How should a seasonal business plan its marketing?
Plan around the calendar, not the month in front of you. Start marketing before the busy season, because customers often look and compare weeks before they book. Stay visible in the off season so you are not starting from nothing next year. Use quiet months to improve the website and ask last season's customers for reviews. Then judge results by comparing each season with the same season last year.
Start before the busy season
Customers often begin looking a few weeks before they need the work, and the businesses they find first tend to get the calls. Starting your push when the phone is already ringing usually means you are late.
A good habit is to mark a date on the calendar, a month or two before your season starts, to check that your website, hours, services and contact details are current and ready.
Stay visible in the off season
It is tempting to stop all marketing when work slows. But being found online tends to build slowly and fade when it stops, so a full stop can leave you starting over each year.
Keep your hours and contact details accurate, keep answering inquiries, and say clearly when you start booking for next season. Some customers plan early and will book ahead if you let them.
Use the quiet months well
- Update the website: new photos from the season, clearer service pages, and current dates.
- Ask last season's customers for an honest review while the work is still fresh in their minds.
- Follow up with people who asked for a quote but never booked.
- Tidy up how inquiries reach you, so nothing is missed when the rush returns.
- Look back at what worked and what did not before you plan the next season.
Track by season, not by month
Comparing a quiet month with a busy one tells you very little. Compare this season with the same season last year: how many inquiries arrived, from which sources, and how many became paying jobs.
Note the week inquiries started to pick up, too. Over a few years, that date tells you when to start your marketing.
Related answers
- What happens if you stop paying for SEO?
- How do you know if your marketing is working?
- How should you follow up with a lead that goes quiet?
SEO for service businesses
Get found on Google by the people already looking for what you sell, in the places you serve, and see which searches turned into inquiries.