There are marketing tasks you should do right now. Because, Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of busy tourist season and your business needs to be found by visitors.
You know the busy season is coming.
Tourists flood downtown, shops are busy, restaurants get slammed, and vacation rentals fill up.
And every year, business owners suddenly go from:
- “I should update my website…”
to
- “I barely have time to eat lunch…”
Once summer hits, marketing tasks usually drop to the bottom of the pile.
Right now – before Memorial Day hits – is an important marketing window for your business. It can make or break your whole year.
So, get on it before the summer season gets busy!
Update Your Google Business Profile + Website Information
Summer visitors have been planning their visit to northern Michigan.
Once they get here, they are about to search for:
- “Coffee shop with Wi-Fi in Petoskey”
- “Best breakfast in Harbor Springs”
- “Where can we rent kayaks in northern Michigan?”
- “Are there pet-friendly shops in Petoskey?”
- “Restaurants open right now with outdoor dining”
- “Things to do around Little Traverse Bay”
So, where does Google AI get the information to answer all these questions?
- Your Google Business Profile
- Your website pages – all of them
- Customer reviews on all profiles
- Photos on your profile and Google Images
- Your business hours
- The services list on Google Business Profile
- Posts you share on social media
You won’t get found by potential customers if your information is outdated, incomplete, or neglected.
All it takes is one afternoon, before summer gets busy.
You can do the most effective marketing tasks in a few hours, really!
Summer Checklist for Marketing Tasks
1. Update Your Summer Business Hours
This sounds silly, but it’s actually one of the biggest mistakes businesses make.
- Update your summer hours, holiday hours, any extended evening or Sunday hours, and special Memorial Day and 4th of July weekend schedules.
- Make sure hours match on your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook page, and Instagram bio.
Nothing frustrates tourists more than driving to a business whose hours online say they’re open but that business is actually closed.
2. Add Fresh Photos to Google Business Profile
Google loves fresh activity. So do your customers.
Because tourists often decide where to visit based on photos they find.
Adding fresh images of your storefront, new summer inventory, outdoor seating, team photos, lakes views, and menu offerings help your visibility.
3. Does Your Website Work Perfectly on Mobile?
More people are visiting your website from their mobile devices.
They’re searching from their cars, hotel rooms, the beach, campgrounds, or while they’re walking on the sidewalk downtown.
That means your mobile website is the first impression tourists are getting.
Is it a good one?
Open your website on your own phone and ask:
- Is your page text easy to read?
- Are buttons easy to click on with your thumb?
- Did your website load fast on your phone?
- Are your phone numbers linked for easy calling?
This is 2026. No one should ever have to pinch and zoom on their phone to view your website.
4. Add a Summer Greeting to Your Home Page
When we visit your website, make sure you tell us your business is open and ready for summer.
Need some ideas for Home page announcements?
- “Now Open Daily for Summer”
- “Book Your Summer Adventure”
- “Outdoor Patio Now Open”
- “New Summer Products Are Here”
Google needs to know you’re open and ready for business so they can rank you accordingly.
Remember, Google AI loves fresh, updated content.
5. Update Your Top 3 Most Important Pages
Add some fresh updates to your Home, Services, and Contact pages. These are the three most visited types of pages on your website.
And you don’t need to rewrite your whole website before summer.
Make sure your web page information is current, all keywords are natural, pricing is correct, phone numbers can be clicked on for quick calling, and there are location mentions in your content.
6. List the Right Services in Google Business Profile
The list of services you choose in your Google Business Profile is huge for local SEO.
To be effective, your list of services should be concise.
Some business owners think listing every service they find helps, but that’s where they’re wrong.
This is where less is more.
- Share only the services you want to be hired for.
- Take the time to describe what you do under each service.
Google uses your detailed list of Services to understand exactly what you do, and what you want to get hired for!
7. Create Social Media Posts in Advance
Create two posts for each week and schedule with Meta Business Manager (free to use with your Facebook and Instagram profiles).
You can use a third-party tool for scheduling, but these can be pricey, especially for as little as you might use it.
Scheduling two posts a week with great photos or graphics is better than disappearing for three months.
I wrote a blog post about “creating once and distributing everywhere” that can help speed this process along for you.
Marketing Strategy Tip: Create Once, Distribute Everywhere!
8. Don’t Wait Until You’re Busy
Once the season hits, customers come first.
That means marketing tasks and website updates slide to the bottom of the pile.
Right now is your preparation window.
Doing these easy marketing tasks now is a game changer for your business.
Quick Summer Marketing Tasks Checklist
Website
✔ Update summer hours
✔ Add fresh Home and Services page content
✔ Check mobile friendliness
✔ Add new staff and product photos
Google Business Profile
✔ Update summer and holiday hours
✔ Add new photos and videos
✔ Update Services with descriptions
✔ Create and schedule Google posts
Social Media
✔ Schedule a few posts ahead
✔ Update hours and bio information
✔ Get summer excitement started
Get the Buzz on Your Marketing Tasks
You might think marketing means creating new content constantly… and daily.
That’s not true.
The smartest marketing move you can make right now is updating your business information online.
Because when tourists search, you want Google to show that your business is open, active, trusted, and ready for summer.
Marcie Wolf, Your Northern Michigan SEO Expert
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