Many businesses take advantage of a holiday to promote their products and services. A holiday means that your buyers are already in a festive mood, and thinking of ways they can either celebrate the holiday or, at least, take advantage of the time off.  So, no matter what kind of business you own, as an entrepreneur, you need to gear up for the first big summer holiday Memorial Day.

4 Ways to Increase Sales Over Memorial Day

• Honor the Armed Services
• Focus on Problem Solving
• Collaborate on an Event
• Spread the Word

Memorial Day is a holiday is about those people who have fought and died for our country while serving in the armed forces, and often people also use the day to remember loved ones who have passed away.

It’s also a day that most people have off. This means that a lot of your audience is gearing to take a three-day weekend.  This is what you need to consider when you think about what your audience really wants, and how that relates to what your business offers.

For example, if you are a bakery, you’ll probably think about creating baked goods around the theme of Memorial Day, and featuring those items in your advertising.

If you own a gym, for instance, you might create a special guest pass for members to bring someone along.  Remember, people also travel to visit friends and family during a long weekend.

There are thousands of ideas, but each one needs to be tailored to your audience and what they would appreciate from your business.

4 Ways to Increase Sales Over Memorial Day

Honor the Armed Services

This is actually what the holiday is about, so it makes sense to keep any promotion you do topical. However, if you intend to do anything that mentions the military, be sure that you are being honest and genuine.  This is a great opportunity to promote your business as well as the people who serve our country but your audience will be able to tell if it’s just a marketing gimmick.

If you don’t have a personal tie to the military yourself, consider reaching into your own circle to find someone who does. Reach out and ask for their ideas, and consider featuring them (with their permission) as part of the promotion. Depending on the scope, you may even consider having your audience nominate someone they know.  That will take quite a bit of lead time, but it can be an excellent way to kick off the summer and your sale if you are able to plan in advance.  If you don’t have the time for that, then focus on your own circle and be proactive.

You can also run a special discount for veterans and their families. That’s what many businesses do, so it might not garner as much attention as you’d want. However, you have the opportunity to incorporate your brand into the marketing message so you can set yourself apart from the competition in how you present your offer.

Focus on Problem Solving

Discounts are awesome; no one is going to deny that.  Discounts, though, tend to appeal to people who were already interested in buying.  The discount can certainly push someone over the fence into buying, but remember you want to also pull in those consumers who might not understand why a discount would be interesting for them.

To do that, your marketing materials need to include the solutions your product or service provides.  Leading up to and during a holiday your audience has been disrupted. They aren’t following their normal schedules, they are preparing for family gatherings and activities. They are excited, but they are also much more aware during a time of disruption to their routines.

This means you have the golden opportunity to tell people about WHY your stuff is so awesome.  Then, when you throw in the discount, it pushes those who were probably already going to buy, AND those that are just now really listening to how you solve that pesky problem of theirs.

Collaborate on an Event

Small business is often about collaboration and pooling resources.  Instead of trying to pull off something big entirely on your own, think about what other small business in your local area you could team up with to put on the show.

For example, a Memorial Day BBQ is a seasonal favorite, but if you are a small business that sells pet food, you might not really have the budget to throw the party as well as market it.  So, partnering with a local restaurant might be just the ticket. They have the venue and the expertise, and you can help spread the word.  

Or, perhaps you can attach your business to a local event by sponsoring a contest or raffle prize.  Think about non-profit veteran organizations and how they work really hard to make Memorial Day special for their audience. If you can help out and contribute money, prizes, or even volunteers to work the event, those organizations often have ways to promote you to their audience and express their thanks.

Spread the Word

Marketing is really just about telling people about what you’re doing and offering, and hopefully getting those people to tell other people. So, this idea might seem obvious.

But, keep in mind that a holiday sale is time-sensitive. This means that when you are sharing your sale, you get to genuinely tell your audience that they need to act quickly.

Making a consumer feel like they need to take action *right now* is something marketing struggles with constantly.  Many people just don’t react when they hear about a “limited time offer” because it isn’t really tied to anything they can relate to, like the date.

Memorial Day, though, is something they do understand, and intuitively know is a thing that happens once a year, and it only lasts a day.  So, take advantage of the opportunity to really get your consumer to take prompt action on this once-a-year offer.

Increase Revenue With a Holiday Sale

Keep in mind, your buyers crave authenticity and personalized content. They will respond to your special holiday offer if its designed as something they would care about. Tie their desires into the holiday to ensure its relevant, and to give it time-sensitivity, and you have a recipe for increasing your bottom line with a Memorial Day (or any holiday) sale.