The importance of maintenance marketing

​Is there any point in marketing right now? There’s so much confusion, frustration, uncertainty.
 
The answer is ‘yes’ but a different kind of marketing is needed.
 
I was thinking about this as I watched one of my favourite TV series. It’s sponsored by a travel company. Of course, they’d have booked the slots a long time ago but it initially seems like a waste of money, paying huge sums for sponsorship during Covid when none of us can go anywhere.
 
Or is it? The company is mentioned after every ad break and showcasess beautiful places overseas. That repetition means those images start to get lodged in the mind.

Now I can’t help but think of those locations and want to go there one day. I know I can’t do it now, but there’s nothing wrong with dreaming…
 
Even in a ‘normal’ year, many rural tourism businesses close or slow down for the winter. They often limit their social media and some stop sending out mailings.
 
This is a mistake: it means far more work to gear up for the next busy season.
 
Before anyone makes a booking or buys anything, they have to know about it. They have to understand what you have to offer, want what you offer. That all starts with awareness. Those TV ads work - even if only subconsciously - by raising awareness through repetition.
 
You might not be able to afford TV ads but you can use the same techniques. Social media and direct mail work in a similar way – micro messages and reminders that layer to raise awareness.
 
Social media works best when you have high engagement levels, with followers commenting, liking and sharing your posts. If you stop posting for a while, the algorithms mean that your posts won’t even be shown to everyone and your engagement will definitely dip. So you have to keep going. You might want to think about different kinds of message at different times of year.
 
I normally talk a lot about ‘calls to action’ and not forgetting to sell. This might not be the time for that though.
 
It’s more about ‘maintenance marketing’, just keeping people interested, helping them to dream and plan for later. Any marketing you do now is an investment for later.
 
So what sort of marketing can you do? What messages will work well right now?
 
Through all the fear, confusion and frustration, there’s one type of message or story that stands out. There’s one thing everyone wants: positive, upbeat, good news and anything that helps us feel better.
 
Some ideas for posts – keep them relevant to your business and your local area:

• Anything beautiful – images, words, music, films, whether it’s something you’ve created or by other people (don’t forget to credit them), recently or maybe in the past

 

• Seasonal details – every day there are so many changes and small beauties to delight

 

• Simple pleasures – anything that makes you smile or gives a moment’s happiness

 

• Good news stories – anything amusing, fun, or just lovely that’s happened to you or someone near you

 

• Share – look out for posts by people in your area and share their posts to build more local collaborations

 
Use this as opportunity to show without selling. You’ll reap the rewards later. People remember those who make them feel good.
 
Keep posting, keep communicating to maintain and raise awareness, be ready for better times.

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