Summer 2018 is in full swing, people! Summer is often seen as a time to relax, but there is no off-time in marketing. It’s important to have consistent branding and marketing efforts put in place year round. Summer is a key time for influential marketing techniques because everyone has the same “vacation” mindset, meaning you may have less competition. Do not lose momentum and risk missed opportunities.
Here are some strategies that can help you get the ball rolling this summer:
Host an event, maybe outdoors.
If you can stand being outside, host a cookout, “staycation,” or a sidewalk sale for your customers. Who doesn’t love FREE stuff? This is a great way to spend time with your customers and provide them with a memorable experience. ALSO, the more relevant to your business, the better. Make the event worth your customer’s time so they can spread the word.
Spend time updating your website and creating content.
There is usually a lot of downtime in the summer, even at work. Why not take this free time as an opportunity to update your company website or draft posts for the future? This way, you are using your time effectively. You can also keep this in your back pocket for when content creation is slow. Use this time to get a head start on planning an event or campaign coming up in the near future. Don’t forget to post a lot of pictures for your brand’s social media during the summer – think sunshine, smiling faces, bright colors, the outdoors. Make valuable use of the summertime!
Follow local events.
Get involved in your community! Take advantage of places that will attract crowds, whether it be a recreational area, festival, local shopping mall, or farmers market. Go where your customers are this summer.
Keep up with holidays that can inspire your marketing campaigns.
There are SO many quirky and fun holidays to latch onto that will allow your company to create a very unique and fun campaign. Check out some of the usual holidays that occur during the summer, followed by some unique holidays that you can mix in!
Usual holidays in 2018:
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 13 – Mother’s Day
May 28 – Memorial Day
June 17 – Father’s Day
July 4 – Independence Day
Quirky holidays in 2018:
May 15 – National Wine Day
June 8 – Best Friends Day
June 14 – Flag Day
June 21 – Summer Solstice
July 11 – National Mojito Day
July 15 – National Ice Cream Day
July 22 – National Hammock Day
July 27 – Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day
August 4 – National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
August 10 – National S’mores Day
August 13 – Left-Handers Day
Introduce summer sales or themed promos.
Tap into the fun summer your customers are having by hosting a social media vacation photo contest (keep in mind the social media contest rules from our earlier post)! You can also host a scavenger hunt around your town to get your customers involved with your brand. Another idea is to introduce hot weather promotional items, including koozies, fans, t-shirts, water bottles, etc. with your company’s logo on it. This way, your customers will think of you while they’re trying to keep cool this summer. You can also hold temperature-related sales; every degree the temperature rises past a certain number, they get an additional discount. This is a fun way to encourage people to visit your company or store, even in the sweltering heat.
Looking for more ways to spread your brand influence this summer? Our POTENZA marketing experts can help!
– Molly Little, Summer Marketing Intern