Summer will be here before we know it. We’ll have gorgeous weather, longer days, vacations, and adventures. If your brand or business isn’t geared specifically towards summer activities, you’ll most likely experience the dreaded summer sales slump – that is, unless you get proactive, and follow our steps to stay on top of your game and avoid the summertime sadness.
We feature some bonus tips from marketing director and guru, Tami Kirlis, Marketing Director of the rapidly growing performance training footwear brand, YORK Athletics Mfg, who continue to dominate in the direct-to-consumer e-commerce space.
PLAN AHEAD
Start outlining your summertime strategy now – don’t procrastinate until the last minute! Once you nail your game plan, hit your social media audiences with teasers of what’s to come this summer. This is the perfect time to plan for seasonal promotions, clearance sales, and contests or giveaways.
CLEAN HOUSE
“We do larger clearance sales twice a year during the slow seasons, which usually hits in January and then again in June and July,” explains Kirlis. “The purpose is truly to clear out our warehouse and make room for new product arriving in late summer. As a brand, how we word these clearance sales is extremely important. We love all our products and want customers to know just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean it’s not special and valuable. And in fact, it’s an opportunity to get something before it’s gone forever and ever and ever while getting a great deal at the same time.”
CREATE KICKASS CONTENT
Take full advantage of the summer months to create fun and relevant content for your audience. Think of creative blogs or helpful resources that will entice your audience to look to your brand as an expert in that market-space. Don’t forget that most people still have to work during the summer, so bonus points if your content makes them crave the great outdoors and associate those adventurous feelings to your brand.
CUSTOMERS KNOW WHAT’S UP
“Summer is a great time to do customer feedback surveys because people are either on vacation or experiencing their own company’s slow period, and have more time to spare,” comments Kirlis. “While we could incentivize surveys, we found that our hardcore customers are happy to give us feedback without dangling a giveaway and in that way, and their comments are more authentic. We get so much amazing feedback from our customers when we reach out. It’s a great way to stay in touch with customers needs and wants, and get feedback on how we’re doing as a brand direct from our customer’s mouths.”
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Data is gold. Being able to understand that data is even more powerful because it arms you with metrics and insights you may never knew existed. Compare sales and marketing data season over season to see exactly what was working, and what you can improve upon for the upcoming quarter.
Our product, Explorics, makes data collection and analysis so much easier, as our software integrates with all of your favorite tools. Our unified dashboard provides you with information already translated into actionable insights.
EVERYBODY LOVES FREE
As Kirlis knows from first hand success, “everybody loves winning. Giveaways and contests are an awesome way to get our audience engaging with us while referring their friends to our brand directly. When we do a giveaway, we ask our audience to tag two friends in the comments. When their friends are notified they’ve been tagged, and if they haven’t heard of us, they’re prompted to learn more about us, and maybe they’ll follow us as well. The last giveaway we ran had 1,300 entries and increased our following by 200 in one day. It also helps us create personal, loyal relationships with our customer base. So, when doing a summertime specific giveaway, keep your customers in mind. Incentivize them with prizes that you know they’ll want right when you give it to them, such as your top summer item or a gift care for a vacation.”
If you’re curious on how to connect your marketing data and platforms, email us at info@explorics.com and make sure to follow @yorkathleticsMFG on Instagram for new launches and giveaways!