Your Off-Season Strategy Starts Now (Even if You’re Still in Summer Mode)
If your business is one that slows down in the fall, NOW is the time to get ahead!
While August is still full of busy days, late nights and long customer lineups, if you can carve out even a little time now to plan for your slower months, you’ll be set up for a more successful off-season! You won’t have that mid-October “uh-oh” moment when things suddenly go quiet, either.
Instead, you’ll already have content ready, a plan in place, and ways to keep revenue coming in even when foot traffic slows.
Here are 3 ways to start your off-season strategy now, while you’re still riding the summer momentum.
Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises does a great job collecting content on each of their cruises, which will be easy to re-use in the slow season!
1. Build Your Fall Content Bank
Right now, while everything is busy, it is the perfect time to start collecting content to post in the Fall!
Your camera roll is full of product photos, happy customers, market days, event setups, and behind-the-scenes moments. Start thinking about what kind of content works well in the off-season and plan to capture it now so you don’t regret it later.
Ask yourself:
What do I want to talk about this fall?
What questions do customers always ask around the holidays?
Can I reuse summer content in a different context?
How to start today:
Open up a notes app and write 4–6 captions answering your most common customer questions.
Save your best photos into a “Fall Content” folder so they’re easy to grab.
Record B-roll now (like walking through your shop or packaging orders) for quick Reels later.
Putting a few hours of content capturing and organizing it now will save you hours in the long run!
2. Refresh Your Email Marketing
If you have an email list, it’s one of your most powerful off-season tools because it doesn’t depend on algorithms.
In the busy season, it’s easy to let it slide, but don’t let it go too long without emailing your list!
Even a simple “Hey, here’s what’s happening” keeps you in people’s minds.
Things to do now:
Clean your list (remove inactive subscribers).
Send a “Thanks for a great summer” note with photos, highlights, or stories from the season.
Plan a simple fall or holiday campaign (gift guide, limited-time offer, early booking bonus).
No list yet? Start one now! Even a basic opt-in form on your website or link in your Instagram bio can grow your audience.
That way, when the slower season hits, you can still reach your most loyal customers directly.
The Intervale has been sharing their updates with beautiful photos of the property, including the new addition of their 3-season sun room.
3. Develop an Evergreen Offer
The off-season doesn’t have to mean zero sales. What could you sell year-round that doesn’t depend on seasonal traffic?
Think about:
Gift cards (perfect for holiday gifting, even if your season is over)
Digital downloads (guides, templates, recipes, how-tos)
Workshops or consulting (in-person or virtual)
Private shopping or appointments
Custom orders (that you can fulfill even when your main shop is closed)
These “evergreen” offers keep money coming in long after your busiest months.
The off-season doesn’t have to mean that your momentum comes to a screeching halt!
In fact, your slower months can be your most strategic ones. This is the time when you finally get to work on the things you “never have time for” in the summer:
Creating content that tells your brand story
Building stronger relationships with your audience
Testing new ideas without the chaos of peak season
Setting up systems so next summer runs even smoother
The off-season is the time when seasonal businesses have the most time and energy to put toward their marketing, but often don’t plan ahead enough to have captured the content to go with your posts.
Instead of scrambling this year, aim to be ready to go with all the content you’ve been capturing all summer long.
Every photo you save, every caption you write, every offer you launch now is a seed that can grow into more sales, more customers, and more opportunities in the future.
If you’re a seasonal business or tourism operator in Nova Scotia and you want help building your off-season marketing plan, I’d love to help you stay visible (and profitable) year-round. 📩 Email kerra@kasocialmedia.ca to get started.