Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Get Seasonal Marketing Wrong
I see it every single year.
August hits, the weather starts to warm up, and suddenly every pool builder from Chermside to Cleveland decides they need to be on the first page of Google tomorrow. Or it’s May, and air conditioning guys are panicking because the phone has stopped ringing, so they start throwing money at ads to try and save their winter.
Here is the blunt truth: If you wait until your busy season starts to worry about your online presence, you’ve already lost. You’re fighting for scraps with everyone else who waited until the last minute, and you’re likely paying a premium for the privilege.
At Local Marketing Group, we’ve worked with dozens of Brisbane businesses—from landscapers to boutique retailers—and the ones who make the most money aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones who understand that getting Google to trust you takes time.
If you want the phone to ring in December, you need to start talking to Google in June. This isn’t about some complex "strategy"; it’s about making sure your business is the obvious choice when your customers finally decide to pull the trigger.
Myth #1: "I should only spend money when people are looking"
This is the biggest mistake I see. Most small business owners think of Google like a light switch: turn it on when you need jobs, turn it off when you’re full.
Marketing doesn't work that way. If you only focus on your website when you’re desperate for work, you’re always going to be behind. Google likes consistency. It likes to see that you’re a reliable, active business in your local area all year round.
When you stop updating your site or ignore your online presence during the "off-season," you lose the momentum you built up. By the time you start trying again, your competitors who stayed active have taken your spot. This is a core part of how Australian business SEO actually works—it’s a long game, not a quick fix.
The Reality: Keeping a steady, smaller effort going year-round is cheaper and more effective than a massive, panicked push once a year.
Myth #2: "People aren't searching for me in the off-season"
Just because people aren't buying doesn't mean they aren't looking.
Think about a homeowner in Ascot planning a major kitchen renovation for the new year. They aren't going to start their research on January 1st. They’re looking at photos, reading reviews, and checking out local builders in October and November.
If your website only talks about "Christmas Specials," you’re missing the person who is ready to spend $80,000 in February.
To win these jobs, you need to answer customer questions before they even pick up the phone. If you provide the best information while they are in the research phase, who do you think they’re going to call when they’re ready to sign a contract?
How to Plan Your Year (Without Losing Your Mind)
Instead of stressing out every time the seasons change, follow this simple timeline. This is what I’d tell a mate if they asked me how to keep their crew busy all year.
1. The "Quiet" Season (4-6 Months Out)
This is when you do the heavy lifting. If you’re a tradie and winter is your slow time, this is when you should be adding new photos of your best work to your site. Write a few short articles about common problems your customers face.If you want to stand out on Google when the rush hits, you need to build your reputation now.
Action: Update your Google Business Profile with new photos every week. Action: Ask your happy customers for reviews while you have the time to follow up. Cost: Mostly your time, or a few hundred dollars a month for a pro to handle it.
2. The "Build Up" (2-3 Months Out)
Now you start talking about the upcoming season. If you’re a gardener, start talking about spring mulching in July. Why? Because it takes a few weeks for Google to see your new content and start showing it to people.By the time people start searching for "gardeners near me" in September, you’ve already been talking about it for two months. Google sees you as the authority.
Action: Add a page to your site specifically about your seasonal service. Action: Mention your upcoming availability so people know they need to book early. Outcome: You start getting enquiries before your competitors even wake up.
3. The "Peak" (The Rush)
If you’ve done the work in the previous stages, this part is easy. Your phone is ringing, and you’re likely booked out. This is where most people stop their marketing. Don't do that.Even when you’re flat out, keep taking photos. Keep grabbing five-star reviews. This is the fuel for your next quiet season.
The Real Cost of Waiting
I’ve seen Brisbane business owners spend $5,000 on emergency ads in one month because their leads dried up. Usually, those ads don't work as well as they should because the website looks like it hasn't been touched since 2015.
If that same business had spent $1,000 a month on a steady plan, they wouldn't have needed the emergency ads. They would have had a steady stream of people finding them naturally.
Waiting until you "need" customers is the most expensive way to run a business. It forces you into a position of weakness where you have to take whatever jobs come your way, often at lower prices, just to keep the lights on.
What Should You Do First?
You don't need to be a tech genius to get this right. Start with these three steps today:
1. Look at your calendar: When is your busiest month? Count back four months from there. That is your deadline to have your website ready. 2. Check your photos: Do you have recent photos of your work in Brisbane? People want to see that you’re active in their suburb. A photo of a job in Indooroopilly is worth more than a thousand words of marketing fluff. 3. Fix your contact info: Make sure your phone number is the first thing people see when they land on your site. If they have to hunt for a way to call you, they’ll just go back to Google and click the next guy.
Final Word of Advice
Most of what you read online about "SEO" makes it sound like magic or a secret code. It’s not. It’s just about being the most helpful, most visible business in your local area.
If you’re tired of the "feast or famine" cycle and want to actually grow your business, you need a plan that covers the whole year, not just the busy weeks.
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses stop guessing and start growing. We don't care about fancy reports; we care about how many times your phone rings. If you want a straight-talking partner to help you get more jobs, let’s have a chat.
Ready to get more phone calls? Contact Local Marketing Group today.