Most of the time we are swamped, so any time we have a slow day it’s a welcome relief. It can feel a bit odd, though, when you get to the office and there’s nothing urgent that needs to be done. What exactly are you supposed to do all day?
Slow days are an opportunity to catch up on some of those forgotten-about marketing tasks—the items that need to get done eventually but keep getting put on the back burner. They can often be accomplished in only an hour or two, but their impact can be huge. Here, we’ve narrowed down some of the top rainy day marketing tasks from Lawyerist.
- Catch up on an industry blog. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s subscribed to a blog and planned on reading it regularly, only to delete every “new post” email notification without opening it. No matter how interesting the blog is, reading industry news always seems to get pushed off in favor of more pressing tasks. Slow days are the perfect time to catch up on your reading.
- Make sure the external links on your website actually work. There’s nothing more frustrating than clicking a link only to find that it doesn’t lead anywhere. Plus, having broken links just looks unprofessional. At least twice a year, spend an hour or two clicking through the external links on your website to make sure they still take your clients to the right places.
- Thank your best clients—and not just in a quick email. Actually take the time to handwrite a note on nice stationery or a thank-you card. Sure, you probably thank your clients verbally and end emails with “thank you,” but a quiet afternoon is a great opportunity to show your gratitude in a more meaningful way.
- Beef up your online reviews. Most clients are happy to write a testimonial or give a rating on a review site like Yelp. They just need to be asked to do it. Send a quick note to the last few clients you represented and ask them to provide feedback on your preferred site. Just be careful not to lead their answers too much.
- Get feedback on your content. You’ve probably put a lot of time and thought into your content strategy (or at least, you should have). However, it’s easy to forget that you should be prioritizing content that readers want to read, and not necessarily content that you want to write. On slow days, check in with a few of your clients and ask them which topics they want to know more about.
- Draft a few social media posts. It’s easy to fall behind on social media, so take advantage of every window of time you have to prepare posts in advance. Round up some industry headlines, write a few posts about what’s going on around the office and find a handful of evergreen blog posts to republish. In just a few minutes you can fill up a week’s worth of posts.
- Update your website bio. It’s amazing how quickly bios become out of date—and how quickly they slip out of our minds. When you have 15 minutes on a quiet day, give your bio a once-over and update any inaccurate or old information.