4 Power Moves to Make Your Q4 Sing

By some miracle of what feels like twisting of the time/space continuum, we find ourselves once more in the final quarter of the calendar year 2022 (I swear it was just April!).

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, Fall always brings a cold breeze, fireplace weather, and the chance to bring back those fabulous scarves you tucked in the closet last spring.

I love the Fall in the business cycle, because it always brings some concrete opportunities for both targeted marketing, and sales that benefit your customers’ tax and budget cycles.

4 Power Moves to Make Your Q4 Sing

Focus and planning will make your Q4 the most fruitful. Here are four moves that could make the last season of the year your strongest yet:

1. Market to the Season
The last quarter of the year is filled with both holidays and holiday sales. Evaluate which holidays and retail sale days line up with your ideal customers and create some special campaigns or promotions.

Junction created a comprehensive list of global and retail holidays for 2022 at this link:
https://junction.cj.com/article/2022-global-holiday-and-retail-event-calendar-must-know-dates

Buffer gives an example of how to create campaigns around select holidays:
https://buffer.com/resources/q4-content-calendar/

Your Power Move:

With this information, look at ways you can package your products or services in specific bundles (gift boxes, gift certificates, etc) that will appeal to what people are shopping for in the last quarter of the year.

2. Remember budget cycles and tax write-offs

If you have a professional services business, it is likely your clients and potential clients have one of two things going on:

-In Business to Business (B2B) environments, many companies have a “use or lose” budget cycle. This means they must spend the money by the end of the year, or lose it entirely.

-In Business to Consumer (B2C) environments, many small businesses and solopreneurs are looking for tax deductions at the end of the year so they reduce their tax liability.

Your Power Move:

In early October (like, this week!) approach current or past clients and check in to see if they have any projects they need to get done by the end of the year.

To a B2B client, this could look like:

“Hi Rodrigo! When we spoke in March, you mentioned your department had budgeted for a team offsite. Are you still interested in getting this done? If so, let me know! I am sure we can make it work before the end of the year.”

To a B2C client, this could look like:

“Hi Suzanne! We talked about you starting a coaching engagement this Fall. I have a few spots left, and if you make payment before the end of this year, you get the added benefit of a tax write off for my services.”

3. Ask the busy folks if you can help

If you have taken time to develop a strong network, you will likely know peers, colleagues and even clients who are extremely busy right now (no matter what is going on in the economy, there are always people who are in a growth stage and need help).

Your Power Move:

Scan your list of clients, peers and partners.

Identify those who may need some extra help and craft a simple email outreach like:

“Joe, I remember last time I saw you, you were stressing about producing your big event in November. I have some free blocks this month, so if you want me to jump in and create the social media posts for the conference, let me know and I can take care of it.”

or

“Nadia, I know you are doing the PR for a bunch of new authors this month. If I can support you in any way by crafting press releases, doing media outreach or creating book launch schedules, just let me know!”

4. Create a “while you were sleeping” service over the holidays

If you normally work when others are taking time off, it could be a great opportunity to take care of something for a client when they are not working, so they can come back from the holidays with a big gift of important things completed.

A few ideas for “done for you” types of services that don’t require huge back-and-forth with a client:

-Clean and organize their office (depending on your services and skills, you could coordinate repainting and flooring)
-Tighten up their tech stack and clean up their computers (updating operating systems, etc)
-Organize and index their working files (no more Dropbox or Google Drives that are out of control! ) Create a naming and indexing system that can be followed moving forward.
-Update the branding on disjointed marketing or product collateral
-Set up a brand new Notion board (my obsession!)
-Set up learning portals for their online classes (using tools like Kajabi or LearnWorlds)
-Write or re-write email marketing sequences
-Researching events for your clients to speak at next year

Given your offerings and ideal clients, use your imagination for things you could take care of for your clients during the slow time of the year that would make their life easier, more efficient or more enjoyable.

Whatever you do, don’t give up

Not everyone will respond to your end of year promotions or services.

But they will notice that you are proactive, supportive and engaged.

Seeds planted in Q4 may come to fruition in another quarter in the new year.

Tiny Marketing Actions are rarely wasted. Trust the process and keep making power moves.

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If you want support with your Tiny Marketing Actions, check out my next cohort, which starts on October 12: https://maven.com/pamelaslim/tiny-marketing-actions