Ah yes!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that we’re living on the continent over recent weeks with this heatwave! And with schools breaking up soon and the long summer holidays on the horizon, it’s time to think about how to make your social media work harder for you when the sun is shining.

Why should the sunny weather make any difference to social media, you may ask? It’s all to do with what exactly your business does, where your audience are accessing their various social media platforms and at what time. If you’re a summer business (for example you sell swimwear, you run children’s activities or you offer family accommodation) then the summer is a fantastic time to promote your business and capitalise on being very relevant. But it’s still worth paying attention to your social media if you’re a winter business – after all, the summer doesn’t last forever so get ahead of yourself for when the weather turns and your business is in higher demand.

Our top 10 tips on how to make sure your business still remains relevant and visible over the silly season are not to be missed!

  1. Keep it topical – this really applies throughout the year, but particularly when people are distracted and off on holiday in the summer. It’s a good idea to “piggyback” on topics that are trending, whether that be holiday destinations, what to do with the kids, festivals and days out – anything that people are looking for and engaging with. Even subjects like BBQs and the warm weather during the heatwave will be trending so make the most of it and get involved in the discussion.
  2. Back it all up with a hashtag – hashtags are your friend so make the most of them. It’s the perfect way to categorise your tweets and make it easier for people to find you. Make sure they are relevant – you could even create your own hashtag that you use with all your own posts to create some individuality.
  3. Mix it up – now’s the time to try out creative strategies you may not have done before. Run a competition relating to the summer to help increase your reach. Get people talking with a poll. Whatever you do, don’t succumb to the summer slump!
  4. Time it right – when people are away on their summer holidays they’re probably paying less attention to their social media while they’re enjoying time on the sunbeds and swimming in the pool! It’s also much more difficult to see the screen with all the glare during the peak daylight hours. Think carefully about when you post over the summer – early evening before dinner is probably the time during which people are more likely to catch up on their social media, so aim to publish your posts then.
  5. Plan ahead – use this quieter time to think ahead to your social media strategy for the rest of the year, which could be particularly useful if you’re in the retail or service sector. There are a number of traditions, events and activities that are set in the calendar (Christmas, bonfire night, Halloween etc) that you could plan your activity for ahead of time so that when the busier time arrives, you’re already sorted and ahead of the game.
  6. Make it fun – there’s a reason why it’s called silly season! Inject the fun into your posts – try taking photos around the office, in your town, of your staff. Take photos of ice cream or your favourite holiday destination and engage in conversation by asking what your audience’s favourite is.
  7. What if you’re a winter business? – the short answer is don’t panic! The trick here is to be especially creative with your posts and show off your personality. Now might be the time to reinforce your brand with a campaign around who you are and what you stand for. This will help to build loyalty and keep you fresh in people’s minds, even if it isn’t the right time to buy your products.
  8. Stay active – it really is worth spending some time responding to other posts – just because you’re on a wind down doesn’t mean you disconnect completely. Remember that people being off on their holidays can mean they have more access to their social media, not less, so capitalise and stay in touch. Comment, share and get involved.
  9. Remember when… – that favourite ice lolly you can’t get anymore? How you used to be out all day on your bike with no mobile phone and just needed to be home by tea time? Making a mixed tape to listen to on your walkman?! The summer period is the perfect time to reminisce so make use of the #tbt hashtag (throwback Thursday) or #wbw (way back Wednesday) and get people reminiscing about the past. You’re sure to get some great interaction!
  10. Reuse & recycle – this is perfectly OK! If you’re short of time or want to create a selection of material ahead of time that you can call upon over the summer then go through your past posts, select those that are worth using again (especially those that showed evidence of engagement), rework them to make them appropriate for the summer and save them to use later. This will involve some work at this stage but will save lots of time during the summer.

If you would like help with your social media then please get in touch [email protected] or give me a call 07484 805545