Calgary we have a period in time, where it seems NO business gets done. It's called "Stampede Week". It's actually 10 days, where you will see people on pub and bar patios in the middle of the day with Cowboy hats on. Many large multinational businesses sponsor events surrounding the Stampede, but many local businesses who are not in the core of the city virtually shut down. Those are the businesses who need to market the most.
Consider the season and timing of your advertising in your plan and target success when others are asleep at the wheel. Until next time, I remain Larry "The Ad Man".
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