Summer Sales Sizzling or Fizzling? Let's Throw Some Lighter Fluid on Those Smoldering Coals
June 28, 2005 - By John M. Bomarito

Michigan small business owners know that summertime provides different opportunities, depending on their location. Businesses serving our beautiful resort communities look forward to lots of seasonal visitors spending money on accommodations, meals, golf, boating, fuel and entertainment.

However, those of us located in certain southeast Michigan communities have come to dread those first two weeks in July known as "GM Summer Shutdown". This regional affliction, caused by GM requiring that all of its employees take their two-week vacation at the same time, can result in some areas experiencing a temporary 30% drop in the population -great for traffic but bad for business. Worse yet, since momentum works both positively & negatively, often this slow down can seem to last all the way through Labor Day.

So what's an entrepreneur to do?

1. Shut down the store & go on vacation too. What the heck, the Europeans do it. See you in September baby!
2. Complain to all of the other business owners in the plaza and "hope" that things get better next month. Misery loves company.
3. Keep the store open but eliminate your advertising and promotions budget. After all, no one is going to come in anyway. May as well keep the lights on so no one robs the place. Besides, someone might stop in to window shop or ask for directions.
4. Differentiate yourself from your competitors by adapting innovative marketing concepts meant to appeal to the 70% of the population that could not afford to go "up north" but are still looking for some family entertainment.

Assuming you answered #4 from above, let's look at some ideas. You can scale the scope of any of these concepts to your specific needs. But a wise creative director once advised me that when it comes to motivating consumers to action, go big or go home.

For businesses with a retail location, consider these crowd- building event thought starters:

For businesses without a retail presence, you can still leverage the entertainment factor, just take the event to your customers: The first x-number of callers, get a free family pass or tickets to one of these great Michigan family attractions all within a couple of hours drive:

Once you have your event idea formulated, the next step is to create the promotional campaign via press releases, advertising and in-store promotions. Use multiple communication channels (PR, direct mail, newspaper, internet, radio, TV etc), since Michiganders don't stay still for very long, during our all too short summers. This is your invitation to the big party. So don't skimp on the invitations. Even if some consumers don't attend, you still get the benefit of being associated with the event.

To create an impression that lasts beyond the event, work with a local promotions supplier to provide give away items consistent with the event theme featuring your logo and message. For example, custom label water bottles are an easy and inexpensive way to build awareness and your brand image in the community -everyone needs water on a hot summer day.

If you need assistance developing these concepts or one of your own, contact one of the great resources on the michigansmallbiz.com web site. You will find them highly creative and eager to help.

Summertime in Michigan can be fleeting. Have some fun and try something new. Before you know it, we will be bundling up again and wondering why it's dark at 5:00 in the evening.

John Bomarito has over 20-years of marketing experience and owns Money Mailer of North Macomb. John can be reached at 586-726-0297 or jbomarito@moneymailer.com. You can also visit his web site at www.moneymailer.com/macomb

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