Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May each year – this year it falls on May 28. It’s the perfect and most sacred occasion to honor men and women from the armed forces who died serving our nation.
Not many people are aware that Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. Its origin can be traced back to the years after the Civil War. On May 5, 1866, a ceremony was held at Waterloo, NY to honor veterans who participated in the Civil War. 100 years later, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo as the birthplace of Memorial Day. It was officially made a federal holiday in 1971.
Many businesses launch patriotism-themed campaigns during Memorial Day weekend. The focus is on establishing a positive connection with the target audience. Here are 6 Memorial Day marketing ideas to get your campaign up and running:
- Honor local veterans and shower them with freebies!
Memorial Day presents the ideal opportunity to honor a veteran or active military personnel. Provide them with exclusive offers to make them and their family members feel appreciated. Ensure that you launch a PR or create social media posts to highlight the occasion so that more veterans or active personnel shows up.
- Host a party for customers and employees
Host a soirée at the workplace and include a lot of fun stuff like raffles and happy hours! Invest in Memorial Day promotional products so that nobody returns empty-handed from your party. Since most people have a day off, they will definitely try to make it to your event. Keep everybody informed well in advance so that attendance levels are at the highest!
- Launch a summer-themed marketing campaign
Since Memorial Day weekend also signifies the beginning of summer, it is a great idea to highlight products by combining both themes. The double impact will help your business gain an upper hand while competing with competitors!
- Launch a contest on social media
Ask followers to post pictures, provide an interesting caption or use a hash tag as part of your contest on social media. The contest should ideally have a patriotic theme with prizes declared well in advance for prospective winners.
- Introduce mobile-friendly Memorial Day coupons
Get innovative by launching coupons that can be redeemed through cell phones. This will reduce printing costs while gaining the attention of a huge chunk of your target audience.
- Participate in local Memorial Day events
It’s a great idea to participate in parades, air shows, picnics and other community events during Memorial Day weekend. Become a part of this great American tradition wherever you are, whether in a small town or big city. Participating in such events will help to gain quality visibility for your business.
We hope these Memorial Day ideas give your business a big marketing push. Get in touch with us for insights that will take your business forward from one strength to another! Also, ask us for our range of Memorial Day giveaways and we will gladly be of help!