Modern’s Q3 Seasonal Calendar: Promo Ideas for Summertime to School Days
Lazy summer days aren’t an excuse for your sales to trail off. Take advantage of longer shopping days and consumers being in better spending spirits (aka: vacation mode). July is great for scheduling your next 3 months of festive direct mail campaigns and print promotions to help your business engage new customers and dive into a better pool of profits. Note: you will find the download link near the end of this article.
Honoring Special Recognition Days
Your business can easily shine a spotlight on a meaningful cause or give back to the local community by celebrating a commemorative day that aligns with your mission and values.
Here’s a sampling of some notable dates that take place July, August
and September:
JUL 01 | National Postal Worker Day
JUL 04 | Independence Day
JUL 07 | World Chocolate Day
JUL 15 | Give Something Away Day
JUL 24 | National Tequila Day
JUL 30 | International Day of Friendship
AUG 9 | National Book Lovers Day
AUG 10 | National S’mores Day
AUG 13 | International Left Handers’ Day
AUG 19 | World Photo Day
AUG 26 | National Dog Day
SEP 03 | Labor Day
SEP 05 | International Day of Charity
SEP 09 | National Grandparents Day
SEP 11 | National Day of Service & Remembrance
SEP 14 | Stand Up to Cancer Day
SEP 22 | Fall Begins, Oktoberfest
Tips for Researching Holidays
So, how do you discover best-fit holidays and special observances to fill your promotional marketing calendar? Get started with some good online resources.
We recommend:
- timeanddate.com/holidays/us and
- foodimentary.com
(specifically for national food holiday ideas).
Pro Tip: be sure to fact check multiple online sources as there can be some contradictions for proper holiday names and exact dates. Once you have selected the best topics to feature for your business, host a brainstorming session on how they can help get new customers, increase sales, spread the word about a special cause – whatever aligns with your goals! Below, we have provided some expanded marketing concepts tailored to the first months of the year, but be sure to download the PDF for more ideas.
Patriotic Block Party or BBQ
Leverage the excitement of Independence Day by inviting loyal customers to an in-store event during the month of July. With plenty of store signage, mailed postcard invites to locals and a series of reminder emails, you can encourage guests to check out your latest products and services, plus motivate them to shop with “red, white and blue” special discounts for the entire month. Nostalgic summertime touches like free hot dogs and ice cream cones will also help draw a crowd of local walk-ins. Online store only? Website visitors enjoy an all-American sale just as much!
Back-to-School Specials
You don’t need to sell kids’ clothing or school supplies to make back-to-school marketing work for your business. Just get creative! Own a hair salon or day spa? Offer tired moms and dads 20% off services. Are you in the restaurant industry? Promote a “Family Fun Night” special where kids eat free. With custom mailing lists, you can strategically spread the word with a direct mail campaign that targets families with children within a certain range of your location.
Holiday Marketing Prep
For marketers and business owners, feeling like it’s Christmastime in July is completely normal. What we mean is, your holiday marketing plans should start in summer to allow for proper brainstorming, creative development, ordering and deployment. B2B businesses should launch holiday marketing around September or October, while B2C businesses can launch slightly later depending on strategy.
Want the full scoop on how to turn holidays into paydays?
Download our FREE Q3 Seasonal Promotion Calendar here.
Call a Direct Marketing Specialist at 800.959.8365.
