How to Build a Marketing Plan for Seasonal Demand

By Dipa Gandhi

 

 

Read it to me! Click the video below.

 

Many home service contractors, whether roofers, painters, or landscapers, experience fluctuations in demand throughout the year. The challenge of keeping your business steady during the off-season, while maximizing opportunities during peak seasons, can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, with a well-planned marketing strategy, you can navigate seasonal shifts more smoothly and ensure that your business thrives year-round.

The Problem: Seasonal Demand Can Leave Gaps in Revenue

Seasonal demand isn’t just an inconvenience—it can directly affect your bottom line. For contractors, slow periods during the winter months or off-peak seasons can leave your team with idle time, and a lack of business can disrupt cash flow.

• For example, a roofer might find that winter is a tough time to secure new roofing projects, while painters may experience a slowdown during colder months when exterior jobs are less feasible.
• Landscapers face a similar challenge as their peak season often coincides with the warmer months, leaving little work to fill in the colder months.

Even if you’re lucky enough to have steady demand year-round, the problem still exists—how do you keep the momentum going, maximize profits during peak times, and not be caught scrambling during the slow periods?

The Agitation: The Cost of Inaction

What happens if you don’t have a plan in place to tackle this seasonal gap? Here are some common consequences:

• Lost Revenue: Without effective marketing, your leads dry up during slower months, and you risk missing out on potential customers who are still searching for services.
• Underutilized Staff: Off-season downtime can lead to employees sitting idle or looking for other opportunities, reducing employee morale and leading to unnecessary turnover.
• Brand Invisibility: When you don’t market in the off-season, your business risks being forgotten by potential clients. This could cause you to lose momentum, making it harder to ramp up when demand increases again.
• Inefficient Budgeting: Without a seasonal marketing strategy, you may miss opportunities to stretch your marketing dollars, leading to inefficient allocation and increased costs during peak season when competition is at its highest.

Consider the experience of a local electrician, John, who owns a business in a region with harsh winters. During the off-season, he focused only on word-of-mouth referrals, neglecting paid ads or even organic SEO. As a result, his phone barely rang, and by the time spring rolled around, he found himself playing catch-up with competitors who had stayed visible through strategic off-season marketing.

The Solution: Build a Marketing Plan for Seasonal Demand

The key to overcoming seasonal challenges is developing a proactive marketing plan that works for your business year-round. Here are some strategies to build that plan:

Diversify Your Marketing Channels

A balanced approach will ensure that you’re always top of mind. Here’s how:

• Google Ads: By targeting seasonal keywords, you can ensure you're visible to people looking for services during the off-season.
• Content Marketing: Write blog posts or guides that speak to your industry’s off-season needs, such as winterizing homes or preparing for summer projects. Use this content to keep your website fresh and attract organic traffic year-round.
• Email Campaigns: Create targeted email campaigns to engage past clients, offer discounts, or provide updates on seasonal promotions.

Leverage Seasonal Promotions

Offer limited-time promotions that incentivize customers to act during the off-season. For example:

• Roofers might offer discounted winter inspections.
• Painters could run a “spring prep” promotion, encouraging clients to book jobs in advance.
• Landscapers could provide free consultations during winter to plan for spring projects.

Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

Keep your GBP updated year-round. Include photos of your completed work, prompt responses to reviews, and seasonal updates. This helps build trust and keeps your business visible to potential customers.

Utilize Retargeting Ads

Retarget visitors who engaged with your website during peak season but didn’t convert. These ads can help remind them of your services when they are ready to book again.

Plan for the Long Haul with SEO

While you’re working on short-term visibility with ads, don’t forget the long-term benefits of organic SEO. Build seasonal content, such as blog posts or service pages focused on specific time frames or challenges. This helps establish you as an authority and attracts customers searching for long-term solutions.

Create a Referral Program

Encourage your existing customers to refer friends and family during slower months. A referral program with incentives can keep your business top of mind and build a pipeline of leads that are ready to book once demand picks up.

Real-World Example: The Landscaper Who Turned the Off-Season Around

Let’s take a look at how one landscaper, Mark, turned his off-season slump into an opportunity. By analyzing customer behavior and realizing that clients would book landscaping services for spring and summer in advance, Mark implemented an early bird discount for those who booked their spring services in winter. He also started writing seasonal blog posts about preparing lawns for the upcoming seasons, which improved his organic rankings. The result? He kept his team busy, his revenue steady, and his brand visible through the slower months.

Conclusion

By building a solid, year-round marketing plan tailored to your business’s seasonal needs, you can bridge the gaps between peak seasons. Start by diversifying your marketing channels, using seasonal promotions, and optimizing your online presence. With consistent effort and strategic planning, you’ll keep your business thriving no matter the season.