Just because you’re a seasonal outdoor brand, the off season doesn’t have to mean bad news. 

We’ve compiled a list of some ways to keep your brand generating conversation, even when sales may not be flying off the charts.

What is a Seasonal Brand?

To define it simply, a seasonal brand adapts to seasons or times throughout the year, whether through the products it sells or the way it markets and interacts with customers.

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Many seasonal brands, especially within the outdoor industry, may see a surge or decrease in sales depending on the time of year. A ski resort, for example, oversees far more visitors and operations during the winter season than in comparison to summer months. 

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While the term ‘season’ in seasonal branding can apply to the winter, fall, spring, and summer months, it really refers to any time during the year around which a campaign runs. Some other examples include:

• Back to School
• Winter Holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.)
• Black Friday/Cyber Monday
• and even the Super Bowl!

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Tips to Stay Relevant in the Off Season

While the high season of business can bring remarkable success, this leads us to the big question: how can outdoor brands stay relevant during the off season?

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Below, you’ll find a list of tips that can distinguish your outdoor brand during typically slow seasons.

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Plan Accordingly 

As simple as it may seem, having a plan makes a big difference in whether or not your outdoor brand can sustain itself during the off season. Think about your marketing strategy as a whole process, and strategically plan and disperse content. Your busy and slow season will generate different amounts and demographics of traffic, so make sure your budgeting and advertising resources account for and reflect these differences. 

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Just because something is compelling during one season doesn’t mean it will translate well throughout the rest of the year, but it doesn’t mean you need to stop or halt all strategies.

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Instead of promotional messaging pushing products during the off-season, consider creating content that is valuable year-round to your target audience. Suppose your brand is focused on snowboarding, for example. In that case, you can write SEO-optimized blogs about how to practice skills at home or even about the industry, which isn’t limited–or even related– to the winter months.

Rely on Data

As we mentioned earlier, the off and on seasons can produce very different results regarding the audience interacting with your outdoor brand. So while your resources and budgeting should accommodate for lower traffic, the off-season can still provide lots of important information about potential customers, which you can use to your brand’s advantage. 

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Collecting data during the off-season can give you ideas for the target demographics of the next campaign, as well as which users are most likely to interact with your site. Avoid making assumptions about the types of customers you think your brand loses or attracts with each season, and get the numbers instead.

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Maintain (and Grow) your Social Presence

Just because your outdoor brand’s product might not be everyone’s top-of-mind during the off-season doesn’t mean it can’t still generate conversation. The off season presents an excellent opportunity to connect with your customers and strengthen the brand’s identity. As we discussed, creating valuable content is essential for a successful social media strategy. 

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With so many social media platforms available, think about your goals during the off-season, where your brand might perform the best, and the style of media you prefer. Whether recognized or not, there are probably many existing content opportunities. Even something like behind-the-scenes footage from a product shoot could become a captivating TikTok with some editing.

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Like any marketing strategy, a social media campaign should be well thought out and create a connection with the audience.

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As an outdoor brand, there are many ways to share exciting audio, photo, and video content that could also create opportunities for others to recognize your brand.

Conclusion 

Despite the challenges, it is certainly possible to remain relevant as an outdoor brand during the off season. By planning accordingly, collecting reliable data, and implementing a solid social media presence, you vastly increase the chances of creating conversation and loyalty surrounding your brand.

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