Even though we haven’t hit the official start to summer, it’s getting hot in here (as in 100 degrees in May, HOT) and you may be anticipating the slow departure of your online audience.
However, as Marcus Fischer, CEO space150, discusses in this great post “The Summer Road Trip Went Digital. What’s Your Strategy?“, your visitors are still plugged in and there is no better time to ramp up your content and online promotion. As Fischer states, this “always-on, always-informed, always-sharing” audience is primed for your summer promotional efforts. In this post, I’ll address creative ways you can keep the momentum going and engage users well into summer.
Great strategy starts with a plan, so let’s first take a look at a few key calendar dates to get the creative juices flowing.
| Memorial Day May 28 |
Online promotional discount for Military, Make a Veteran a hero by profiling on your site or e-newsletter, Best Memorial Day Festivals |
| Graduation/School’s Out May-June |
Best Motivational Quotes for Grads, Graduation Gifts Under $50, Infographic: Creative Ways for Surviving Summer Break |
| Father’s Day June 17 |
Best Movies About Fatherhood, Fun Things for Dad to Do on Father’s Day, Recipes to make for a great Dad’s Day Celebration, Gifts Dads Love |
| Independence Day July 4 |
Top 10 things you’d need for the 4th of July parade, hosting a party, decorating for the 4th |
| Summer Olympics July 27 – August 12 |
Slideshow: Memorable Olympic Moments, Poll: Which Olympic Events are You Most Looking Forward to?, Infographic: The Diet of an Olympian |
| Back to School August-September |
How to Make a Dorm Room Feel Like a Home, Print-out for Parents: 25 of the Healthiest After School Snacks |
| Moving Month August |
Move planning checklist, Instructional Video: The Best Way to Pack Your Delicate Items, What you Need to Know Before Hiring a Moving Company |
| Labor Day September 3 |
Weekend Home Improvement How-To Guide, Top 50 Easiest Do-It-Yourself Home Repairs |
Here’s an example of a recent Memorial Day Pinterest campaign we did for Keiser University College of Golf, a Servicemembers Opportunity College.
Next, let’s review some key tactics you can infuse into your content marketing and promotions to give it that summer flavor.
Give Your Brand a Summer Makeover
What better way to have your audience take notice, than with a playful refresh to the look and feel of your branding? Nobody does this better than Google with their decorative doodles to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and other special events. From your website and Facebook timeline to your content and promotions, put a summer spin on your design, messaging and imagery. For example, Target’s Facebook cover photo:
Put the Sizzle in Your Promotions
Combine a summer theme with the product or service your are advertising. Bring out the idea of fun and sun by making your ads brighter and more colorful, reflecting the outside world. Studies show that Facebook fans love seasonal promotions.
Celebrate Unique Holidays
Up the fun-factor by taking advantage of some of the unusual holidays celebrated during summer months. For example, June is National Candy Month! Here’s a great website that lists many of the obscure promotional dates.
Create Summer-Lovin Content
Get your audience’s attention by talking about what’s top-of-mind for them this summer, like: free ways to beat the heat, the best summer concerts, 101 ways to keep the kids entertained, or a Pinterest pinning contest to win a beach vacation! CVS did a nice job with this content tie-in:
Get Your Audience Involved!
Have fans and followers share their favorite summer photos, stories and videos or invite them to participate in a caption contest.
Summertime doesn’t have to be a slow time of year for your promotion calendar. Hopefully these tips will help to spark your online creativity.
What unique ways have you entertained your site visitors throughout the summer?
Tags: online promotion, Social Media, Social Media Marketing
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 at 4:30 am and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
