Many businesses start promoting an offer when they want more sales. The difficulty is that their customers may make decisions weeks or months earlier.
If someone needs a home renovation completed before summer, they may begin researching builders well before summer arrives. If a business reviews its suppliers at the start of a new financial year, the useful time to introduce your service may be earlier.
A simple buying calendar can help you prepare your marketing before customers are ready to make a decision.
Start with your own records
Look back over the past year, or as far back as you have reliable information. When did enquiries arrive? When did quotes turn into work? Were particular products or services more popular at certain times?
Separate the date of the first enquiry from the date of the sale or completed job. That gap tells you how far ahead your marketing may need to start.
You don’t need perfect data. Even a review of emails, invoices and booking records may show a pattern worth exploring.
Ask what was happening in the customer’s life
Seasonality isn’t always about the weather. Customers may act because of school terms, holidays, events, budget cycles, maintenance schedules or changes within their own business.
Ask a few recent customers when they first began thinking about the purchase and what prompted them to get in touch. Their answers can reveal timing you wouldn’t see in a sales report.
Keep in mind that one busy month does not prove a lasting pattern. Use what you find as a working plan, then adjust it as you gather more information.
Work backwards from the decision
Suppose most customers book a service in November, but begin comparing options in September. Your September marketing could answer their early questions. October could show examples of your work and explain availability. November could make booking easy for those ready to act.
The content changes as the customer gets closer to a decision:
Early research: Explain options, common mistakes and what to consider.
Comparison: Show relevant work, customer feedback and how your process works.
Ready to buy: Make prices or quote steps clear where appropriate, and give people a simple way to contact you.
You can also prepare for quieter months. They may be a good time to update your website, collect case studies, contact past customers or build content for the next busy period.
Put a few dates in the calendar
Choose one service or product first. Mark the month customers tend to buy, then note when they begin researching. Plan a handful of useful activities for the weeks leading up to it.
For example, a business might schedule an advice article eight weeks before its busy period, a customer story six weeks before, and a reminder about booking availability closer to the date.
This gives each activity a purpose. It also means you’re less likely to be writing a last-minute post when you’re already busy delivering the work.
If you’d like help turning what you know about your customers into a practical marketing calendar, Brightside can help you plan it and get the work done.
