Seasonal fluctuations are an unfortunate reality for most business owners – across all industries. After the heady highs of the busy holiday period, it can be alarming to see sales dry up and your cash flow stagnate. But it’s during these slower times that you need to put your marketing skills to work. To help you ride out seasonality this year, here are some helpful tips for bringing in more customers.

You can’t escape seasonality

For the first few months of the new financial year, many businesses – especially those prone to seasonal highs and lows, such as hospitality and retail – find themselves stuck in a rut. But the good news is that seasonality is often predictable, so if you have the data at hand you can plan for the quiet times ahead. Make sure you look back over your sales data from previous years to uncover which months are generally slow.

Once you know when to expect fewer customers, you can take steps to steady your cash flow. That might mean reducing your stock purchases over a set period, or only hiring contract workers in anticipation of the busy times. Remember that almost one in three (29%) businesses close due to cash flow mistakes, so pay close attention to seasonal fluctuations.

Here are three easy ways you can drum up new business and stay top-of-mind even during seasonal lows.

1. Catch their attention with printed flyers and discount cards

Physical advertising is still an incredibly powerful marketing tool, especially if you operate in competitive industries where customers have a wide range of options.

With printed materials like pole posters as well as flyers that you can distribute to crowds and through mail-drops, you can give potential customers something eye-catching and tangible to direct them to your shopfront.

Taking this traditional advertising approach to the next level, why not incorporate an enticing deal on your printed materials? Use business cards or postcards to share time-sensitive discounts on the goods and services you sell, or hand them out as part of a VIP program where customers get a 10% discount on their fifth purchase.

2. Don’t neglect your online presence

It’s easy to get caught up in a spiral of worry when you realise you are going through a period of low sales. But this is the time when you need to be marketing from all angles. While printed advertising materials are a great way to get your name out there, it’s just as important to focus on online sales.

This is especially the case when external factors are keeping people indoors – whether it’s poor weather that means customers prefer online shopping, or a global pandemic that is shutting down physical storefronts. With a portion of your marketing spend invested into creating a user-friendly and engaging online-shopping experience, you can open up a new revenue stream through e-commerce.

3. Mail out your latest brochure or newsletter

Whether it’s a TV ad, radio spot or catalogue marketing, traditional advertising is alive and well in Australia – and businesses are reaping the rewards of this traditional ad strategy. Even letterbox drops are delivering a strong return on investment, with many customers saying they prefer to receive marketing collateral from local businesses in the form of physical advertising.

So it makes good business sense to send out your latest brochure or newsletter in a booklet or flyer format – in addition to any online communications. Your existing customers will appreciate seeing any new products that are in stock, as well as deals they can take advantage of, while a letterbox drop in your local area could drive new sales from people who were previously unaware of your business.

Dealing with the highs and lows of seasonality isn’t always easy as a business owner, but with the right strategy for how you will market your business during the slower months, you can set yourself up for success. Contact Citywide Print today and request a quick quote for high-quality printed marketing materials.