Ahhhh…. summer time. The weather is warm, the kids are on school break and the beach is calling your name. It’s easy to just sit back and take a break from work, particularly marketing and business development. Everyone needs a vacation, right? Well, yes. Absolutely.  But not an 8 week break! It’s true that things slow down in the summer and people aren’t working as many hours. But don’t let that lure you into the habit of coasting on your marketing and business development efforts. It can be a slippery slope!

In fact, you could say that summer is a great time to step up your marketing habits while others are on hiatus. I urge you to hold onto the momentum you’ve been working to build all year long. If you can’t motivate to increase your efforts, here are a few things you should do to at least maintain your foothold while sipping an umbrella drink in the shade.

• Reach out to your referring friends and business contacts

The slower, warmer months are a great time to check in on your referring friends and business contacts. Touch base, set up a date to have an iced tea and reconnect. They are likely enjoying a slower pace and may enjoy the time out with you. Ask them what their plans are for the closing months of the year and see if you could be helpful to them.

• Evaluate your marketing process

Take time to check your progress from the first half of the year. Take a moment to review your goals for marketing and business development. How are you doing? Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and recommit to the work that is left to do. Also, evaluate where you have fallen short. Are there areas you can rethink? Are there new opportunities you should work into the mix? Are your targets still the right ones? Are you using the right tactics with those folks? Could you do more to generate success?

• Understand where you work is coming from

Take a few minutes to look at the good work you have completed this year. How did you get that work? Can you trace it back to specific marketing efforts? Can you duplicate those efforts for even more referrals? Make sure you thank those referral sources along the way. If that skipped your mind, now is the time to reach out and let them know how much you appreciate their trust in you.

• Ask your clients or referrals for more work

The summer is a great time to ask for more work as many people want to hit the ground running in September. Of course you can’t just blurt it out of the blue. Remind your contacts how much you appreciate them, of the good results you have reached together and ask if you can help them in some way. End every conversation with a simple, “If someone in your world needs the type of help I can provide them, I would be grateful for you to pass my name along. Of course, I am happy to do the same for you.”

• Contact lists

The slower months are also a great time to visit your contact list. There is nothing better than spending time writing a blog post or an article and then zipping it out to a great list of contacts with minimal bounce backs! Taking the time to update and categorize your contacts’ email addresses is an excellent investment in your future processes.

• Content generation and website work

Content marketing is an excellent way to build visibility and credibility. Take some time to write a few blog posts, update your bio, spruce up your website content and more. Take some quiet time this summer to brainstorm ideas, write some material and publish it to your website.

• Brush up your social media skills

Social media, particularly LinkedIn, is a superb way to use your content and connect with your contacts. Usage is up higher than ever and it’s connecting people in so many ways. Are you feeling shy about your skills in this area? Now is the time to fix that: take a course, connect with a knowledgeable resource and start improving your skills. Practice using the tools by employing easy first steps. By the fall, you will be confident and ready to post the content you worked hard to write.

These items are just a handful of ways that you can keep your marketing momentum over the summer months. Don’t give in to the quiet you see from your colleagues and competitors. Step out and keep making progress, nurture your relationships and position yourself to be seen. Have questions? Contact me. I am ready to help!