A Slow Month Isn’t a Wasted Month: 5 Marketing Tasks to Tackle Now

Every business owner has a reason to put marketing off until next month. The summer months come with their own set of season-specific excuses.

➞ “Everyone’s on vacation, so no one is going to see this blog post anyway.”

➞ “I’ve just got to get the kids back in school next month, then my schedule will be more balanced.”

➞ “Everything is crickets right now. I’ll wait until things pick back up.”

➞ “I just need to wrap up this project/event/busy week, then I’ll have more time for marketing.”

➞ “I’m planning to redo the website soon, so there’s really no point in updating anything now.”

➞ “I’ll start fresh next month.”

And any one of these reasons is absolutely valid. There probably will be a better week, a calmer schedule, or a time when you feel more motivated.

The problem is that waiting for the stars to align is how marketing gets pushed from month to month, or worse, never gets done at all – which leaves you later wondering “Why don’t we have income this month??” and “We need more leads!!”

If your marketing to-do list feels overwhelming, skip a complete strategy overhaul and just start with one small, meaningful task.

Here are five places to begin.

1. Refresh Your Google Business Profile

I know, I know. Updating your Google business profile isn’t glamorous marketing work.

But it is one of the easiest ways to make sure the people already looking for your business find accurate information and have a clear path to contacting you.

Quick checklist:

➞ Add a few recent photos

➞ Double-check your business hours

➞ Make sure your phone number, website, and address are accurate

➞ Review your services/business description

➞ Respond to outstanding reviews

Note: Ideally, you’re responding when reviews are left. But if you’ve let a few pile up? Better late than never.

In less time than you’ve spent thinking about what to post on Instagram this week, you could make it easier for potential clients to contact you through your Google Business Profile.

2. Look at Your Website Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

You’re too close to your own website.

When you visit your website, you’re able to easily fill in any gaps because you know all too well what you do, who you help, and how someone is supposed to work with you.

This is where the first-time customer test comes in.

Open your website and ask:

➞ Can I immediately tell what this business does?

➞ Do I know who it’s for?

➞ Is the phone number or contact information easy to find?

➞ Is there an obvious next step?

➞ Do the photos and information still accurately represent the business?

➞ If I’m interested, do I know exactly what to do next?

If you find yourself truly unable to look through the eyes of a first-time website visitor, ask someone who isn’t involved in your business to spend 30 seconds on the homepage and tell you what they think you do.

No real human around when it’s convenient? Pop your URL into ChatGPT with this prompt:

Review this website as if you have never seen it before and tell me what you think the company does, who they do it for and what customer would be an ideal fit to work with them [URL]

The goal here isn’t to necessarily determine that you need a full website overhaul (although, if you do, we can help!), but rather take the first step to ensuring your digital presence isn’t unwittingly confusing and driving away potential clients.

Maybe you will need a full redesign. Maybe you just need some artfully crafted copy updates and new images. Either way, it all starts with a third party analysis.

(We can be that third party too if you want a proper web audit with a list of recommended updates. Start here.)

3. Reconnect With Past Customers

When business owners hear marketing, more often than not, they start thinking about reaching new people.

But there’s an entire group of people who already know your name, understand your business, and have trusted you enough to work with you before.

Things to do this month:

➞ Send a quick 1-1 check-in email

(Or, wild thought, call them!)

➞ Share a recent project or update they may be interested in

➞ Engage with their latest social posts (i.e. “engage” = comment, liking ain’t gonna cut it)

➞ Ask for a review or a referral

➞ Simply remind them you’re still here

Keep it simple. The goal is connection over trying to immediately force a sale.

Sometimes the shortest path to your next opportunity is simply reconnecting with someone who already knows you.

4. Update One Piece of Outdated Content

This one’s simple. Pick one thing that’s been bothering you and fix it.

Examples:

➞ Refresh an old blog post

➞ Rewrite your About page

➞ Update a service description

➞ Replace outdated photos

➞ Add a recent project or case study

➞ Remove information that is no longer accurate

A lot of business owners avoid marketing projects because they’re mentally making them much bigger than they need to be.

“Update the website” sounds overwhelming.

“Rewrite the first two paragraphs of the About page” is something you can actually finish this afternoon.

Shrink the task until it’s small enough to complete.

5. Plan Next Month’s Content Now

One of the easiest ways to keep repeating the “I’ll do it next month” cycle is to arrive at the first of the month with absolutely no idea what you’re going to say.

Instead, use a slower week to make next month easier.

Simple content planning exercise:

Pick four topics. You don’t need a quarter’s worth of content. You just need to stop next month from starting at zero.

Think about:

➞ One question customers ask all the time

➞ The service/product you want more people to know about

➞ A recent project, customer story, or win

➞ A useful tip related to your industry

Then all that’s left to decide is where you’re going to share them and get them on the calendar.

Future You will be grateful when you’re not staring at a blank screen next month.

Slow Time Is Still Work Time

Don’t wait for the stars to align. Pick one thing on this list and do it this month.

If marketing still feels impossible to tackle, then it’s time to ask for help. Book a discovery call today.