Winter can be a slower season for many service-based businesses – but that doesn’t mean you have to hibernate or start making cutbacks. In fact, it’s the perfect time to review your systems, boost visibility, and position yourself for the opportunities ahead. I’ve written this months blog to support you with 7 smart strategies to keep growing even when the forecast looks bleak.
1. Reconnect with your Existing Clients
Your current clients already know, like, and trust you – so start there. Reach out with a check-in call, a helpful seasonal offer, or even a simple thank you. Staying top-of-mind can lead to repeat work and valuable referrals. Relationships drive growth, especially when the market quietens down.
It’s also a great time to reconnect via email newsletters. But skip the hard sell – unless you’re in eCommerce. For service-based businesses, focus on sharing genuine value: project insights, practical tips, seasonal advice, or a behind-the-scenes look at a recent job. This kind of content keeps your business relevant, builds trust, and shows you’re still out there doing great work.
2. Audit and Refresh Your Website
Take advantage of the quieter season to give your website a proper health check – but here’s the key: view it through your customer’s eyes, not your own. You’ll likely see things very differently. Remember, you’re not selling to yourself!
Ask yourself: does the wording and imagery speak directly to your ideal clients? Does it focus on their needs, or is it all about you? A common mistake is writing from your own perspective instead of theirs. Updating your messaging to be more client-focused is one of the most powerful moves you can make – and it almost always leads to more enquiries.
3. Enhance Your Local SEO
With more people searching online than ever, local SEO is critical – especially with the current cost of living, customers really are doing their research. Optimising your website and online presence for local search ensures you’re visible and can be found quickly an easily online. Start by updating your Google Business Profile – check that your business hours, contact details, and services are accurate.
Bonus tip: Make sure your business name appears exactly the same across the web – including your Google Meta Title (that’s the large blue link that appears in search results), your Google Business Profile, and all your social media listings. Your Meta Title should also include your main key phrase e.g. “Smiths Plumbing: Commercial Plumbing Auckland”. This builds trust, improves rankings, and avoids confusion for Google and your customers.
4. Build a Google Review Strategy
Positive reviews build instant trust and help you stand out in a crowded market. Ask your happiest clients to leave a Google review and make it easy by sending a direct link. Better yet, bake review requests into your process – like sending an automatic follow-up after each job. Over time, those reviews build powerful social proof that feeds steady growth. And don’t forget to take the time to respond to all your reviews, even if there are bad ones as this presents an opportunity to show professionalism, your perspective and that you care about your clients and reputation!
5. Add Case Studies to Your Website
Case studies are pure gold – they show real results, build trust, and help attract more of the work you want. Use winter as your chance to capture photos of recent jobs, write up the challenges you solved, and share what made each project unique. Include a client testimonial if possible. Personal, user-focused content like this shows your value better than any sales pitch ever could. Here are a couple of great examples for some inspiration. D Lenssen Builders and SPS Painting.
6. Visit a Local Networking Group
People still do business with people they trust – and face-to-face conversations go a long way. Attending a local networking group puts you in front of potential collaborators, referrers, and even clients. It’s also a chance to sharpen your pitch, learn what others are doing, and gain fresh motivation during the slower months. It may feel a bit nerve wracking to step out of your comfort zone and into the unknown so an easy way is to ask your business friends for an invite to the group/s they attend. If you are a business located in Whangarei, I can share a bunch just let me know.
7. Learn a New Skill that fuels Business Growth
Whether it’s improving your quoting/tenders, learning basic video marketing, or diving into the numbers – upskilling during winter is a smart investment. Choose one area that will help your business grow and chip away at it. You don’t need to master everything – just making small, purposeful improvements can have a big impact over time. There are so many free courses available online or free tutorials on You Tube, let your curiosity get the better of you and find a skill that will help to grow your business online. If it’s website training then let us know and we can book you in.
Need a hand putting these ideas into action?
At Monster Creative we want to help service-based businesses turn their down seasons into growth seasons. From SEO support and branding to high-converting websites, our team of specialists can help you stand out and grow with confidence, through winter and beyond.
Let’s chat and see what smart moves we can make together.