A Seasoned Perspective on What to do with Your Marketing During Slower Times
As a digital marketing agency owner with over 25 years in the game, I’ve seen the ebb and flow of business seasons more times than I can count. One question that often pops up, especially among small business owners, is whether it’s wise to pause marketing and SEO efforts during slower months. It’s a valid question, and the answer is crucial to the long-term success of your online presence.
Let’s dive in, but not just with cold, hard facts. I’ll sprinkle in some analogies to keep things relatable and, dare I say, a bit more fun.
The Garden Analogy: Why Stopping SEO is Like Neglecting Your Garden
Imagine SEO as a garden you’ve been tending. You’ve spent months, maybe years, planting, watering, and nurturing your plants (your website and content). Now, imagine deciding to take a break for a few months. You stop watering and weeding, thinking, “It’ll be fine. I’ll just pick up where I left off.” But when you return, you find weeds (competitors) have taken over, and your plants are struggling to survive.
SEO is similar. It’s an ongoing process. Pausing it means losing ground to competitors and diminishing your visibility on search engines. The effort to regain lost ground often requires more resources than maintaining your SEO strategy consistently. Search engines like Google love fresh, relevant content. When you stop providing that, they start looking elsewhere to satisfy their users’ queries.
The Snowball Effect: Building Momentum in SEO
SEO is not a switch you can flip on and off. It’s more like rolling a snowball down a hill. It starts small, but as it rolls, it gathers more snow, growing bigger and gaining momentum. If you stop rolling (or pause your SEO efforts), not only does the snowball stop growing, but it also starts to melt (your rankings drop, your online presence diminishes). Resuming your efforts means starting from a smaller base, and it takes time to regain that momentum.
Pivoting to Other Online Marketing Channels
Now, let’s talk about diversification. Just like a savvy investor diversifies their portfolio, a smart business owner diversifies their marketing efforts. Slower months are an excellent opportunity to explore or enhance other online marketing channels.
- Social Media: It’s like the town square of olden days. It’s where people gather, talk, share stories, and listen. Being active on social media keeps your business part of these conversations. It’s less about direct selling and more about building relationships and staying top of mind.
- Email Marketing: Think of email marketing as sending personalized letters to your customers. It’s direct, personal, and an excellent way to keep your audience engaged with updates, tips, and special offers.
- Video Content: If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is a library. In today’s fast-paced digital world, videos are a powerful way to engage your audience, convey information quickly, and humanize your brand.
A Time for Renewal: Website Redesign and Updates
Consider slower months as the perfect time for a website facelift. Your website is like your digital storefront. Just as you’d repaint your physical store or rearrange your products to keep things fresh and appealing, your website needs regular updates to stay relevant and engaging.
A redesign or update can improve user experience, optimize for conversions, and ensure your site keeps up with the latest web standards and technologies. Plus, it’s a great way to re-energize your team and your marketing efforts.
Educating Through Content: Keep the Knowledge Flowing
Content is king, as they say, and for a good reason. Your content is like a series of informative brochures, guiding your customers through their journey. During slower months, focus on creating or updating your content. This could be blog posts, whitepapers, infographics, or even interactive tools. Quality content not only helps with SEO but also establishes your brand as an authority in your field.
Local SEO: Don’t Forget Your Digital Neighborhood
For many small businesses, local SEO is crucial. It’s like making sure your business is listed in the local directory and participating in community events. Ensure your Google My Business listing is up-to-date, encourage customer reviews, and keep your local citations consistent. This helps locals and visitors alike find you more easily.
Analytics and Strategy: The Compass and Map for Your Journey
Use the slower periods to dive into your analytics. This is like sitting down with a map and compass before a journey. Analyze what worked, what didn’t, and where you can improve. This strategic planning ensures that when things pick up again, you’re not just moving, but moving in the right direction.
The Race Analogy: Consistency in the Long Run
Let’s add another layer to our understanding with a simple race analogy. Imagine two runners, equally skilled, starting a race at the same time. One runner, let’s call her Steady Stan, maintains a consistent pace throughout. The other, Hasty Hal, starts with the same energy but soon decides to take a break, thinking he can catch up to Stan later.
As Hasty Hal rests, Steady Stan keeps moving forward. By the time Hal resumes running, Stan has gained significant ground. No matter how fast Hal runs now, he’s always playing catch-up. The gap keeps widening as long as Stan maintains his steady pace.
In the digital marketing race, your business is like one of these runners. If you pause your SEO and marketing efforts, you’re essentially taking a break, allowing your competitors (Steady Stans in your market) to move ahead.
This analogy perfectly illustrates the cumulative impact of consistent effort in SEO and digital marketing. The online landscape is highly competitive and dynamic. Once you lose momentum, not only do you fall behind, but the effort to catch up is often greater than the effort required to maintain a consistent pace.
In the context of SEO, this means continuously optimizing your website, regularly updating content, and staying abreast of the latest search engine algorithms. In marketing, it means consistently engaging with your audience, whether through social media, email campaigns, or other channels.
Remember, in the digital race, there’s no standing still. You’re either moving forward or falling behind. The key is to keep a steady pace, adapt to the terrain (market changes), and not lose sight of the finish line (your business goals). By doing so, you ensure that your business is always in the lead pack, setting the pace rather than struggling to catch up.
In Conclusion: Be Stan and not Hal
Remember Stan? Consistent, steady effort often wins the race. This is true for digital marketing and SEO. Pausing your efforts is akin to taking a break mid-race, like Hal. You might feel like you’re conserving energy for when it counts, but in reality, you’re losing valuable ground that’s hard to regain.
In summary, slower months should not be a time for pausing your digital marketing and SEO efforts. Instead, view them as an opportunity to pivot, explore, and strengthen your overall strategy. Keep tending your garden, rolling your snowball, and updating your map. The digital world never sleeps, and neither should your efforts to maintain and grow your online presence.
