Summer is a notoriously slow sales period for the adult entertainment industry, but that’s no reason to give up on your bottom line. With a bit of tweaking, marketing methods you’re already using may be able to help you turn a sales slowdown into a profit uptick.

Websites

Have you audited your website(s) lately? If not, summer is an excellent time to do so. What’s working, and what’s out of date?

Even if nothing’s “wrong” with a site, try changing a few graphic elements just for the hell of it. Just like when redecorating a house or apartment, a few splashes of bright color or simply moving a picture from Spot A to Spot B can reinvigorate tired decor. As for content, try dusting the cobwebs off some archived content and give it a place of honor out front. Depending upon the longevity of your customer base, “old” content may be new to many of them.

Whatever else you do, ensure the site’s mobile compatibility is keeping up with rapidly shifting best practices. According to Google, more than 90 percent of search queries originate on mobile devices, and recent research from Dialpad indicated 81 percent of office workers spend fewer than 40 hours per week at their desks. If you haven’t already, adopt a “mobile-first mentality,” meaning design your site with mobile users in mind. Trust us, desktop users will follow along.

While you’re adjusting other aspects of the website, simplify the calls to action, too. Do you really need 10 of them on the homepage? Viewers feel pestered when there’s another invitation to join in every chunk of type or graphic element. Thin the herd. Play with placement, wording, etc., but try to hold the CTAs to three, max, and check server stats to see how that affects conversions.

Email

Don’t give up your email campaigns during slow periods, even though the click-through rate may be dismal. Email marketing works extremely well during downturns, if for no other reason than it keeps your brand at the top of consumers’ minds.

This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s actually more beneficial to send fewer emails when your business hits a lull. In summer, your customers may be busier than usual due to increased family and work obligations. If they’re not buying, hitting them with more sales pitches likely won’t change their behavior. At most, stick to your regular campaign schedule. Use eye-catching graphics and keep messages short. The CTA should constitute a soft-sell — more like a kiss on the cheek than a baseball bat upside the head.

Summer is a great time to tease upcoming special promotions or solicit consumer input. Contests work well, too.

Social media

Whether working or playing, consumers spend a lot of time on social media. Reevaluate your social media presence; amplify what’s working and jettison what isn’t. Try something new. Leverage social media to draw attention to your website — or even mailing list — with clever, interactive promotions. Slow periods also are a perfect time to solicit consumer input, and social media is a perfect medium for that kind of interaction.

Image © Alekss.