With the Northern Hemisphere now fully immersed in summer, most of us are dreaming about tropical beaches and other outdoor getaways. But for those marketers that remain at the office, it is important to keep audiences engaged while they may be distracted by thoughts of other activities. It is actually a great time to take advantage of the real and predictable changes in the way consumers think during the summer – even if you are not a seasonal business.

Here are a five ways you can use seasonal marketing to reach your audiences in the summer and keep your momentum going.

1. Create special seasonal promotions and summer events

Try to tie in with some summer holidays such as the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day (or even Bastille Day if you want to be international). Keep the messages you convey relevant to your brand identity and activity, but everyone likes a little fun in the sun. If you do it right, you’ll create some buzz and increase traffic to your website.

2. Optimize your website for mobile devices

When many people are away on holiday, their phone may be the only connection to the internet they bring with them. So be sure to optimize your seasonal marketing campaign to the fact that audiences are using a smartphone to find directions, search for restaurants, and find other activities to do.

3. Use summertime SEO keywords

Targeting specific seasonal keywords is a great way to better your ranking on search engines and attract more people to your landing pages.

4. Sponsor or participate in a local event

The warm and sunny weather during summer encourages a period of time that is particularly full with different events and activities that businesses can participate in. Maintaining a visible presence at these gatherings boosts brand awareness, customer mindshare and company visibility. The most difficult part is choosing which event makes the most sense for your business in terms of return on investment and alignment with the company mission and image.

5. Keep up with social media

Finally, it is important to boost social media efforts as a company’s activity might naturally decline a little during this period with people taking time off and focusing on other projects. By maintaining or even increasing your social media activities during the summer, you can further stand out from the competition and continue to grow your influence and expertise. Keep posting high quality, relevant content and you’ll see your follower engagement soar.

By anticipating the predictable changes of the human experience during the summer, you can ensure your seasonal marketing efforts keep their momentum and effectiveness.  Adapting your communications to maintain awareness and mindshare will help you reach your audience in fun new ways during the summer.