If you own a business in Montana, you already know that tourism can have a huge impact on your business.
Summer brings packed restaurants, booked-out adventures, busy shops, and visitors looking for their next Montana experience. But here’s the catch: your marketing shouldn’t only work when the tourists do.
The key is learning how to market differently throughout the year.
Make the Most of Tourist Season
When tourism is booming, your social media should reflect it.
Think about what visitors are searching for: Where should we eat? What should we do? Where should we shop? What’s worth the drive? What’s a “must-do” while we’re here?
This is your opportunity to position your business as part of the Montana experience.
Showcase your best experiences, share beautiful photos and videos, highlight customer favorites, and create content that makes someone think, “We need to go there.”
And don’t forget about location. Using Montana-specific language, local hashtags, geotags, and partnerships with other local businesses can help put your business in front of people actively planning or enjoying their Montana trip.
But Don’t Forget the Locals
Here’s where year-round marketing comes in.
Once the summer crowds disappear, your audience doesn’t.
Montana has an incredible community of people who live here year-round, and they need to see your business too.
Instead of constantly promoting your business as a destination for tourists, shift your content to speak to locals. Highlight seasonal specials, community events, behind-the-scenes content, local partnerships, and reasons to visit during the quieter months.
Your summer audience might want an unforgettable vacation experience.
Your local audience might simply want their new favorite coffee shop, restaurant, boutique, or service provider.
Both audiences matter.
Use Every Season to Your Advantage
Montana gives businesses something many places don’t: four very distinct seasons with completely different experiences.
Summer lake days. Fall colors. Winter adventures. Spring events.
Each season gives you a fresh opportunity to create content and give people a reason to engage with your business.
The businesses that thrive year-round aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. They’re often the ones that understand how to stay relevant to the right audience at the right time.
That’s where strategic social media comes in.
At Montana Hidden Gems, we help local businesses get discovered by both the people visiting Montana and the people who call it home. From seasonal content to local storytelling, the goal is simple: keep your business visible, memorable, and worth discovering all year long.
Tourist season may bring the crowds.
But smart marketing keeps them coming back.
