Last Updated on December 14, 2019 by Taylor
We’re partway through summer, and the summer slump is in full effect.
Haven’t noticed it? You might be lucky.
But for most online businesses, summer time means lower traffic and decreased sales.
During summer, you SHOULD be feeling like this:
But when you look at your sales numbers, you might feel more like this:
Why does the summer slump happen?
It boils down to this: people are out doing things.
Instead of browsing the Internet, they’re taking a weekend vacation to the coast. Instead of spending their money on your products, they’re taking their family to the waterpark.
Of course, this is a good thing. Everyone (yourself included!) should be spending time with family and enjoying the outdoors.
But you also want to grow your business and share your awesome products with the world, right?
So what can you do during this much-needed (but also slightly frustrating) phenomenon?
First off, get outside and show that Vitamin D-deprived skin some sunshine! You deserve a break from all your hard work. Plus, it’s so important to give yourself time to recharge.
Kick back with a cocktail and a juicy novel.
Go on a hike.
Take a road trip.
Do something that really floats your boat (if that involves an actual boat, even better!).
Second, be sure you’re nurturing your past customers. These are people who have already found you and shown interest in your business. If you continue engaging with them, they’re more likely to purchase from you again.
Other than that, there are a few things you can do to increase your traffic while preparing yourself for fall. (Because when the summer slump ends, you’ll want to be ready.)
1. Prepare for Trends
Yep, it pays to be trendy.
I’ve never been one to follow trends. (Except for the Pokemon craze back in the 90s – that was legit.)
But using trends to your advantage (especially ones that happen every year with certain seasons) can be huge for attracting attention to your products.
And according to Pinterest, people start searching for Halloween-related topics as early as August. So now is a perfect time to start planning your product variations and/or content for fall.
Here are some evergreen trends that, without fail, are super popular when autumn rolls around:
- Back to school
- Halloween
- Cozy home decor
- Fall travel getaways
- Natural health + wellness (we all feel like we need a reset after the craziness of summer!)
- Indoor activities + exercise
- Fall weddings
- Planning, organization, and journaling
- Party favors + decor
These are general topics, but depending on your niche, you can drill down to more specific trends. Use Pinterest to see what’s popular!
2. Refresh your Keywords
There’s never a bad time to boost your SEO juice.
If you have a website or sell on a platform like Etsy, your site can be crawled by Google’s search bots.
So make sure you’re using specific keywords that people are searching for. Use a free tool like UberSuggest to check the search volume for your keywords (and for more keyword ideas).
Use trending topics – like the ones above – to put a new spin on old products.
It’s best to use a mix of popular keywords (ex: enamel pin) and more niche-specific keywords (ex: pink flamingo pin).
Etsy search is another great way to check out competitors and see which keywords they’re using. But you should also try to come up with some unique ones on your own.
3. Double Down on Pinterest
I could talk about Pinterest all day (but don’t worry, I won’t!).
I will say this: not only is it an awesome place to find creative inspiration, but it’s also a huge traffic driver.
It’s just like Google, but more visual AND you can see results much faster.
If you’ve been on Pinterest for a little while, check your analytics to see which of your pins are most popular. Choose 3-5 of those, and create a new pin with a different design (colors, fonts, graphics, etc.).
This is a great way to re-energize your traffic without too much effort.
If you want to go further with Pinterest, here are some helpful blog posts you can peruse (hopefully while you’re soaking in that summer sun):
- 6 Steps to Set Up Your Pinterest Profile to Get Found + Make Sales
- How to Use Tailwind for Pinterest: The Ultimate Strategy Guide (<—– this is huge if you want to schedule your pins instead of being on Pinterest 24/7!)
- 7 Steps to Harness the Power of Pinterest SEO
- How to Get Followers on Pinterest: 9 Proven Strategies
Cheers to enjoying your summer!
