Summer has a way of loosening our grip on the day-to-day. Maybe we're not posting on social media as much. Maybe we've decided that website update can happen another day or we (okay, I have) created a pile of tasks named "Well that's going to be a September issue" Well folks, we have the new shoes, the brand new pencil case and a school blazer that's way too big for us. It's September. Let's sort it.
Here are five practical resets to get your business marketing sharp before the run into Christmas trading really kicks off.
This is the digital equivalent of checking your shopfront window. Are your opening hours right? Is your main photo current? Have you responded to recent reviews? A five-minute tidy-up here can make a real difference to how you show up in local searches - and it costs nothing but a bit of time.
If your "About" page still talks about plans for "this year" and it's a photo from two summers ago, it's time. You don't need a full rebuild - just an honest look at whether it reflects where your business actually is right now. Fresh eyes (or ideally, someone else's eyes) help enormously here.
Nobody posts consistently in August, and that's fine - but the accounts that go quiet for good tend to go quiet in September, when the excuse runs out. Pick a rhythm you can actually keep up, even if it's modest. Once a week, done properly, beats daily for a fortnight then nothing.
Christmas trading, January sales, whatever your version of "the busy bit" looks like - now is the moment to plan for it, not the week before. What do you want to have achieved by December 31st? Put pen to paper (or the digital equivalent) and write down those goals
Reviews, testimonials, word of mouth - these are an effective way to do a lot of heavy lifting for a local business. Have you asked a happy client or customer for a review lately? Have you been putting off getting back to that old complaint sitting unanswered somewhere? These are small tasks that can lead to big wins.
6. Get yourself out networking.
September is the perfect time to make the most of the last few months of the year and get networking. Think of it as starting a new class and you need to make new friends. There are several different networking groups throughout the area, including of course my networking and nibbles evening on 29th September.(More info here)
There's a seventh reset worth adding to that list, and it's one a lot of local business owners overlook: making sure you're actually visible to the people around you.
It's easy to assume that if your business is good, people will find it. In practice, most local customers are choosing between businesses they've heard of. That could be via recommendation, a local group, a directory, a familiar name popping up again and again. I know we can be very British about this, but being consistently visible isn't vanity; it'a building a word of mouth reputation, when done well is worth its weight in gold.
And if you're wondering how you can do this, thebestof Sudbury might beable to help. I've always been passionate about bringing trusted businesses and the community together and love nothing more than when we can connect you with other local business owners. And by putting you in front of people actively looking for services and recommendations in the area, it's a steady, low-effort way to stay visible in the community - without it becoming another job on your already full plate.
If your back to school reset includes "get in front of local customers," why don't you drop me a line and we can have a conversation.
