4 Reasons Not To Go Offline During Your Off-Season
In spite of the convenience and practicality of doing business online, many businesses still prefer to stay traditional. For new businesses, this could prove to be a fatal mistake. A study on new businesses revealed that businesses that are not online and easily available to Internet users have a higher chance of failing.
Aside from this scary scenario, there are at least four reasons why a business should never go offline for more than a couple of days – even during their off season.
Reason #1 You’re missing out on free exposure
You’re not just missing the opportunity to be viewed by millions from your side of the world. You are missing on worldwide exposure! If done properly, Internet marketing can generate leads and improve brand recognition even during off season. There are apps galore that you can use to tap into new markets and expand your database.
Do you realize that even if it is off season where you live, it could be peak season in other countries for your product? For example, if you are in the business of surfboards and beach wear, it may be snowing in your corner of the world right now (freezing even!) but in Australia, they are in the middle of their summer months – and it is hot!
Reason #2 It’s the right time to start connecting with people
The downright truth is that there is never an off season for connecting with people. Digital economy never sleeps or experiences a down season for the same reason as stated above. There is always something happening somewhere! This means whatever your product, if it is something consumers can use – then you can market it all year round. The key is finding the right formula to market to specific markets. For instance, you cannot market to Asians the same way you market to the western countries. Just recently, Absolute Vodka launched a marketing campaign in South Korea that led to a catastrophic result. The South Koreans were up in arms over the ad to the point of rallying in the streets against the brand; an ad that would have worked just fine in the United States.
Reason #3 You have time to let your creative juices flow
During the busy season, you don’t have enough time to do everything for your business. For many, it’s a struggle to keep up with the demands of running a business when your product is most relevant to the consumers around you. With the off season, you can take time off to come up and test new ideas in marketing, promotions, and strategies.
Start writing fresh content. Write as much as you can and schedule the posting so that when the busy season starts, you have enough well-written material to use.
Reason #4 Study your past analytics and search for trends and ideas for the upcoming season
Your off season is actually just as busy as your peak season because this is the time for you to work on the plans and strategies for the upcoming season. Study past months’ analytics and see what loopholes you can plug and issues you can avoid. This is the time to brainstorm and mentally prepare yourself for a new season.
Work on building your SEO so that your website is visible and easy to find. You can also work with paid search at a lower budget so you don’t disappear altogether.
You can also develop your logistics and start accepting orders from around the world. There is actually a lot of work to be done here whether you have an actual product or something digital like information or expert services.