August arrives and, almost automatically, many companies pull down the shutters online too. No posts, no newsletters, no new content. The logic seems sound: “everyone’s on holiday anyway, so I can be too.”
The problem is that it doesn’t work like that. While you’re at the beach, your potential customers keep searching on Google, scrolling social media and reading emails. And if they find your competitor active and you in total silence, guess who they’ll hire for their next project in September.
Staying visible online in August doesn’t mean working on the beach with your laptop. It means getting organised beforehand – and doing it well.
Schedule your posts before you leave: 30 minutes saves you a month
The golden rule of summer marketing is this: don’t improvise in August, plan in July. Before you go on holiday, spend half a day creating and scheduling social media content for the whole month. You don’t need brilliant ideas – a minimum frequency (even 2–3 posts a week) is enough to keep your profile active and keep feeding the algorithm.
If you don’t have the time or skills to do it, that’s exactly the kind of work we do for you at Graphx Studio, so you can really switch off.
The August newsletter: less content, more connection
Many people think August is the worst time to send a newsletter. In fact, it’s one of the times it gets read most, because people finally have time.
The key is to change register: forget formal announcements and aggressive promotions. August calls for a light touch. An effective summer newsletter can be:
– An informal hello wishing your readers a good holiday
– Useful, “evergreen” content (a tip, a guide, an in-depth piece)
– A sneak preview of what’s coming in September (launches, offers, news)
Always end with a soft call to action: don’t push for an immediate sale, but keep the conversation open. A line like “talk to you in September – in the meantime, write to us if you have any questions” makes customers feel looked after, not abandoned.
Google Business Profile: the mistake that costs customers every summer
There’s one detail almost no small business checks before August: the opening hours on Google Business Profile.
If your listing says “open” when you’re actually closed, a customer who calls and gets no answer will instantly move on to a competitor. If it says “closed for holidays” with no reopening date, you create uncertainty. And if you’ve never updated your listing since you created it, you’re losing customers every day, not just in August.
Before you leave, update your summer hours, add a post with your closing and reopening dates, and check that your phone number, website and address are correct. Five minutes that make all the difference.
An out-of-office reply that doesn’t make your company look abandoned
The “I’m out of the office” auto-reply is an underrated tool. Used badly, it conveys abandonment. Used well, it conveys professionalism. A good auto-reply doesn’t just say “I’m on holiday until the 25th”. It adds:
– Who to contact in an emergency (a colleague, a WhatsApp number)
– An exact return date
– A tone consistent with your brand
Customers expect longer response times in August – but not total silence. A well-written automatic reply turns your absence into a moment of customer care.
Evergreen content and “human” moments: August is perfect for both
There are two types of content that often get neglected during the hectic year, but that August is perfect for showcasing.
“Evergreen content” is articles, posts or videos that don’t go out of date. Have you published something valuable in recent months? August is the perfect time to give it new visibility without producing anything new. Recycle, repost, reposition.
“Behind-the-scenes” content, on the other hand, is those authentic summer moments: a story from your holiday spot, an informal team reel, a spontaneous moment that shows who you really are. It doesn’t need to be professional – in fact, the more genuine it is, the better it works. People follow people, not just brands. August is the perfect excuse to show the human side of your company.
August is managed in July. The secret to not dropping off the radar in August is simple: don’t wait until August to think about it. Spend the last weeks of July organising content, updating your online listings, scheduling communications and setting up automatic replies. Then enjoy your holiday knowing that your digital presence keeps working for you.
If you don’t know where to start, or don’t want to spend time on it, that’s what we’re here for. Contact us now for a free consultation: we’ll help you plan your summer communication so you can really switch off.
