Labor Day is a holiday that was originally designed to give workers a day off, but for small businesses, it is perhaps one of the best times of the year to keep your doors open. As people celebrate the last hurrah of the season at county fairs and backyard barbecues, you can benefit by creating opportunities for potential customer. However, that’s much easier said than done. Check out our top 7 Labor day marketing ideas you should try this year!
Labor Day is a time of year when many businesses start thinking of marketing ideas for capitalizing on what’s usually a big holiday for businesses. Special sales, deals, and events will be common. Chances are, you are also thinking along the same lines. The question is how to get the word out. Here are 7 Labor Day marketing ideas for small businesses.
1.Host a Cookout
Nothing can match the power of bringing people in like the smell of burgers or hot dogs on the grill. It does not matter whether or not you are in the catering industry. People view Labor Day as summer’s last hurrah, so invite your customers for a final cookout before the fall.
If you don’t usually serve food, it’s perfectly fine. It is an excellent way to get people together while giving them a good reason for coming. It is the perfect opportunity to market to a captive audience. Demonstrate or promote your products by setting up a display next to the grill.
2.Welcoming Fall
Labor Day might signal the end of summer, but it is still the start of fall (unofficially). Businesses usually switch gears once the seasons switch. Clothing stores start switching to warmer clothes, restaurants start offering seasonal menu items or ingredients, etc.
Instead of simply bidding farewell to the warm weather, it is now time for welcoming the new. Clothing stores can offer a glimpse at warmer fashions, restaurants can offer a sample of upcoming specials, and much more. People are sad to say goodbye to summer. So, you should capitalize on fall if possible.
3.Themed Deals
Labor Day is the time for sales and chances are that whatever you are doing, a sale of sorts will be involved. Truth be told, nothing does a great job of getting people in your door or your website like the prospect of a good deal.
Labor Day means several things beyond the end of summer and the start of fall. For children and their parents, it is all about going back to school. For others, it is all about the beginning of the football season. You can pique interest by structuring your deal around a theme such as these.
4.Social Media Contest
Labor Day is the last opportunity many of your customers have to go to the beach or barbecue before the season ends. Chances are, they have their phones with them and they will be taking lots of pictures. Social media is the perfect way for businesses to connect with customers and Labor Day is the best time to have some fun doing it.
Encourage your customers to either tag you in or send you their Labor Day photos. You can make it a contest and select the “best” one for a prize such as a discount or gift card. It is an excellent way to expand your organic social media reach while encouraging interaction with followers and fans.
It does not cost much to get started with social media contests since all you need is a $50 gift card as well as a bit of online promotion. It is advisable to start promoting early on to ensure that you have plenty of participants by the time Labor Day arrives.
5.Offering Discounted Renewals
No time is as good for securing recurring revenue as holiday time. If you offer subscription plans or memberships that renew every year, Labor Day is the perfect time to secure those customers for one more year.
You can offer your customers a discount ranging from 10- to 20-percent on their annual membership if they renew early. It gives your customers a strong incentive to stick with your business and lets you lock in those customers for one year more.
6.Free Upgrades
If you offer a service or product that can be upgraded, Labor Day is perhaps the best time of year to test this marketing idea. Upgrades typically involve moving a customer to a higher price tier. For Labor Day, you can consider being a bit more generous.
You can offer your customers a free upgrade to the next tier for a set time period. It can be 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. Once the promotional period has ended, you will find that many people choose to stick with the new tier even if it is at a higher price.
7.Clear Out Your Old Inventory
Clearance sales always seem to be a big deal when it comes to Labor Day. If you have summer inventory that you would like to clear from your shelves or out of your warehouse, Labor Day is the ideal time to do it. Out with the old and in with the new.
A clearance sale is an excellent way to get rid of your old inventory, but if no one knows about it, it won’t be much of a success. Ensure that your customers know all about the amazing deals you have waiting for them and promote the sale well in advance of Labor Day.
Final Thoughts
Labor Day is a great time of year for businesses to make even more sales, establish and strengthen business relationships, and get ready for the new season. You should strive to make the most of this holiday by implementing the right marketing ideas such as the 7 discussed here.
Whatever marketing ideas you decide to implement on Labor Day, it is important to ensure that your customers know about it. Send an email blast, plaster your promos all over social media, and get the word out about all your Labor Day specials and promos.