Blog

10 Creative Ideas for Summer Marketing

Posted by Maddie Keefe

June 01, 2016


  • When the summer months roll around, something in the air changes. The days are longer, the sun is brighter and the streets seem to fill with people eager to soak up every warm minute. With these changes, come great opportunities for new marketing ideas. Here are 10 creative ideas for summer marketing.

1. Use Summer-Themed Content

When the summer months arrive, consider adding summer themes to your content. According to Caron Beesley, from the Small Business Administration, it is beneficial to add summer content to your emails and newsletters in order to appeal to your customers. Making connections between the enticing themes of summer and what your company can do, is an effective way to keep potential customer’s interested.

2. Create Customer Appreciation Events

One of the best ways to market your brand is to thank your loyal customers. Creating specialPeople Together-2.jpg events for these customers reminds them of why they do business with you, encourages them to spread the word about you and strengthens relationships with them. Jonha Revesencio, from Huffington Post, explains that businesses should use summer weather to engage with their customers in different ways. She suggests that some special events could be sales, information sessions or even parties. A great sales technique would be to offer a 10% discount every time the temperature reaches 100 degrees, according to Revesencio. Showing your customers how much you care is always a great idea, especially in the summer months.

3. Host Employee Appreciation Events

Use the summer months to show your employees how thankful you are for them. Whether hosting company barbeques or decorating the office for the Fourth of July, creating appreciation events is an effective way to bring your team together. Encourage them to share posts from the event on social media. Showing the community that your company cares about their team is sure to make the event a success. Not only does this give you a chance to strengthen your relationship with your employees, it gives them a chance to create a bond with each other.

4. Generate Leads During Summer Holidays 

Holidays are always a great time to reach out to potential customers and summer is no different. Whether celebrating the Fourth of July, Labor Day or just the last day of school, there are many different reasons that your company could use to connect with potential customers. Square Inc. explains that a great way to spread the word about your business is to use email marketing. They state that emailing potential and current customers before a summer holiday is a great way to spread the word about your company. People love celebrations, and email marketing reminds them to celebrate as well as learn more about your business.

5. Use Summer Nostalgia to Connect with Potential Customers

There are multiple summer pastimes and activities that make people nostalgic for the warm months. Whether it is trips to the beach or popsicles in the lawn, summer is known for creating particularly nostalgic times. Try creating campaigns that focus on this nostalgia. Use common foods that people eat to draw them into your storefront or advertise your company on the boardwalk of popular beaches. When people are partaking in something that makes them happy, they will likely connect the feeling with your brand. Reach out to potential customers by reminding them of the greatest aspects of summer along with the greatest aspects of your business as well.

6. Become a Sponsor 

The summer months have a special way of bringing people together. Whether it is friends that finally have time to catch up or family barbeques, there are many various gatherings that bring people together when the weather gets warm. Jonha Revesencio, from Huffington Post, suggests using these gatherings to spread the word about your business through sponsorships. By sponsoring events from races to music festivals, you can get your name out to countless different people from all areas. Showing that your brand is versatile, present in the community and eager to make connections with everyone are some reasons that show how powerful sponsoring different events this summer can be to your company.

7. Gather Contact Information through Contests

Whether playing games outside on a warm afternoon or trying your hand at the dunk tank at a carnival, there’s a little competition in all of us. Brian Morris, at Thought Reach, explains that businesses can use contests related to your brand to engage potential customers. Putting contests out through social networks or out in popular areas can market your brand to the community. Morris suggests that when people partake in the contests, whether it is a pie-eating contest or a hula-hoop competition, take this time to connect with the people around you by offering the winners prizes. He says that when people claim their prize, use it as a chance to gather their contact information. Or when people inquire about the contest, give them information about your company. No matter what the contest is, this is a win-win.

8. Host Summer Giveaways

Everyone loves free giveaways. And businesses will love them even more if they can use the giveaway to spread the word about their brand. Michelle Nickolaisen, from Grasshopper, suggests sending out summer essentials to potential customers with your brand’s name on it to entice people to learn more about your company. Nickolaisen adds that this marketing technique can be improved by relating the giveaway to your brand. For example, an eye doctor may send out sunglasses with his/her company name printed on them to draw up business for their practice. The options are endless and the benefits are a gift in themselves.

9. Create a Summer Rewards Program

Once a business has a loyal customer base, they can distribute a summer rewards program. Whether it is a card that keeps track of points or a membership that people can join, rewards programs are a great way to engage with and please customers. Brian Morris, with Business 2 Community, explains that it is possible to generate high sales by offering special rewards programs just for the summer months. Morris states that this is because the summer rewards programs drive customers to buy product and use their rewards by August, creating high sales in a short amount of time. This is an effective technique that is beneficial to both the customer and business.

10. Bring Back or Create Products Exclusive to Summer

Bringing back a certain product, line or service that was popular will create a specialized marketing tactic, according to Lindsey Tyner of AltCreative. She explains that people will want to get the item while it is back, generating buzz about the products and brand for old and new customers alike. Although the product may only be available for the summer months, the publicity around the offer will get the brand out there. Tyner states that the goal of this tool is to engage with customers when they come back for the product and get them to stay with your company in the future as well. Rebuilding relationships with these customers and creating a new wave of customers for this product is a great way to reach multiple people with one specialized offer.


The summer months are an excellent time to get creative with your marketing strategies. Put these techniques into action in your own business, slather on the sunscreen and get ready for some marketing fun in the sun.

 

New Call-to-action

 

Topics: Summer Marketing

Blog comments

TMD_LOGO_338x149_(web)_(1)The Marketing Department Malvern, PA is a full service Marketing Agency serving Malvern, Main Line, King of Prussia, Wayne, Paoli, Berwyn, Chester County and Montgomery County, PA areas.