Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States and is observed on the last Monday in May to honor the brave men and women who died serving their country in the military.
It is to be celebrated on the 29th of May this year. It also marks the unofficial start of the summer season, and many people celebrate the holiday by gathering with friends and family, having barbecues, and going to the beach.
For a small business owner and businesses in general, Memorial Day presents an excellent opportunity to promote your products and services while also showing respect to fallen soldiers.
It is also a great opportunity for businesses to show their support and appreciation for these brave men and women.
To know more about how and what marketing strategies you can use for your business, hang on with us — we got you covered.
Given below are some statistics and factual data that show how good Memorial Day sales prove for businesses:
The best time to start Memorial Day marketing is mid-May. This is when you are close to Memorial Day, and the hype around this day begins to build.
According to Google Trends, the searches for "Memorial Day" and "Memorial Day sales" start trending from early to mid-May.
It is best to have an early start for promoting it from mid-May. Then, you can accelerate your marketing strategies as you approach the last weekend of May.
Below are some marketing ideas you can use to guarantee business growth during the Memorial Day season. Ride on the hype train and see which one works for you-
Before you start marketing for Memorial Day, preparing your business operations is essential.
Ensure your store or website is stocked with patriotic products, such as clothing, decorations, or summer essentials like sunscreen or outdoor furniture.
If you have a physical store, decorate it with patriotic colors, flags, streamers, or other decorations to create a festive atmosphere.
If you have a website, you can create a Memorial Day landing page or banner that showcases your products and services.
Social media is a powerful tool to reach your target audience and promote your business during Memorial Day.
You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share your Memorial Day promotions, sales, and discounts.
You can also create Memorial Day-themed social media posts or run a contest encouraging user engagement.
Creating relevant content for Memorial Day is another way to engage with your audience and promote your business.
You can create blog posts, infographics, videos, or podcasts about Memorial Day, its history, or how to celebrate it.
You can also create Memorial Day-themed product guides or gift ideas for your customers.
Running a Memorial Day advertising campaign can help you reach a broader audience and increase sales.
You can use various advertising platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or Instagram Ads to target potential customers with Memorial Day promotions, discounts, or offers.
One way to show respect for our military personnel is by offering them freebies or discounts on your products or services.
You can run a Memorial Day promotion that offers a percentage off for active military personnel, veterans, or their families.
You can also offer free items like a meal, a drink, or a dessert to military personnel as a token of appreciation.
You can recommend products relevant to Memorial Day and the summer season to your customers.
For example, you can recommend patriotic-themed clothing, outdoor gear, grilling essentials, and other summer-related products your customers may need for their Memorial Day celebrations.
Hosting a Memorial Day fundraiser or donation campaign can help you give back to the community and create a positive image for your business.
You can partner with a charity organization that supports military personnel, veterans, or their families and donate a percentage of your profits to them.
You can also encourage your customers to donate to the organization by offering a discount or a freebie for their contribution.
Email marketing is an effective way to communicate your Memorial Day promotions and offers to your customers.
You can create an email marketing campaign highlighting your Memorial Day deals, discounts, or freebies and send it to your subscribers.
You can also create a Memorial Day newsletter that showcases your products, services, or relevant content.
If the eight ideas above do not work for you, we still have you covered. Here are some more ideas you can try:
Memorial Day is a time for people to come together and celebrate. You can offer special packages and treats for people during their celebrations.
You can create a special package with items like American flags, patriotic decorations, and snacks like popcorn, chips, and candy.
This can be a great way to show your customers that you care about their Memorial Day celebrations.
Another way to promote your business on Memorial Day weekend is to run patriotic specials that reward customers' loyalty and support.
You can offer a percentage off their total price, a free item or service with a minimum purchase, or a special discount code they can use at checkout.
Make sure to highlight your patriotic spirit in your marketing materials and social media posts, using hashtags like #MemorialDaySale, #ProudToBeAnAmerican, and #ThankYouForYourService.
If you want to engage your customers and promote your brand on Memorial Day, consider running a contest or giveaway as a part of the memorial day marketing campaign.
Encourage your customers to share their patriotic stories, photos, or videos.
You can ask them to submit entries on social media using a specific hashtag or create a landing page on your website where they can upload their entries and vote for their favorites.
Be sure to offer attractive prizes and promote your contest via social media.
As mentioned before, Memorial Day weekend also marks the unofficial start of summer, an excellent opportunity to offer renewal promos catering to people's desire for new experiences and adventures.
If your business runs on a subscription or contract model, running a special such as renewing during Memorial Day weekend gets them a discount or special gift.
You can promote your travel packages, outdoor gear, or self-care services that help them recharge and rejuvenate.
Consider offering a limited-time discount or free gift with purchase to incentivize them to book or buy now.
One of the easiest ways to celebrate Memorial Day Holiday Weekend is to offer discounts on items that feature the colors of the American flag - red, white, and blue.
You can highlight these products in your store, website, or social media channels and offer a percentage off or a flat discount.
This can include anything from clothing and accessories to home decor and kitchenware.
Have a look at this example:
Pepe Osaka's Fishtaco Tequila Bar & Grill offers 50% off all red, white, and blue margaritas while including the day and time of the sale in the caption with appropriate hashtags (#memorialday and #memorialdaydeals).
It is a great way to tailor the Memorial Day marketing idea to your niche.
Another popular promotion for Memorial Day weekend is the buy one get one free (BOGO) sale.
This is a great way to encourage customers to add more products from your online store to their cart and try new items they may have yet to consider.
Depending on what works best for your business, you can offer a BOGO deal on selected items or across your entire store.
This can be a great way to show your customers that you care about their budget and are committed to offering them great and exclusive deals.
Free shipping is always a winning promotion, especially on holidays when people are more likely to shop online.
Nine out of 10 people say free shipping is the top incentive that can get them to buy online!
You can offer free shipping on all orders or on orders over a certain threshold to entice customers to buy more from your website and boost online sales.
Make sure to advertise your free shipping offer prominently on your homepage, email newsletter, and social media channels.
Finally, use promo codes to make it easy for customers to apply discounts to their orders.
You can create a unique promo code for Memorial Day and share it via email, social media, or text message.
Depending on your goals and budget, this can be a percentage off, a flat discount, or free shipping.
Set clear expiration dates and terms and conditions to avoid confusion or abuse.
Forever21 offered discounted prices on all its products. Forever21 was clever to remind customers with statements like "Only a Few Left" on specific products.
It created hype and the fear of missing out on its Memorial Day sales, encouraging interested buyers to shop immediately.
The sale and the hype proved to be really good for the business.
KIKO Milano Cosmetics promoted a Wonder Woman collection for its Memorial Day campaign.
If you're wondering who Wonder Woman is, she is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter for DC Comics.
They climbed the hype train built around this fictional character during a time when they could also show their love for the country's real heroes.
They target their female audience with the red and blue themed product collection, which also happens to be the colors of the American flag.
Chobani made the best of Memorial Day by offering a limited-edition product by launching its Hero Batch, created by veterans working at Chobani.
Chobani created Hero Batch to raise donations for Operation Homefront, which supports America's military families.
They also invited their audience to donate. Talk about making profits while spreading awareness about the day's importance and appreciating why this day is celebrated while doing your part for society.
Avocado Greens offered a series of promo codes and put them together on a dedicated landing page.
They also gave a 5% discount to verified service members, including nurses, doctors, military members, educators, and firefighters. They used promo codes such as:
Another thing you can do for a Memorial Day marketing campaign is "spend this amount to get that % free" discount. Pipette Baby did the same and offered the following tiered discount deal:
Pipette Baby then directed traffic to the home page, which was adding the tiered discounts pop up everywhere on its landing page.
This campaign intends to raise awareness and funds for the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation.
Every year, 36 PepsiCo military veteran drivers transport the American flag across the country and pass it to each other at various relay points.
Pepsi doesn't market specific products anywhere in this campaign.
But it proves helpful in building up its brand image and portrays its awareness and appreciation towards the heroes and the country.
This Memorial Day campaign customizes each product description with a travel theme—a beach vacation, weekend picnic, or staycation.
Then, the marketers at Bobbi Brown position several products as must-haves for those different vacation types.
Bobbi Brown's approach helps customers narrow down their choices. To cover all their bases, the Bobbi Brown team ends the email with offers for a free eye cream, free shipping, and a discount that applies automatically at checkout.
Marvel inserted themselves into the Memorial Day conversation in their signature style with a simple GIF of Captain America.
This is an excellent example of how to speak your brand even when you share a holiday greeting.
Sharing or making a relatable post could also be a great brand initiative. And Marvel has Captain America for its service.
Brands get that many of their audience look forward to the long weekend.
Reese's, for example, shared a recipe for the perfect treat you can easily whip up to make your Memorial Day sweeter.
This keeps up with the Memorial Day hype and tradition, which work well to build up brand image and be friendly and relatable to its customers.
Ultimate Direction, an outdoor apparel and accessories brand, got a high click rate with this email, which offers a discount and free shipping.
Importantly, it also speaks directly to the brand's audience with beautiful images that invoke summer and sunny landscapes, athletes enjoying warm weather, and the gear that gets nature-loving people excited to use their compass and start their summer adventures.
Yes, it is a big deal. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day to honor and mourn those who died while serving in the US military.
Many volunteers place American flags on the graves of military personnel in national cemeteries. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States.
To market for Memorial Day, you can:
Post a general comment recognizing the holiday. You can post patriotic but apolitical images, such as an American flag or the Statue of Liberty.
Remember to be remain respectful and refrain from using happy greetings as the day stands for respecting the country's fallen heroes.
Yes, Memorial Day sales can be a great way to attract customers and increase sales during the holiday weekend.
It is a popular time for shoppers to take advantage of discounts and deals, so offering promotions can help increase consumer interest and drive sales.
Memorial Day sales typically start a week or two before the holiday weekend and continue through Memorial Day itself.
Some retailers may start their sales earlier or later, so check with your local stores or online retailers for specific start dates.
Depending on your brand and target audience, you can use various messages and strategies for Memorial Day on social media. Some ideas include:
Memorial Day is a time to honor and remember those who have sacrificed for the country.
As a marketer, it's vital to approach this holiday with sensitivity and respect.
However, with the right ideas and strategies, you can successfully promote your brand while also paying tribute to the brave men and women who have served.
Whether it's through charitable donations, patriotic promotions, or community events, there are countless ways to incorporate the spirit of Memorial Day into your marketing efforts.
By keeping these tips in mind and staying true to the holiday's meaning, you can create powerful and impactful campaigns that resonate with your audience and make a meaningful difference.
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