Marketing in August - Yea or Nay?

I don’t know about you, but my social media feeds are full of pictures of people on vacation - up north, down south, across the ocean and in exotic locations. Even the people still chained to their desks are thinking about where they wish they could be or planning their next trip. Some are just trying to juggle getting some work done with spending time with their families and not going totally insane.

They’re not likely to be making any large purchases or big decisions about their businesses. Here in Israel, it’s not just August that’s a lost month. September has a grand total of 10 working days this year, and not everyone is working all of those days either. Decisions are likely to be pushed off till October!

Does that mean that you should put a hold on your marketing during August?

If you have no time and are barely hanging on to your current customers/clients, marketing may not even be on your radar. But if the general slowdown in business means that you have some time on your hands, you may want to consider spending some of it on marketing.

Most people don’t respond to the first marketing post they see about a product or service. In fact, it typically takes about 10 posts until a person reacts and even longer until they make a purchase. Sometimes we don’t have time to deal with something when we see it, but we file it away mentally. Then if we see it again, we may actually take action. Marketing efforts you start in August may only see results in October in any case.

So it’s a good idea to get started now, so business picks up naturally once everyone hunkers down to work after the holidays.

That said, if you’re not in the tourism industry, it’s probably best to hold off on sales and promotions right now, and focus instead on brand awareness. Once everyone gets back to their routines in October, more aggressive forms of marketing will build on the foundation you are creating now.

Bottom line: Marketing in August, yes. Expecting immediate results, no.