Whether you’re caught off guard by a dip in sales during the holidays or the sound of crickets chirping during a heat wave…slowing down kind of sucks, doesn’t it?

But don’t panic — it happens to everyone, regardless of industry or how many years you’ve been doing it. Slow seasons can be a gift because they give way to the perfect opportunities to get shit done (finally!).

And while you could do anything with all that spare time, we want to make sure you’re doing the right things. So instead of staring at your brand kit on Canva and giving your graphic designer a heart attack by changing it for the fifth time this year…

…Why not invest your time and energy into doing something productive for your biz?

Not sure what you should do? Don’t worry — we made a checklist for when business is slow. Let’s get to it! 

Checklist Item #1: Make sure your content is accessible

Your content — any content — should be accessible. It’s just the right thing to do. Everyone deserves the ability to consume content easily and comfortably. (Now whether or not they like or enjoy that content is a different story. You know what they say about opinions…)

So how do you do this? Well, if you’ve never given your content a sweep to make sure things are accessible, start with this checklist: 

• Use alt text to describe your images, whether that’s on your websites, in your emails, or on social media. 
• Keep your emojis in check. Text-to-speech readers will describe emojis out loud, or skip them entirely if they can’t “read” them. So please, don’t use emojis to replace words or use them unnecessarily! 
• Contrasting colors aren’t just for the aesthetics! Make sure whatever you use, on whatever medium, contrasts enough to be seen. 
• Use Readable to check your content! It’ll evaluate the reading level of your copy and point out any misspelled words. Not to be a spelling snob, but because misspelled words can cause problems for screen readers. 

Don’t make the user experience more difficult than it has to be. This literally won’t take you long to check and is a good thing to put into practice anyway. Ya know…basic human decency and such.

Checklist Item #2: Update your evergreen content

The end of the year is the perfect time to give your content some much-needed TLC, specifically your evergreen content. 

When you launch, you’re likely paying attention to all the little details and updating your content accordingly. It’s pretty easy to spot places that need some fixin’. 

But it’s easy to forget about your evergreen content since you may only touch it once in a blue moon with the occasional update. And even then, it’s easy to miss things since you’re likely only making edits to bits and pieces of that content.

That’s why we suggest taking some time to check your evergreen content with a fine-toothed comb. Look for things like: 

• Dates that need to be updated
• Any changes in key information
• Name changes (like referencing a person, offer, article, etc.)
• Updating your brand voice to reflect where it currently stands (usually applies to updates more than two-ish years old, but still helpful to look for)
• Hyperlinks that need to be changed or updated
• Update CTAs to reflect your current offer stack

Checklist Item #3: Repurpose top-performing content into other formats

We’re big fans of repurposing content. HUGE. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to! 

So now would be a great time to assess your stock of content to see what, if anything, can be given a fresh take. This could be your blogs, podcasts, emails, social posts, etc.

Because repurposing content not only makes things easier on you, but also helps drive home messaging about your products and offers, reinstates brand awareness, and keeps the people informed!

Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Turn a podcast episode into an email and ask people to respond with their thoughts on the matter (great for engagement!)
• Turn a blog post into an email series or social series (great for proving that value-packed content!)
• Use old YouTube videos for inspo for next month’s social media content plan (great if you wanna gear up to talk about one of your offers!)

Checklist Item #4: Get a head start for the upcoming year

And of course, take some time to get situated for the upcoming year. I know making resolutions or journaling or whatever sounds cheesy to some — hi me, I’m some — but this is WAY better! Why?

Because this is the time to make goals with an action plan!

Didn’t start that podcast? Forgot to rework your launch copy for an upcoming sale? Totally fine — 2024 is THE YEAR. 

But how will you make it happen? 

Make. a. plan. 

You don’t have to stick to said plan, but mapping it out NOW keeps you from being overwhelmed when you’re back online. There will be emails to sort through, tasks to assign, things to write, and ideas to noodle on.

But when you have a vision laid out, you can kick things off with a clear head. And I dunno about you, but a clear head always leaves me room to do my BEST work!

Need help in the new year?

If you get to the end of all your new year calibrations and think… “Gee, I could REALLY use some help with my content and copy.” Then boy, do we have a solution for you!

Want a team that can nail your voice? Check. Want your content delivered on time? Check. Don’t want to hire 14 different contractors to write, proofread, design, and schedule it? Check again!

We eat, sleep, and breathe what we do because we want it to be the best it can be. 

JK — we really value balance. BUT we are passionate about what we offer and how we do it. So you can rest assured that you’ve got a ride-or-die by your side as you launch a new offer or just post weekly on Instagram. 

Learn more about working with us on retainer here!