8 Secrets to Increasing Sales During Off-Season
After a hectic patch of your prime selling months, seasonal businesses often experience a sharp downturn in sales, often with little or no warning. To have a competitive advantage, and keep up with the effects of the inevitable slump, every business needs a practical and high-yielding strategy. Here are 8 ways of increasing sales during the slow season:
- Diversify your Marketing Channels
Use the slow season to revamp your marketing and take your marketing strategy and exposure up a notch. Explore more marketing channels such as email, and social media. For example, it is more likely that your potential customers will log on to social media platforms rather than visit your website. So, there is a decent chance you will win clients on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Create a business profile on a variety of social media channels and use it to put the word out about your business.
- Offer Discounts and Promos
Although discounts will cut significantly into your profit margin, consider slashing the price of your products or services. You can decide to offer discounts to new customers, very loyal customers, or the first customer of the day/month/year among others.
- Give Free products and services, Gift Cards, and Branded Items
People love free stuff. Gift your customers free products and services, gift cards, and branded items. Also, you could include an after service such as a ‘free delivery’ offer to entice customers. Giving free stuff is a way of expressing gratification, showing your customers just how much you care, and increasing customer loyalty.
- Capitalize on Referrals
Encourage your loyal customers, satisfied clients, and friends to share their experiences with those around them. They likely influence their family, friends, and social cliques to follow them and buy your products.Consequently, more new clients will come your business way.
- Partner with Related Businesses
Consider forming partnerships with other local brands and promoting each other. If you run a hardware store, for example, you could partner with a transport company and offer a product plus transport combo promotion at the same price as the products. Look out for business partners that share that particular target market or segment with your business.
- Host Contests and Giveaways
Hold randomized contests to give your audiences a reason to seek your services or buy your products in exchange for an incentive. Customers will be tempted to spend much more than they had planned to just to get the reward. Ensure the reward is desirable.
- Show your Expertise
Demonstrate that you’re a subject matter expert and one of the best in the industry. You can showcase your knowledge by creating insightful and actionable content such as blog posts, guides, webinars, YouTube videos, eBooks, reports, and more and sharing links on your social media pages. Showing people how good you are, assures your would-be customers that you’ll certainly deliver on what you promise.
- Increase your Online Reviews
With the internet boom, more consumers use online reviews to choose and form a solid opinion about local businesses. Grow your reviews on Google and social media platforms by asking satisfied customers to leave their opinion and feedback.
Final Words
Running a seasonal business seldom means that you are doomed to zero cash flow during the off-season. With the strategy highlighted above, your business can still stay afloat throughout the year and remain profitable.
Daria Kiseleva Media Manager at Consumer Choice Award
