When summer officially kicks off, people head to the beach (or anywhere with sun rays) and sink into vacation. While this is certainly the time of year that we all wait for, what does it mean for your business? Will your customer base completely disappear in the warmer months? Not necessarily. However, the preferences of your audience will change in the summer and this is the perfect time to plan out how you will keep their attention in the coming months.
Embrace A Fun and Present Vibe
Yes, the summer will likely be much quieter. No, this does not mean you take a hiatus on your social media!
In his Muse blog article “4 Ways to Beat the Summer Slowdown with Social Media,” Alex Honeysett tackles this issue head-on with some easy tips, summarized below.
Leverage Current Events
While the pace of life may slow down in the summer, news never stops. If there is a relevant piece of news that hits the airways, throw your hat into the ring. Of course, it’s not just about forwarding the news to your summer audience. Instead, give valuable context to this information that people can benefit from, and provide your insights to it in an interesting and helpful way. Timing is everything, so try to be first on the story if possible, since that’s when people will be the most interested. If you are 20th in line to comment, the impact of your analysis will likely go unheard.
Promote A Summer Audience Contest
Since a large part of your audience will be tuned out while they do a quick scroll of their feed lounging in their seaside chair, you need to deliver something that will make them take notice. For example, the summer is a great time to run an irresistible contest or promotion. Not only will it get you exposure when you really need it, but people have a hard time passing up something that will ultimately benefit them. And if the prize is really enticing, make them work for it in a way that benefits you even more.
For example, make the contest entry require photo submissions, video creations, and plenty of post shares to spread the word. And, don’t rush this contest with a quick end date. Leverage this exciting promotion with all you got (i.e. free prizes each week) throughout the summer to keep the momentum and visible brand awareness going.
Let Themed Days Do the Work
There are so many social media themes that can go the distance for you in slower summer months. Whether it’s #MemeMonday, #WisdomWednesdays, #TBT (Throwback Thursdays) and #FF (Follow Fridays), you can use your content to piggyback off established social media days that people look forward to. Make sure to use the relevant hashtags across all social media channels to get the most visibility.
Start Up a Game
Since summer mode brings out the fun in all of us, capitalize on this free spirit mojo with some online games. Whether it’s a caption contest, a fill-in-the-blank game, or “guess the location” activity, pair up these games with some fun prizes that people will participate in.
Keep It Short and Light
Beyond this article, use your best judgment when crafting up summer content. Since attention spans are short, keep your posts even shorter and sweeter. Since people don’t want to focus on heavy written content, think about videos, in both the live video and created video forms. And, branch out of your product and service-orientated posts to show more of your fun personality, especially in the summer. Spice up your Instagram feed with summer-themed pictures (i.e. lobster rolls on the beach) that will resonate with your audience and has the potential to attract new ones.
Either way, don’t go silent this summer! Have fun with some new posts and take these quieter months to map out your fall strategy with the best content you’ve got. That way, when everyone is back to hibernating, they will be hungry for your new material.
What about you? What is your summer social media strategy?
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