Spring Ahead in Marketing While You Still Have Time

What time is it? It’s crunch time!

In marketing land, like wondering if the groundhog will see its shadow, we’ve got 6 more weeks (really 5!) of real time, best case scenario, before the world takes solace in ‘summer vacations’. It is not that working over the summer is impossible, in fact some very important work can occur during this historical ‘downtime’, it is just incredibly difficult to string together a series of live meetings during the July/August months as professionals often have staggered schedules and less ‘availability’. To make the most of your travel budget and time away from the office, take advantage of this active window and get out there! The last two weeks of May (skipping Memorial Day Weekend) and the month of June are prime time for active marketing .

What can you do to maximize this critical window, post ‘tax time’ and Q1 reporting?

1. Check Out the Conference Circuit

There are several major players hosting conferences over the months of May and June. Identify these forums and whether it is too late to jump on any last-minute events (perhaps at deep discounts if they aren’t sold out). If you have missed them and can’t get in, but potential prospects are coming to your area to attend a local event, perhaps there are some prospects you could encourage to visit your offices while they are in town? Additionally, these organizer’s websites often list the agendas, speakers and sometimes ‘past’ attendees, which are great sources of data if you are seeking information on whose who in a particular space.

2. Identify 2-4 Key Locations to Visit

May and June are traditionally solid meeting windows for research professionals and lovely times to travel. Before the kids get out of school for the summer and families leave for summer cottages, schedule a visit to 2-4 key locations and look to maximize your agenda while you are in town, expanding your reach beyond the ‘known’ audience to an additional outreach list of local RIAs, family offices and endowments & foundations, depending on your product or service.

Related: 4 Rules for Defining Target Markets and Managing Prospects

3. Get Active

Pick up the phone, touch base, provide strong commentary regarding how the firm faired in Q1. Certainly, coming off the heels of a challenging Q4 for most, Q1 2019 was a positive quarter to discuss for most. Get out there with your message. Don’t forget to provide a ‘Look Ahead’ as well; where does the firm see the market going through the remainder of 2019? Keep it short, to the point, and value-added in meaningful content. Be sure to provide an update to your entire CRM and utilize this time, when many are in the office, to touch base. It is a rare window that will not return until next fall.