July is home to much more than Independence Day! Get ready-to-go July marketing ideas (with real examples!) for all occasions.
July is filled with many opportunities for creative marketing—it’s National Anti-Boredom Month, Independent Retailer Month, home to World Emoji Day, Pandemonium Day, and plenty more.
In this post, I’ve taken care of all of the brainstorming and planning for you with:
Ideas based on
You can see a more complete list at the end of this post, but here is my curated mix of the serious, the sophisticated, and the downright silly:
In July we celebrate, America, parents, and cows. (Image source)
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While it’s always a good idea to include diversity, equity, and inclusion marketing in your plans year-round, there are a few observances specifically in July that you won’t want to miss:
July was proclaimed Minority Mental Health Month in 2008 by the US House of Representatives. This helps ensure that not only do people of color have access to adequate mental healthcare, but also that health professionals are culturally aware, empathetic, non-judgmental, and able to properly diagnose each patient who walks into their office.
Spread awareness using resources like BIPOC’s MMHM toolkit, or come up with an event of your own to support this inclusivity-related cause.
Did you know over 15% of the world’s population lives with a disability? Historically, people with different abilities have had limited access to recreational activities. Special Recreation for the Disabled Day aims to change that by bringing awareness to the ways the world can be more inclusive for all.
To take part in this day, sponsor or volunteer at a local recreation center that’s accessible to folks with varying abilities. Alternatively, reminding your audience to help spread awareness and providing tips on how they can make a difference can be just as effective.
Malala Day celebrates the work of Malala Yousafzai, an international human rights activist and the world’s youngest Nobel prize winner. Malala is from Pakistan which is an area known to deprive women and young girls of education. Her stand on education for all ultimately led to her being shot by the Taliban. Despite this event, Malala courageously continued with the cause she believed in.
Her perseverance has inspired a worldwide movement for more accessible education across all corners of the world. Inspire your audience with Malala quotes, like those included in her memoir: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot. Another idea would be to celebrate the work of Malala and share how your business’s community is working towards better education accessibility for minorities.
It’s important to seize every opportunity you can to celebrate diversity in your marketing. Acknowledge National Buffalo Soldiers Day on July 28 to commemorate some of the earliest Black troops in the US Military who served on the Western frontier after the Civil War.
And now, it’s time to get down to (marketing your) business. We’ll start with July marketing ideas based on monthly awareness causes and then move to single-day observances. And don’t forget to check out these July content ideas, too!
July is the designated month for celebrating independent retailers who, like all local businesses, help to build our economy, towns, and communities. Promote your own business if you are one, or show your support for independent retailers in your community.
After the July 4th festivities, the summer heat and structureless days can start to creep in with looming threats of boredom.
Here are some ideas to help your target audience avoid the dog days of summer:
Or, take a no-nonsense approach like this business did:
I tried to think of ways to put a creative twist on things to make it more widely applicable, but to no avail—unless you’re into grilling your customers for feedback…
But I did find some ideas on Facebook. This business ran a contest with a grilling-themed prize.
This electric company encouraged its followers to save electricity by grilling outside:
The sun won’t run out of hydrogen for another 5 billion years, so consider it an evergreen topic. No matter what business you’re in, you can’t go wrong with posting UV safety tips.
Make your own image with a content marketing tool like Canva, like this business did:
Or borrow an infographic from the CDC:
If you are in any way connected to massages, whether that be a traditional massage studio, a physical therapist, or a salon, you should definitely be taking advantage this week by running sales promotions.
If you’re not a spa or salon, partner up with a local provider to see if you can run a mutually beneficial deal.
Or take it a step further like these guys:
According to my cursory research (aka Real Simple magazine), Christmas in July began in 1993 with a summer camp in Brevard, NC. And then somewhere along the line, businesses began using it as a marketing tool. Here are some ways you can follow suit.
Run deals and sales to get new customers coming in. BigCommerce tells us that repeat customers spend 25% more per transaction during the (real) holiday season, while a new customer spends only 17% more. So start building that repeat customer base now!
This photographer promoted family photo shoots, framed as a way to get your Christmas card photo taken care of early (and when you’ve got that summer look going). Depending on the weather, winter clothes may or may not be a good idea!
Or simply run a generous flash sale that’ll feel like, well, Christmas in July.
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National Compliment Your Mirror Day, observed on July 3, encourages people to feel positive about themselves—inside and out. If it fits with the tone of your brand and your audience, acknowledge it on social media.
You could even run an Instagram campaign where customers receive a percentage off products or services in exchange for posting a selfie and custom hashtag.
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Anyone can get behind this holiday. Whether it’s with a candy counting contest, giving out Hershey’s Kisses to customers, or just posting a funny meme. Or, you could get some chocolatey USB drives made up with your logo on ’em!
So yes, gruntled is a word. It means pleased, satisfied, or content.
Rather than running an Instagram giveaway, consider hosting a charity fundraiser for Give Something Away Day. Consumers like doing business with people who share their values. Doing something for your community or a greater cause will engage your followers and make a positive impact.
I’m going to spare you the “I scream you scream” and share a little history with you. Back in the day (1984), former President Ronald Reagan decided July was to be National Ice Cream Month and that the third Sunday in July would be National Ice Cream Day. Ice cream shops, you know this one well. For the non-frozen dairy-delighted, try out these ideas:
You should already know your customers like the back of your hand, but you should also always be learning—especially with the shape-shifters we consumers have become due to the pandemic.
Get to Know Your Customers Day happens on the third Thursday of every quarter—a good reminder to stay on your toes and a good opportunity to strengthen your client relationships.
Share a survey via email or social media—something brief but meaningful enough to demonstrate that you value your customers, and to be informative to you.
You could also take a lighter approach on social media. Ask more playful questions, like “would you rather,” “yea or nay,” “when was the last time you…” but keep the topics relevant so you can glean something from the answers.
With Mother’s and Father’s Day taking up all the wholesome limelight, Parent’s Day often gets neglected. Parents work tirelessly for their children, so honor the parents in your audience!
Consider taking a more emotional approach with your brand on this day. Acknowledge the hard-working parents out there, but stay sensitive to the fact that not everyone has living parents, that not all parents are one item, and that there are many caretakers who are like a parent.
But of course! It’s the biggest holiday of the summer. Here are some ways to incorporate 4th of July marketing ideas, slogans, promotions, and more into your monthly strategy:
Not all of the July awareness causes and observances were covered in this post. There are far too many. But if you have any ideas of your own, feel free to add your own unique twist to help your business stand out this month!
PS: Here’s our full series of monthly marketing ideas:
And for a year’s worth of marketing ideas, check out this marketing calendar template from our friends at LocaliQ.
As promised, here is a more complete list of July observances that may or may not apply to your business:
July 1
July 2
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