Seasonal business: what to post in the off-season

In the off-season, post less often, but do not go silent. One or two posts a week about your preparations, your people and the date you reopen keep you in the feed of the customers who will come back. A seasonal business does not lose its followers in the quiet months. It loses their attention, and that is much cheaper to keep than to win back.

Why silence costs more than it seems

When Buffer analyzed 2.1 million Instagram posts, it found that in weeks with no posts at all, accounts grew more slowly than they usually did. Its own advice was that the best posting schedule is the one you can keep up consistently. For a seasonal business that means a lighter rhythm, not a pause button. An ice cream stand that disappears in October and reappears in May starts the season talking to people who have half forgotten it.

A quiet-season rhythm

The middle is where most seasonal businesses go quiet. It is also the easiest stretch to plan, because nothing urgent is happening.

Twelve ideas for the quiet months

1. The season in numbers you actually counted: cones scooped, trees planted, boats launched.
2. A thank-you to your team, with a photo of everyone on the last day.
3. Behind the scenes of the off-season: repainting, repairs, new equipment arriving.
4. The story of how you started, told in one photo and three sentences.
5. A tip from your trade that customers can use at home in winter.
6. What you are testing for next season: a new flavor, a new route, a new service.
7. A question to your followers: what should come back, what should change.
8. Gift cards, if you sell them, before the holidays.
9. A local partner you work with or buy from.
10. An old photo from your first season, next to a new one.
11. Early-bird bookings or a waiting list for the first weekend.
12. The countdown: the reopening date, then one week, then tomorrow.

Keep your Google profile honest

Customers check your hours on Google before they drive anywhere. When you close for the season, update your hours on your Business Profile so nobody arrives at a locked door, and update them again before you reopen. If you have not looked at your profile in a while, start with what a Google Business Profile is and what goes on it. The same goes for a temporary closure in the middle of the season, which we covered in closed for weather: posts and Google updates that help.

The four weeks before you reopen

• Four weeks out: announce the date. One clear post, one story.
• Three weeks out: show what is new, with real photos of the work.
• Two weeks out: open bookings, pre-orders or the waiting list.
• The final week: a short countdown, your hours, and on the last day a photo of the door about to open.

If you only manage one thing from this list, make it the date announcement. It is the post people save and share with the friend they plan to come with.

How we handle seasonal businesses

Two options exist for exactly this. A Pause keeps your account with us and a little life on your feed for $15 a month, with 2 posts. A seasonal year lets you pay for your plan only in the months you choose, from 3 to 9 of them, while the other months still get 4 posts free. If you enjoy posting in the quiet months yourself, the list above is all you need. If you would rather not think about it until spring, see the plans on the pricing page.