7 SMS Marketing Ideas for the August Holiday Drought
August is the only month without a major federal or bank holiday, which knocks many of the low-hanging campaign ideas off of the marketing tree. But do not despair, dear reader. We’ve spliced and harvested some ripe, August-proof varietals to give your marketing calendar an abundance of juicy SMS ideas this month.
One of those ideas is so incredibly obscure that I can’t help but spoil it here in the intro: “Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day.” No, we didn’t make that up, but it goes to show that there is always an occasion to send your list a text. You just have to connect the dots from excess zucchini to your brand (easy, right?).
Here are the texts we believe you should try in August:
National Friendship Day - August 4
Not to be confused with National BFF Day, National Friendship Day is a celebration of that broader, non-BFF tier of friends in our lives (We can only have so many BEST friends).
This is a chance to offer BOGO deals or heavy incentives for multiple purchases so your subscribers can share the goods with their friends!
If you’re not in the mood to throw a sale, share some friendly content or a note of appreciation to your subscribing friends.
Pickleball Day - August 8
It’s all the rage. And it has claimed quite a few knees from the eager Picklers who didn’t properly stretch. So, we weren’t surprised to see a lot of brands incorporate Pickleball mentions into their marketing this year. Even if you aren’t an apparel or sporting brand, you can engage with your community in creative ways, as Super Coffee did here:
Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbors Porch Day - August 9
Again, we promise we’re not making this one up. Nor is it a euphemism. Today is a day to dump all of your excess, garden-grown zucchini onto your neighbor’s porch as a ‘gift.’ At the very least, this day should make for some very funny texts.
Brands could also share a recipe for zucchini bread (underrated) or a zucchini-forward dinner for the lucky subscribers who do, in fact, receive free local summer squash from their neighbors. If we do spot any Zucchini Day texts going out on August 9, we’ll be sure to feature them next month in a special spotlight.
National Bowling Day - August 10:
I bowled a 245 once in high school, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I was in the absolute zone that day—the kind of zone every ecommerce marketer should be entering as we approach (*gasp*) BFCM season. You can start getting your promotional reps in with a Bowling Day campaign.
Here’s our challenge for August 10: send a bowling-themed message without saying something like, “This deal is a STRIKE.” We can all do better than that.
Side note to apparel brands: the world could use a bowling shirt comeback. Who do we speak to about this?
National Relaxation Day - August 15
Have you seen those ads that simply display a peaceful nature scene and calming music for 30 seconds with a subtle “this moment brought to you by _____”?
National Relaxation Day could be an opportunity to do something similar over SMS. Whether you encourage subscribers to take a beat and relax or you plug a product that aids in relaxation, be chill with it.
Women’s Equality Day - August 26
It’s sobering to think that women’s right to vote was only recognzied about 100 years ago. But Women’s Equality Day has come to commemorate more than just the passage of the 19th Amendment, it recenters our attention on continuing to fight for full equality for women everywhere.
Use SMS to highlight some of the incredible women working on your team, or partner with charitable organizations to raise money and donate proceeds toward equality-centered missions!
Beach Day - August 30
Sorry, there's no clever context for this one; we’re at the beach currently. But here are some fantastic beach-day texts to get your gears turning:
While there may not be a big, traditional sales holiday in August, it’s high time you tune up your SMS program, warm up your subscriber list, and start preparing for the BFCM season.
Thoughtful campaigns and experimental texts can help you build out subscriber segments, collect data about your customers, and ramp up your communications as the world of ecommerce braces for the holiday storm.
If you haven’t seen it yet, our upcoming AI tools will help optimize every variable of your SMS campaigns and prime you for a huge Q3 and Q4. Be sure to join our live webinar to learn more.
