Fireworks, barbecues, pool parties, and picnics. The 4th of July is right around the corner, and people are pulling out their holiday gear and getting ready to celebrate.
The 4th of July is the perfect summer holiday to try out some new ideas, refresh your marketing, and celebrate with seasonal sales. To supply you with some inspiration, we’ve compiled:
- 4th of July promotion ideas to get new customers.
- 4th of July marketing ideas to connect with your audience.
Use these ideas to promote your business this 4th of July!
4th of July promotion ideas
Many businesses hold special sales or promotions for the 4th of July. Why? Because it works! Here are some ideas to create a promotion that makes a big bang:
Hand out free swag
Customers love free stuff. So, get them through your door by giving away special 4th of July swag or gifts.
If your business is participating in a local event with a booth, hand out free patriotic swag like temporary tattoos, sunglasses, red, white, and blue jewelry, or T-shirts. If there aren’t any events for you to participate in, you can hand out free swag to customers who enter your store or make a purchase.
You can also offer free items in exchange for potential customers’ email addresses. This is an easy and fast way to collect leads and grow your email list.
Make sure to take pictures of customers sporting the swag to share on social media, too. Follow up later by sending an email with a special offer to those who offered their email address.
💡 Speaking of promotions… Get promotion ideas (+social posts and email subject lines) for every month of the year >> The Mega Must-Have Marketing Calendar
Host a 4th of July sidewalk sale
If your business gets ample foot traffic, take advantage and host a sidewalk sale. If you don’t get a lot of foot traffic, you can partner up with a complementary business that does! Set up a table with popular products, maybe add some light refreshments, and set out a few decorations to bring people over to your sale.
This will catch the attention of those who walk by and can be especially successful if your shop is near other local community events. Speaking of other local events, if any of them are running a contest or raffle, be sure to donate a prize!
You can also use geofencing to promote your sidewalk sale. With geofencing, you can target customers in or around your location with a special promotion or by letting them know to stop by.
Create a special product or service for July 4th
People love limited-edition specials, so take advantage with a July 4th promotion that puts a patriotic spin on a product or service. You could bundle existing services together or create a special product that ties in with Independence Day.
Don’t be afraid to get creative, and make sure to promote your themed product or service on social media!
Offer 40% off for 4th of July
An easy play on the 4th of July is to offer 40% off a customer’s purchase. This will entice customers to visit your location and make a purchase. Make sure to promote your sale on your social media pages and through email marketing so you can get the most customers to take advantage of your offer!
Run a buy 3 get 1 free special
It equals four…get it? If you have items that people generally buy in bulk or you want to get them to buy more items, this is a helpful special to run. By buying a few more items, customers can get an item of equal or lesser value for free, which might entice them to buy more and refer their friends to take advantage of your offer as well.
Give a discount for patriotic gear
Another great 4th of July promotion to run is to give a discount to customers wearing patriotic gear, like red, white, and blue, or carrying a small flag. Specify what they need to be wearing to get their discount as well as what type of discount you’ll offer—it can be as small as $5 off a purchase or 50% off.
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Run a July 4th promotion for email subscribers
Another 4th of July promotion you can try is one that’s specifically for your email subscribers. This type of promotion is great because it can help you grow your email list, reward existing customers, and make your subscribers feel a little extra special.
Send an email to your list with an exclusive offer and coupon code. This could be early access to your July 4th sale, an additional percentage off, or a special gift with purchase. You can extend this promotion to new customers by encouraging them to sign up for your email list to receive their special code. Post about it on social media and include a callout on your website where people can subscribe.
4th of July marketing ideas
Whether you run a 4th of July promotion or not, you can still take advantage of this holiday through other forms of marketing. Here are some 4th of July marketing ideas to try.
Run a 4th of July social media contest
An easy (and fun!) way to get into the 4th of July spirit and kickstart some engagement is to run a social media contest like a Facebook contest or Instagram giveaway.
You can run these contests in a few different ways. Here are some ideas:
Check-in contest
Have people check-in at your location on Facebook or add your location to their Instagram post to be entered to win. This will show their networks that they were at your location and promote your business.
Tag a friend contest
Have your followers tag a friend on your Instagram or Facebook post to be entered to win. Each tag is an entry. This boosts your profile to more people and grows your network!
Patriotic picture contest
Have your followers post a picture of themselves in their best patriotic gear and tag your business in the picture. This is a fun way to get people involved and a great source for user-generated content.
No matter what type of Facebook contest or Instagram giveaway you run, make sure to clearly outline the rules, how to enter, the prize(s), and how/when you’ll announce the winner.
Find more 4th of July social media post ideas here!
🚨 Get copy-and-paste social media posts ready for the whole year in our free social media template!
Write a 4th of July blog post
If you run a regular blog on your business website, write 4th of July themed posts to get your readers into the patriotic spirit. Depending on your business, the options are endless with what you can share.
Some examples for your 4th of July content marketing include:
- July 4th fashion inspiration: Share some red, white, and blue outfit ideas with your store’s merchandise, or compile ideas found on Pinterest and explain why you like them.
- Red, white, and blue menu ideas: Post a picture or a video tutorial to share a patriotic recipe. Everyone will love your grandmother’s homemade apple pie recipe!
- 4th of July family-friendly activities: July 4th is a big family holiday, so chances are there will be plenty of reunions and get-togethers. Share some fun outdoor games, local fireworks displays, or kid-friendly crafts.
- Fireworks safety tips: The quintessential part of the big day? Fireworks! Although beautiful, these sparklers can be very dangerous, so warn your customers to be careful.
- DIY patriotic decor: Not only do people want to have patriotic food displays, but they also want to decorate their homes when hosting gatherings! Share some easy ideas to make some fun decor that won’t break the bank.
- Post-July 4th workout plan: Share some simple exercise ideas to get customers back into the swing of things after the holiday. For example: “Run 4 miles or repeat each exercise 4x for the 4th of July.”
Participate in local events
Chances are, there are a ton of events in your community for the 4th of July. Whether it’s a parade or a town center fair, make an appearance and promote your business. If there’s an opportunity to have a booth or table, hop on it and make sure you showcase your best products.
If you can participate in the parade or events, make sure you give out candy, coupons, or samples. These events are perfect for networking and engaging new potential customers that have ties to your area and enjoy shopping small or supporting local businesses.
Don’t forget to document the events! Take pictures in town or even just pictures of how other local businesses are celebrating and post them on social media. Make sure to tag the other businesses on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to spread the love for other local businesses.
Promote your patriotic-themed products
Do you have any seasonal products (or services) that align with the 4th of July? Make sure to promote them on your social media pages, your website, and in your email marketing promotions!
This is a great time to get customers to try a new product or service–plus, seasonal products are always a big hit.
Give back to a local cause
One 4th of July marketing idea you might consider is partnering with a local organization to give back. You can do this in a few ways:
- Organize a volunteer event: Get your team together to volunteer with a local organization and open up the call to others in your community by posting about it on social media.
- Host a drive: If you’re working with a non-profit that is in need of items like food, clothes, or pet supplies, host a drive at your location. You can even offer a discount to those who donate!
- Donate a percentage of sales: You can donate a percentage of your sales on July 4th or over the July 4th weekend to a local charity. Make sure to let people know you’ll be doing this so they get into the purchasing mood!
Supporting a local organization is a win for both your business and your community and a great way to celebrate July 4th!
Get in the 4th of July spirit on social media
Holidays are a perfect opportunity to post on social media and engage your audience, and Independence Day is no exception!
Share any promotions, sales, events, or contests you’re running or participating in on social media, and take this opportunity to share any fun decorations you have up at your location as well as any patriotic employees rocking red, white, and blue.
You can also share any of the July 4th content you created for your blog on social media and re-share relevant content from other sources. For example, a vet could share an article from a local news publication about how to keep your pets calm during fireworks.
Create a 4th of July-themed photo wall
Another fun way to get in the 4th of July spirit and encourage people to tag your business in their own social media pictures is to create a DIY photo book with a patriotic background and props for customers to take advantage of.
You can do this really easily (and without breaking the bank!) by getting some patriotic fabric from your local fabric store and stapling it to one of your walls or even getting a patriotic-looking tablecloth to hang up. Then, set up a small table with props and have people snap away!
How cute is this pet photo wall!?
Include a custom hashtag and encourage customers to use it and share the fun pictures they take. Then, you can share their pictures, tagging them in your shares to increase the organic reach of your posts.
Use 4th of July hashtags
Speaking of hashtags, make sure to include some in your social media posts. Hashtags will extend the reach of your social media posts and can help you find new customers. People looking up certain hashtags will find yours and check out your profile.
Some examples of what might be trending are #July4th, #4thofJuly, #IndependenceDay, #starsandstripes, #redwhiteandblue, #fireworks, #America, as well as something custom to your location or industry.
Related: Get more 4th of July social media posts, then get even more July social media posts to fill your calendar all month long!
Update your hours of operation if needed
A very important 4th of July marketing idea is to update your local listings if you’ll have different hours or will be closed for the holiday. You don’t want a customer to try to visit your business just to arrive and find out you’re closed!
You can set special hours as part of your Google Business listing to let customers know whether or not you’re open for holidays like July 4th.
You can also share updates about your hours of operation on your social media pages, your website, and in any email promotions you send out.
Make a bang with these 4th of July marketing slogans, promotions, and ideas
Make your marketing shine brighter than the 4th of July with these simple ideas that can help you reach new customers, make your current customers happy, and increase engagement with and awareness of your business in July and beyond.
Looking for more marketing ideas to keep customers engaged throughout the year? Download our marketing calendar here!
Here’s a recap of all the ideas we shared:
4th of July promotion ideas
- Hand out free swag
- Host a 4th of July sidewalk sale
- Create a special product or service for July 4th
- Offer 40% off for 4th of July
- Run a buy 3 get 1 free special
- Give a discount for patriotic gear
- Run a promotion for email subscribers
4th of July marketing ideas
- Run a 4th of July social media contest
- Write a 4th of July blog post
- Participate in local events
- Promote your patriotic-themed products
- Give back to a local cause
- Get in the 4th of July spirit on social media
- Create a 4th of July-themed photo wall
- Use 4th of July hashtags
- Update your hours of operation if needed
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