How to Make the Most of Your Summer Marketing
Memorial Day is now behind us, and summer has officially started. For small business owners, that means transitioning from Spring to Summer marketing tactics. Tactics like how to send out a direct mail campaign from the beach… . Seriously, though, many business owners think marketing in the summer is a waste of time and resources. That’s not true—it’s actually a great time to reach out to prospects who may be feeling restless and up for something new. Here are three attention-getting tips for summer marketing that will customers in your doors.
Summer Marketing Ideas
1. Beat the Heat.
How hot is it going to get this summer? Get your customers rooting for a heat wave with a promo tied to the thermometer. You could offer a discount or some sort of giveaway whenever the temperature tops 100+—getting people into your store on those days when they’d usually stay at home. Or choose days that are often slow for you and hold a contest—whoever guesses how hot it’s going to get that day gets a prize. This is an especially good way to engage your clients via email marketing.
2. Embrace the holidays.
Sure, you can celebrate Independence Day or Labor Day, but why not get creative? Find a special summer holiday connected (no matter how loosely) to your business and have some fun with it. Holiday Insights provides a comprehensive list of unique holidays. For example, insurance companies can celebrate Insurance Awareness Day on June 28. Or find a fun holiday that has nothing to do with your business, such as National Ice Cream Day (July 17). You can give a free scoop to everyone that day, even if you don’t an ice cream shop—all you need is to find an ice cream rental place in your area that will provide the tools you need to pull this fun promotion off without a hitch. Or maybe you want to find a holiday that isn’t so messy, like International Joke Day on July 1.
3. Take advantage of someone else’s hard work.
Chances are there are tons of fun local events happening in your community. So why not build promotions around some of your favorites? Perhaps you offer a discount to someone who attends a community festival, with the stamp on their hand as proof. Or maybe you send them a stamp card—they go to three local events and get their card stamped and you give them a prize. There are as many fun opportunities as there are summer events in your area. You may even be able to partner with some of the people organizing the events to come up with a cool promotion.
The fact is, summer marketing can reap huge rewards, especially as more people opt for staycations rather than going out of town (meaning they’ll get your direct mail and they’ll be in town to take advantage of it).
What’s the best format for your summer marketing promotions? We suggest sending a campaign to your email list or sending out an over-sized postcard to a targeted direct mail list—or both. In both cases, find some fun, bold images that will make your prospect grin because for the best results, your summer marketing pieces should feel carefree and fun.
What are some of the best summer promos you’ve used?