8 SMS Marketing Campaign Ideas for Summer

#1

Host a Summer Holiday Social Media Contest

Want to get people talking? Ask about their pets. Pet parents are the perfect audience to engage in your brand’s social media channels. To celebrate National Dog Day in August, host a contest on your social media accounts that asks followers to post photos of their pets looking extra cute. Now sure how to incorporate this summer marketing idea into your seasonal strategy? Here’s an example:

Your company sells recreational goods and markets to the outdoorsy types. But your social media contest is all about thrill-seekers’ furry sidekicks. Invite followers to post photos of their dogs participating in outdoor activities with their owners (like riding in a bike basket, splashing in a river, or hiking with their human). The best photo wins a gift card to your website. But to enter, they must include the hashtag #hellosummer, tag your brand, and tag three friends.

This summer marketing campaign engages your followers, expands your audience's reach, and capitalizes on people’s love for their pets.

But how do you reach people who might not follow you on social media? It's easy: Promote the contest via SMS, providing short links to the accounts associated with it.

#2

Promote a Vacation-Ready Kit

When summertime hits, people start planning vacations: purchasing flights, booking seaside dinner reservations, and organizing schedules with family members. They have a lot on their plates. Make your customers' trip planning easier with a vacation-ready kit.

Here are a couple of ideas that can help spark creativity for your brand’s summer promotion:

• A skincare company releases travel-sized bottles of its most popular skincare regimen, plus an accompanying waterproof travel case in various colors.
• An outdoor goods company markets "sets" products based on different activities, like the ultimate beach-goer's set, camping necessities, or a Saturday morning pickleball tournament set.

This promotion is the perfect SMS marketing idea for your summer campaign. Compile the kits on your website with a dedicated page for the summer promotion. Then, share the link to this page with customers who have opted into your text messages. You could say, "(The Great Outdoors) Need a little inspo for your summer vacay activities? Check out our curated sets that set your next outdoor adventure up for success. [link]"

#3

Highlight Your Seasonal Content

Summer days are easy and breezy, so your summer marketing campaign ideas should be, too. Take a break from pushing products and focus on content that highlights seasonal activities. This could include:

• DIY content. The long summer days are the perfect time to tackle household projects, like sprucing up the garden, building that long-wanted chicken coop, or turning the garage into a home gym. Capitalize on your customers' dreamy DIY minds by pushing how-to content, which can build trust with your audience.
• Travel guides. Localized content is the way to go for a summer marketing idea. Inspire wanderlust in your customers with travel-related content, like city or multiday trip guides. This is a great opportunity to incorporate user-generated content with social channel takeovers from influencers, where they take viewers on a tour through a city.

Promote your summer content consistently across social channels, SMS, and email.

#4

Showcase Summer Retail Flash Sales

While keeping your summer marketing ideas content-focused can be a great strategy, the reality is that people do purchase specific things during the summer. So, turn this into an SMS promotion for products you know customers will be searching for and buying during the summer months, like fans, sunscreen, suitcases, outdoor grilling products, swimsuits, sandals, etc.

Send text blasts highlighting special flash sales throughout the summer to your customer base. Maybe you put your natural zinc SPF on sale for a week, or your swimsuits go on sale for three days around Labor Day. Whatever product sales you're promoting, make sure your customers see them via text.

Here’s an example: “(WAVES) We never do this, but … our bikinis are on sale! Get 20% off your purchase of $125 or more for the next 3 days. Choose your poolside look now: [link]”

Another tip to ensure your customers read your text is to send it on Monday during business hours. Timing is everything.

#5

Organize an Event in Your Community

Bring your summer marketing campaign ideas to the local level by organizing a summertime event in your city or neighborhood. Not only can you promote your brand, but you can also attract new customers and clients with in-person marketing.

People want to soak up the summer sun, so give them something fun to do! Here are some top-notch community event ideas:

• “Small biz” day that involves other participating businesses in the neighborhood
• Fun run/walk
• Food or beer festival
• Movie night in the park
• Street fair featuring local makers

While this isn’t specifically an SMS marketing idea, it should be promoted via text to customers and clients who have opted in. Get the word out about your event by sharing information and a link to a dedicated event page on your website (or a community website). If any other businesses are participating, make sure that they send out text blasts, too. You should also be promoting the event by email, social channels, and posters or flyers around town.

#6

Run a Referral Giveaway

Sweeten your summertime marketing campaign with a referral giveaway. Send a text blast to your valued customers, letting them know that when they refer a friend, they’ll be entered to win a free product or a free month of their subscription.

This campaign idea incentivizes current customers (who already love your brand) to take one simple action for a prize. Plus, it grows awareness around your brand, with your team barely needing to lift a finger — because, in this case, your customers are doing your lead generation for you.

#7

Share a Summer Survey

This might not sound like the most exciting summer marketing idea, but here’s a little secret: The summer is a great time to collect feedback and take a pulse on how customers feel about your brand. Why? Because people take time off of work and school during the summer, meaning that they typically have more minutes in the day to participate in company surveys or polls.

First, it’s important to determine what kind of information you want to collect. Do you need product/service usage data, feedback on a seasonal product idea, or something else? This will help inform what type of poll or survey to send via text.

Then, once you have the survey set up—whether an SMS-based survey or one through a survey tool—send it to the appropriate audience, whether it’s a specific customer segment or your entire contact list. Sweeten the deal with a little incentive, like a discount, as a token of appreciation for providing feedback.

#8

Send Friendly Seasonal Reminders

No matter your market, your company can capitalize on several opportunities to boost engagement during the summer. One of the best ways to keep your brand top of mind is to schedule text reminders to be sent to contacts at relevant times. Here are some ideas for summer-focused reminders:

• Holiday event, vacation, and decor prep
• Back-to-school campaigns
• Summertime upkeep, whether protecting your skin or performing maintenance on your car or home
• Seasonal sales
• Event save-the-dates, RSVPs, and more