Summer Marketing Tips: How To Make Your Target Audience Feel The Heat

Here in the Twin Ports, the weather is starting to get warmer. Us Midwesterners are defrosting, and that means that this is the perfect time for you to defrost your marketing strategy and make sure your consumers feel the heat from your business! 

Here are a few tips:

Utilize Summer Visual Themes
Think of summer; you’re probably thinking about bright colors, water, sunshine, green-leafed trees, flowers, etc. Now think about how you can implement these themes into your digital marketing campaigns. Not a total rebrand, but by showcasing your products and services in a way that highlights summertime. For example: if you own a coffeeshop and have a new seasonal flavor, post pictures of that item outside on the patio, on a walk, etc. Not only does it highlight the themes of summer (finally being able to be outdoors without painful wind chills), but also the versatility of taking your product on the go! Another example could be for a spa business; play on the theme of school being out and target worn out teachers! 

If you're in the market to get branded merchandise, consider getting aesthetically summertime colors, fonts, and themed items with your logo and fitting your branding. For example, branded golf balls, frisbees, tote bags, water bottles. Or perhaps, if you own a breakfast cafe, a shirt that says “feelin’ sunny side up” with a sun on it and your logo! Simple, yet fun ideas that are relevant to the excitement of summer. If you want to go bigger, get banners and billboards to capture the attention of anyone passing by. 

You don’t need bright colors and merch to capture your audiences’ attention. Showcase the things that are only available for a limited time (at least here in the Midwest), like kayaking or sand volleyball! If your business offers a niche, limited-time opportunity, use it to your advantage. There actually is psychology behind it: scarcity drives value, urgency, exclusivity, and social proof. Exhibit and flaunt what is here for a limited time - fun in the sun! 

Capitalize on Tourism and Events
Does your town, county, or region have any special events going on in the summer that drive tourism like crazy? Time to jump on the bandwagon. Even if your business has nothing to do with that event, sponsoring the event, advertising during the event or towards the event patrons, running a special, or even simply being open during the events can boost your sales and consumer recognition. How many times have we seen a grocery store’s logo at a concert or fair? You don’t have to leave it at grocery stores, get your boutique’s name out there too! Give a special discount if a patron has a ticket to the event. If there’s a boating race, set up a booth and sponsor a racer! If you want to be less involved in the event, create an online ad that reaches the area of the event. The ideas are endless, and it gets your business out there!

Don’t Forget SEO
Social media presence and physical collateral are important, but don’t forget the basics. Stay up-to-date with SEO to maintain your website’s ranking in the SERPs. Content, such as blogs, advertisements, and keywords will boost your website higher than competitors. You can make these personal to your brand by using trending, seasonal, and specific keywords. Make sure they correlate with your business and services, as the bots search for correlation and relevance. It might sound overwhelming, but it can really be a breeze! 

Having some fun with your marketing, while still staying within your strategy and budget, will allow for you to connect with your customers and overall boost your sales. Utilizing a broad, yet popular topic such as summer will be sure to capture attention and stay relevant with the present. 

Don’t sweat over marketing, we are here to help. Contact us today to level up your business!