Is your business experiencing a summer time slump? Traditionally only industries related to travel enjoy a boost in business during the warmer months. The rest of us tend to take vacations, clean up our desk and while away the time playing computer games while we wait for business to pick up.

Summer time can and should be a time when business owners prepare for the marketing they will do for the rest of the year and handle tasks they have been putting off when business is brisk.

Some of the marketing tasks that can be handled during the summer are:

1. Turn previously dead leads into sales. Contact everyone who expressed an interest in your product or services but did not follow through. They may have more time to consider your offers during the summer and you might be able to reach them more easily if their secretary is on vacation.
2. Create and begin to market that newsletter you always planned on starting.
3. Write a press release related to summer time activities and send it to appropriate newspapers both on-line and off-line.
4. Ask a few business associates to review and offer suggestions about your marketing materials. Update your materials to get them ready for the busier times ahead.

Next start getting ready for the future with the following tasks:

1. Write at least twelve articles related to your business and have them proofread and edited until they are polished. You will submit one article each month for the next year to appropriate publications.
2. Create a web site marketing plan. Research web site promotion on the internet and create a list of items that you can work on for the next several months.
3. Develop several contests for your web site visitors and newsletter subscribers that you can run regularly during the year. Prepare advertising text, rules and decide on prizes.
4. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce and offer to speak at a fall or winter event. Write your speech and practice it until you feel comfortable working without notes.
5. Research and budget for e-zine and newsletter advertising for the next twelve months. Set up a tickler file to remind you when to submit and pay for your ads.

Grab a glass of lemonade and get started on using the summer months to your advantage. Implement just a few of the ideas in this article every summer and watch your sales soar all year round!