Seasonal Buying Moments: How to Plan Coverage Without Guesswork

Most businesses are reactive. They wait for the phone to stop ringing before they ask, "Is it slow season?"

They wait for the first heatwave to launch their AC ads.

This is a failure of infrastructure. You cannot build a storm shelter while the tornado is hitting your house. You must build it when the sun is shining.

Seasonal Buying Moments require you to be a forecaster, not just a responder.

The 4 Seasons of Local Demand

1. The "Ramp Up" (Prevention)

• When: 30-60 days before the weather/event hits.
• Customer Mindset: "I want to avoid trouble."
• Buying Moments: "AC Tune up special", "Roof inspection before winter", "Tax prep early bird".
• Strategy: Low urgency, high offer. You need a discount to motivate them.

2. The "Peak" (Correction)

• When: The event is happening.
• Customer Mindset: "I have trouble right now."
• Buying Moments: "AC repair near me", "Emergency leak fix", "File taxes extension".
• Strategy: High urgency, low offer. Speed is the value.

3. The "Drop Off" (Opportunity)

• When: Immediately after the peak.
• Customer Mindset: "I survived, but that sucked."
• Buying Moments: "Replace old AC", "Gutter guards installation", "Bookkeeping for next year".
• Strategy: Replacement and upgrades.

4. The "Dead Zone" (Pivot)

• When: The off-season.
• Strategy: Pivot to a different service line entirely (e.g., Landscapers doing Christmas Lights).

How to Map Your Calendar

1. Analyze Historical Data

Look at your Call Rail or CRM data from last year.

• What week did call volume spike?
• What week did it crash?
• • Insight:* The "spike" is often 2 weeks earlier than you remember.

2. Google Trends Check

Go to Google Trends. Type in your main keywords. Set date range to "Past 5 years".

• Look for the consistent peaks.
• If "Furnace Repair" always peaks Nov 15th, you need your "Furnace" landing pages live and indexed by Oct 15th.

Budget Pacing

Do not spend $5,000/mo flat. That is inefficient.

• Jan-Mar (Slow): Spend $3,000. Focus on Brand and high-intent.
• Jun-Aug (Peak): Spend $7,000. Capture every single emergency lead.
• Result: Same annual spend, but aligned with revenue potential.

Verification Checklist

• Calendar Created: Do you have a physical or digital calendar marked with "Launch Date" for each campaign?
• Pages Ready: Are your seasonal pages (e.g., "Winterization") built and hidden, ready to be enabled?
• GMB Posts: Have you scheduled Google Business Profile posts to announce the season change?

Common Mistakes

[!CAUTION] The "Set It and Forget It" Ad Running an "AC Tune Up" ad in August is lighting money on fire. Nobody wants a tune-up when their house is 90 degrees. They want a repair. Change your copy to match the heat.

• Being Too Late: Starting Black Friday prep on Nov 1st. (You should start in September).
• Ignoring Weather: If a freak snowstorm hits in October, turn on the Winter ads that day. Don't wait for the calendar.

FAQ

Q: tailored ads are expensive. Can I just keep my general ads running? A: You can, but your Click Through Rate (CTR) will drop. "AC Repair" is okay. "Fast AC Repair for this Heatwave" is better. Relevance lowers cost.

Q: What do I do in the Dead Zone? A: Focus on "Nurture." Email your past customers. Offer low-priority upgrades. focus on Reviews and Case Studies. Build the assets you don't have time to build in summer.

Sources and References

1. Google Trends: Explore Data
2. ServiceTitan: The HVAC Seasonality Guide - Industry benchmarks for peak windows.

Changelog

• 2024-03-24: Initial publication.

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Read Next in This Hub:

• Buying Moment Map - Map the moments.
• Prioritizing Buying Moments - Allocate budget.

Related System:

• Buying Moment Coverage Solutions - Automated seasonality.