As the Fourth of July fast approaches, have you thought about what kind of original inbound and social media marketing tie-ins you could do with the holiday? While it's usually customary for companies to have sales connected to the Fourth, you probably don't want to adhere to the usual ideas. With such rich creative canvases available now in content marketing, it opens a door to connecting the Fourth of July to your business products in ways you couldn't do in years past.
Since the Fourth of July is a very visual holiday, you should use some visual marketing methods for a strong business connection. The Fourth, however, also brings feelings of patriotism, vacation, and fun. You can intertwine all of those with the visuals, sometimes without any necessary descriptors. This isn't to say you can't also convey it in words.
The best path to take is using elements of the Fourth you know other people do and think about. Then, make them directly or offhandedly connect to your company or products.
Using Vine Videos to Reflect the Essence of the Holiday
Lowe's did a Vine video a couple of years ago for the Fourth of July that became somewhat of a classic. They merely took a bevy of tools from their inventory and animated them into the shape of exploding fireworks to give a symbolic nod to the holiday. Symbolic imagery is something to consider seriously with your own inbound marketing strategy if you don't ordinarily have anything pertaining directly to the Fourth of July.
While Lowe's used tools, you might sell vacation items you can display in your video while someone watches fireworks on a beach. Or perhaps you sell specific clothing items (like shoes) bringing a level of comfort to a family as they stand for hours waiting for a fireworks show.
Anything you find connecting to the holiday in a comedic and ironic way works well, as long as it makes clever sense. Integrating a short video like this in your marketing emails to current or prospective customers is ideal.
Giving Tips for a More Enjoyable Fourth of July
Rather than directly equate products with the Fourth, some companies provide holiday tips to their local customers as an off-handed way to connect to the company ideals or structure. As an example, if you're a travel agency, providing a guide to where the best local fireworks shows are helps your customer base while proving your professional worth.
If you produce edible health products, providing recipes for a healthy Fourth of July picnic shows your expertise in what the healthiest foods are while on vacation.
You can easily do this through a simple blog or in infographic form. You'll obviously need a little more time with this content rather than an ironic, six-second Vine video.
Patriotic Images on Instagram
While videos and information are the most popular methods of inbound and social media marketing, don't forget the power of Instagram imagery. Great ideas here include subtle shots of your products in use around patriotic landmarks. Hire a photographer to naturally integrate one of your products in with monuments in Washington, D.C., or perhaps a local patriotic event.
It also pays to use patriotic colors on your products in these images, even if you don't ordinarily sell them that way. The use of color should never be overlooked in the way of generating feelings in your marketing. A powerful and emotional image with red, white, and blue compels people to come in to buy from you if you're open during the Fourth of July weekend.
Do you have any ideas about how best to connect the Fourth of July holiday your company's marketing plan? Please share with us in the comments below.
