Business Monday: The 4th of July and Marketing – Bob Salvas

by Bob Salvas, contributing writer

One of the challenges in marketing and business development is getting your message noticed and remembered in a world where there is an overabundance of communication going on.  How do you break through the clutter?

It may be helpful to understand more about how people process information.  Have you ever tried just to memorize some random information?  It can be challenging.  One way to make it easier is to use schema-based learning.  This is the educational approach of anchoring new information to pre-existing knowledge.  It’s like having a reference point or comparison to some other information that you already know.  Doing that makes learning and remembering new information easier.

The same basic idea applies to marketing messages too.  It’s easier to get noticed and easier for people to remember what you say if the message aligns with something your prospect is already thinking about.

“Always enter the conversation already taking place in the customer’s mind.”
-Robert Collier

It is not always easy to figure out what conversation is taking place in the mind of your customer.  But one common strategy is to anchor your marketing message to an event that your audience is already aware of and probably thinking about—-like holiday celebrations, for example.

Of all the holidays we enjoy, the topmost-celebrated holidays in this country are:

1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving
3. The 4^th of July (Independence Day)

Not only is the 4^th of July one of the top three celebrated holidays in the USA every year, but this year is the BIG celebration as the country hits 250 years.  By working this theme into your marketing message, you increase your chances of being noticed and/or remembered.  You can be creative in this endeavor.

What might be some 4^th of July ideas you can tie into your marketing efforts?  One way is to look at what the holiday means to people and build off that in your communication and marketing efforts.  For me, I think the 4^th of July is mostly about 3 things: FREEDOM, FLAG, and FUN.

FREEDOM – The holiday is called INDEPENDENCE DAY for a reason- it was all about gaining our freedom from England.  3 thoughts on this:

Time: If the product or service you offer will save people time and trouble, you can position it as giving them MORE FREEDOM!

Free: Freedom also conveniently starts with that magic word ‘free’.  So, you can have a ‘freedom offer’—like by 2 and get 1 FREE!

Freedom to purchase: Whenever you make something affordable for those who it was not previously affordable, aren’t you now giving them the freedom to now own that item?

FLAG – Flag decorations will be everywhere and certainly are a good idea for your business.  But the flag really symbolizes patriotic pride in the fact that we are Americans and we are celebrating our 250^th anniversary.  3 thoughts on this:

Made in America: If your product is Made in America, let that be known year-round but especially as we approach the 4^th of July!

Support and sponsor local events: America is a big country, but that big country is made up of communities so support your community (and it’s probably where a lot of your customers are too!) so if you can help by sponsoring fireworks or a local parade, do so!

Charitable giving: Giving to charitable causes is always a good idea but as we celebrate 250 years of independence, you might want to give to some causes centered around the military and our veterans. They are one of the main reasons we can celebrate 250 years after all!

FUN – People really enjoy the 4^th of July.  Part of the reason is the season.  The other two big celebration holidays (Christmas and Thanksgiving) take place in colder months, but this one occurs right in the heart of the summer. 3 thoughts on this:

Outdoor events: Talk about and support the many outdoor activities we enjoy on this holiday.  People are going outside to parades, barbeques, family reunions, fireworks displays, etc. One idea might be to have your custom wrapped vehicle at some of these outdoor events.

Summer fun: Along with talking about and attending the events that occur on the 4^th of July, the summer extends beyond that date.  Highlight some fun summer things to do in your area and make sure you participate in (and sponsor) some too!

Vacation: In addition to the holiday and the fact that it is summer, it is also prime vacation season.  People go away on vacation so tie that into your messaging.  Also, it is nice when WE (the business) can take a vacation.  If you are taking a vacation, wish people a safe and joyful 4^th of July and let them know that to celebrate you will be taking some time off during the holiday (make sure to include dates you will be gone).  We all need a break now and then so take one and you’ll come back better than before!

My personal best wishes to you and your family as we celebrate AMERICA 250!  Happy 4^th of July!

___

Bob Salvas is a Professional Development Manager for the RI Builders Assn, a marketing consultant, the founder of Momentum Networking, and the co-founder of THE MARKETING CAMP, a yearly conference to help small businesses achieve success.  For more information about THE MARKETING CAMP, go to themarketingcamp.com.  Bob can be reached at 401-359-1602 or at [email protected].