If you’re like most B2B marketers, you’re probably thinking of dialing down your lead generation efforts for the summer. But here’s the undeniable truth: no matter the time of the year, your pipeline, big or small, is what fuels your business. So while you may find yourself scaling back, you can’t put all marketing on pause. And since slow times are always followed by busier ones, why not use this time to sharpen your focus and stay ahead of the game? 
Here’s how, in 3 steps:
1. Review Your SEO Strategy
If the thought of doing a competitive analysis makes you shudder, don’t worry. You don’t have to completely overhaul your SEO to make a greater impact. Two main tasks can significantly boost your page rankings over time: - Research your keywords to ensure their validity and find untapped opportunities to introduce new key phrases. - Optimize your page titles and Meta descriptions to do at least one of the following:
- Align with the copy on the page, whether through current or new keywords and phrases
- Leverage your USP and/or differentiators
- Make benefit-rich statements that connect with prospects
- Make a strong call-to-action
2. Revise Your Website CopyWith a refreshed SEO strategy, move on to your website:
- Update your blog and social media. They’re great traffic boosters, but blogs tend to fall quickly through the cracks in busier times. The summer slump gives you the time to update your editorial calendar and brainstorm new ideas. When you have a calendar ready, compile relevant free images to dress up your blog and social media posts.
- Refresh your website photos, home page sliders and About Us staff photos. (Summer interns count too!)
- Give your complete contact information and share all your social media handles. Incomplete contact information is a major deterrent to buyers, so make sure yours figures prominently on your Contact Us page and throughout your website, whether in headers or footers.
- Check in on the competition. They may or may not be snoozing off the summer. Either way, it’s the perfect time to scope their website and identify what you can do better.
3. Audit Your Content for Gaps
Slow periods are perfect for auditing your content and finding opportunities to bridge any gaps. First, ask these questions:
- Does your content address each phase of your buying cycle, or lean heavily on one or two phases?
- Does it answer questions and address objections, or rest on fluffy, generic company accolades?
- Does your content engage, educate and entertain readers, or fall flat without a discernable voice?
- Is your lead generation bait enduring, or out of touch with today’s current market realities?
- Does your USP or value proposition figure prominently throughout your content, or sit inconspicuously on your About Us page?
Even this part needn’t be exhaustive. By enlisting other stakeholders to help, you’ll get a fresh perspective, with deeper insight into what’s not working well and how to make selling easier.
Summer is the ideal time to evaluate your marketing efforts and start shifting them accordingly. Follow these steps and start turning up the head on your lead generation. Before you know it, you’ll be armed and dangerous when fall kicks in.