Summer marketing ideas: how to do more with less

Do you take time off over the summer? Whether you’re lucky enough to go on holiday, are enjoying family days out or just generally embracing a slower pace while working on your business, chances are that marketing isn’t top of your to-do list on those long summer days.

As a parent of young kids and without family support nearby, summer school holidays require meticulous planning and some pretty intense preparation. So last year I looked at how I could continue to run my business over July/August in a way that served my clients and wider audience without requiring me to work every evening or get too stressed.

That’s how Batch for the Beach was born, and I soon saw that it can help not just parents of school-aged kids, but anyone who wants to go a bit more gently on the marketing front over the summer months.

Dog on inflatable.

Here are 9 of my top summer marketing content tips.

  1. Don’t pretend it’s business as usual. If you want to take a break from social media over the summer, do. Pause your newsletters? Go for it. Experiment with different approaches to your marketing? Brilliant!

  2. Give the people what they want. Remember who your ideal buyers are and what they want to hear from you.

  3. Read the room. Your ideal buyer may want something very different from you over August than the rest of the year. Respond to their needs.

  4. Don’t be afraid to do something out of the ordinary. Throw the rule book out of the window. Share more personal content on socials if you want. Change the format of your newsletter (I plan to do exactly this).

  5. Repost old content. The content we so lovingly craft and put out into the world is only seen by a small fraction of the people who follow us (sorry). And those people who do see it are likely to forget what you posted, because we all see a LOT of content. So I’m all for reposting old content provided it’s still relevant!

  6. Repurpose content. This blog you’re reading right now will likely become an Instagram post - I’m thinking a carousel - and maybe even a video. Can you do the same?

  7. Don’t overcomplicate it. Use the things that are right in front of you. Events happening in the world or your industry, big sporting events (e.g. the Commonwealth Games), school holidays - tap into the zeitgeist.

  8. Get it done now. Do something your summer self will thank you for and get content created and scheduled for the summer. Don’t leave it lingering in the back of your mind where it interferes with your state of calm.

  9. Make it fun. Yes, marketing is work. But that doesn’t mean it has to be painful. How can you make your summer content creation funner? By focusing on the stuff you enjoy doing (e.g. if you love writing, write more!) and by making your work environment more enjoyable (e.g. working with others).

Batch for the Beach 2.0

Batch for the Beach starts on Monday 11 July. During this focused week you’ll learn some mad new skills all about doing more with less, specifically with the summer holidays in mind.

I’ve built FUN into this programme, so that everyone has a good time while getting stuff done. And of course there’s community - a bunch of brilliant other business owners who, like you, want to be more efficient with their time.

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What the milkman taught me about marketing and sales

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Gentle marketing inspired by nature