looking to drive sales or promote your business this summer?
Summer offers the opportunity to connect your business with your target audience in a refreshing and engaging way. Sunshine, holidays, events and light nights all help improve mood and increase optimism – an effective summer marketing campaign will capture the essence of that summer mood and will boost brand visibility, drive sales and promote customer loyalty.
To help you get your business ready for the summer, we’ve put together some tips on planning your summer marketing campaign with a few ideas for great content too.
01 | Plan in advance
As with all marketing campaigns, it is important to decide your objectives, budget and measurable goals before you begin. Setting goals you can measure, such as increasing sales or increasing website clicks, will help keep your campaign on track and allow you to make any changes along the way if you need to adjust your approach.
02 | Know your audience
Always start with your customers at the front of your mind. Ask yourself: “What do they want to see?”, or more appropriately, “What would help them?”. You will already have a good idea based on the most common enquiries you receive, or popular search terms entered on your website.
Consider conducting some research into the types of summer-related activities your target audience is interested in – surveys, feedback or spending time researching trends online will really help focus your campaign and give you a few ideas to create captivating summer content.
03 | Content is key
You really want your summer marketing campaign to lean into those summer vibes so your message needs to be vibrant and positive. Consider incorporating themes like outdoor activities, holidays, relaxation, and seasonal trends into your campaign. Think outside the box and strive for creativity that will capture attention and stand out from your competitors.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Create a content calendar
Create a calendar showing national, regional and local events.
Align your publishing schedules to match key dates and themes for the summer months. This will help keep your content relevant. Remember to optimise your content for search engines and use hashtags and trending topics to amplify its reach. Don’t be afraid to tap into national or international awareness days and causes too.
Give your brand a summer makeover
Summer is a great time to update your brand, giving it a fresh summer look. You don’t need to re-brand completely, but consider changing the images on your website and social media to represent the summer months – or adding a few summer colours to your brand or shop/office. This will resonate with existing customers, whilst also providing an opportunity to re-target previous customers showcasing your new fresh look.
Get involved in local events
Are there any events planned locally this summer you can get involved with?
Events can be anything from a summer fayre at your local school, the presentation night of your local grassroots sports team or larger events like festivals, trade shows or concerts. Whilst the larger events tend to cost more to get involved, some of the smaller events can have an impact on your business for very little expense. This is especially true of hyper-local events such as school fayres. If you donate a prize for the raffle such as a product or service, hundreds of parents in your area will hear about it – putting your business in mind for the future. Getting involved in events also makes great content for your social media channels and blogs too.
Target tourists and travellers
If relevant to your business, consider ways you can market to visitors to your region. Contact your local Tourist Information Information centre and ask if they will display some of your marketing materials and spend time making sure your website is visible online. This could involve looking at your SEO and adding in some key phrases linked to your location and commonly asked questions.
Consider a summer giveaway, competition or sale
Customers appreciate promotions, especially those that are suited to the season. They’re a great way to attract new customers too. Use social media advertising, email marketing, and targeted messaging to create a sense of urgency and compel your audience to take action.
Use video to showcase your summer vibes
Video marketing really works. It offers a chance to really connect with your customers and show them you’re feeling the summer mood just like they are. It’s also a great way to attract new customers, with more and more people watching short videos than ever.
Use content marketing
Content marketing is a brilliant tool to promote your brand. This can be really useful if your business isn’t particularly aligned with the summer months. Publish blogs telling your customers what you are up to this summer and share them on your social media channels or if you are a typical summer business, use content marketing to promote your summer offers. If you’re unsure where to start with content marketing, don’t be afraid to seek expert help. The content you create reflects on you and your business so it is vital you come across as reliable and professional.
