ThinkOTB Agency

Bring some sunshine into your marketing campaign

June 26, 2015

Summer is a great time to go and promote your brand or business. The summer solstice is fast approaching, and so are the summer holidays, meaning a lot of people are preparing themselves for lazy days in the sun and a bit of easy living. With this change in mind-set, why not alter your marketing strategy? Here at Think OTB, we’re taking a look at how you can inject some sunshine into your summer marketing campaigns and your sales.

Think summer

When the sun finally comes out in the UK, it’s something to celebrate. As such, why not inject a bit of seasonal joy into your campaign, helping consumers get in the mood for summer. This will also help your consumers to see you as a warm, caring brand that they want to come back to in the future. From your website to your email newsletter, look for ways to incorporate summer themes that are relevant to your customers. Send out newsletters that showcase your summer specials, but mix it up with good content. Even evergreen content can benefit from a makeover, so there are really no excuses.

Retailers are great at doing this, spreading the summer vibes across their websites, social media pages and every other marketing channel. On their Facebook pages, for example, retailers often post vibrant, colourful sunshine marketing images, whether or not they feature their products. A bit of colour, some sleek photography and a shareable offer can go a long way when it comes to a summer campaign. Just make sure that you tap into the summer’s key events, such as Wimbledon and Glastonbury, when thinking about how to make your campaign summer ready.

Think local

Whether you sponsor a sports team, host a cook-off or get your branding around local markets, events or fairs, get people engaging with your brand and trying it out as they begin to enjoy increasing amounts of time outside. Premium cider brand, Symonds, are really getting involved with their consumers this summer. Alongside a sizeable advertising campaign to promote the brand’s heritage, the brand will also be hosting masterclasses to promote pairing cider with food. Symonds have identified that we’re a foodie nation, and so are making use of the summer months to promote their cider’s many uses. Find out more about successful local marketing campaigns here.

Think Time

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign is a good example of how to deploy limited-time, summer-only deals in a unique way. This campaign capitalised on the idea that people love to see their names on things. It helped them stand out from the other drinks campaigns fighting to quench people’s thirst in the summer heat.

As a brand giant, they have the resources to do this. However, this doesn’t mean you couldn’t take a leaf out of Coca Cola’s book! Personalise some of your marketing messages or offer discounts or perks only available in summer. Some of the most effective personalisation, however, goes deeper than the name. By gaining insight into the consumer’s buying patterns, for example, you can tailor your marketing messages to their wants and needs. This will mean your consumer is less likely to switch-off to your marketing messages. They’ll feel as though their buying habits are well understood.

Think Mobile

With people spending more time outside, they are more likely to access your emails or website on a mobile device. In fact, 65% of users open emails, browse the internet or buy products from their smartphone or tablets. Over the next few years this number will be ever on the increase. So, summer is the perfect opportunity to revamp your emails and refresh your mobile site. Make sure you can reach your consumer wherever they are!  You’ll also see the benefits of this long after the summer has come to an end.

Need some help injecting some sunshine into your marketing campaign? Let Think OTB get to work on personal and engaging campaigns for your business. Just get in touch.