Hold on to your flags; the Fourth of July is coming! To celebrate, US businesses would show their unwavering patriotic spirit through holiday campaigns. While some Shopify merchants already have theirs set up, there are some that are brainstorming ideas for independence day promotions.
Here’s a guide to creating a festive campaign that’ll help increase site traffic, get and convert leads, and help you claim victory over your competitors.
Planning your campaign
It’s important to build a strong foundation for your holiday campaign. How will you know you reached your target when you don’t have one? Here are some tips to help you set your goals and objectives:
- Understand your customers
What is it that they do to celebrate the Fourth of July? This may require great effort as you find out how they celebrate, what traditions or customs they still do, and what their reason for celebrating is. - Know your budget
You should plan within your budget so it’s important that you know how much your brand can spend for a July 4th campaign. If your budget is limited, find tools and methods that can help you create your content without spending too much. For example, working with influencers instead of celebrities, or using an online video editor instead of hiring a video editor. - Choose where to promote
One great thing about Shopify is that you can choose to sell in multiple places, such as the web, on mobile, social media platforms, online marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, or pop-ups. So, make sure to choose the right places to promote. - Determine what you plan to achieve
It’s crucial that you set short-term and long-term goals for your campaign. For the short-term, determine whether you want to launch a new product, have people pay more attention and interest in an existing product, or if you’re planning to promote an event or app.
For long-term goals, determine what you want to gain from your Fourth of July campaign in the long run. This could be increased brand awareness, new leads, or better conversions.
Putting your plan into action
Now that you have a plan in place, it’s time to put your plan to work. Executing your marketing plan should still provide room for you to tweak some areas of your campaign just in case it doesn’t go as planned.
- Let your customers know
Advertise your upcoming campaign by publishing teasers. It can be a poster, a short radio ad, or a video clip. You can also do a daily countdown to build anticipation. This way, your customers will have something to look forward to when Independence day comes.
- Monitor your campaign
When you run a campaign, you don’t just wait and see what the results are. You have to track it and make sure that it’s going according to plan. Sometimes, you may need to tweak some things here and there until it goes where you want it to go. - Respond and engage
During the campaign, customers and interested consumers may inquire or provide feedback. Make sure to acknowledge that you have read them and that you provide the answers they need. Not only will this help your campaign succeed, but it’ll also establish a good relationship between you and your customers.
Reviewing your campaign results
Once your Shopify campaign’s completed, it’s a good habit to review the campaign’s performance. Whether it’s successful or not, a post-marketing campaign evaluation is needed. Here are some tips to help you assess your campaign:
- Review your goals and check if your campaign met them
This is important as it’ll help the business identify the weak and strong points of the campaign, what went wrong and what worked, and what can be improved for future campaigns. - Check customer feedback
Ask for your customers’ feedback immediately after the campaign ends so that the experience is still fresh in their minds. Ask them about their needs and wants so it would be easier for you to meet them in your future campaigns. If possible, get customer testimonials in video form. - Know your metrics
There are fundamental metrics you should be tracking and reviewing, such as overall traffic, new visitors vs returning visitors, bounce rate, conversation, rate, and more. Measuring these can help you determine where you need to improve and what you can keep doing for future campaigns.
Fourth of July ideas for Shopify campaigns
Use red, white, and blue
There’s nothing more patriotic than using these colors on your campaign. Make it evident so customers will immediately recognize that’s for the Fourth of July and that it’s a limited offer for that holiday alone.
Customize your product to match the holiday
Create specialized packaging for your products to commemorate independence day and make them available only in the month of July. If the packaging can be reusable or collectible, all the better.
Hand out free stuff
Surprise your customers with a freebie when they make a purchase. It can be something they can use for Fourth of July festivities, like independence day decorations, recipes, games and activities, and more. Take M&M’s for example. Not only did they introduce a customized product for the 4th of July, but they also gave out a free recipe for smores, which is a popular treat in the USA.
Create themed bundles or deals
For this holiday campaign, put together a set of products that consumers can use during the Fourth of July. For example, drinks and snacks best for when watching the fireworks, set of condiments for Fourth of July barbecue parties, or sun protection products for those joining the parade.
Use relevant holiday hashtags
You can attract more customers if you use trending hashtags relevant to the Fourth of July. Hashtags can help your post reach more customers. Some examples of relevant hashtags are:
- #IndependenceDay
- #FourthofJuly
- #America
- #July4th
- #4thofJuly
- #starsandstripes
- #fireworks
- #redwhiteandblue
Offer promo codes
This is standard for most sellers, especially during major holidays. But try to make it a bit different and special. For example, discount codes will only apply to products with red, white, or blue colors. You can also give special promo codes to family members of war veterans. Many tour companies offer guided D Day tours of the Normandy beaches where veterans’ relatives can walk the same and their grandfathers and great-grandfathers crossed.
Participate in community activities
The Fourth of July is also about the community. It would be a great idea for your business to get involved with the community. You and your staff can join the parade, host a community event, or support a good cause.
You can go out and give out sweets, discount coupons, product samples, or free brand merchandise. You can also host a medical mission event, feeding program, book drive, and more.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5cpWEX9A7y0
Host a Fourth of July photo contest
Have your customers send their photos of fireworks, parades, and other independence day events featuring any of your products and give a gift basket or gift certificate to the top three winners.
Some themes you can use are:
- Ultimate Fourth of July tradition
- Favorite Fourth of July recipes
- Favorite Fourth of July movies
- What’s in your Fourth of July picnic basket?
- Favorite places to watch Fourth of July fireworks
Create a limited edition product
Launch a product or a collection that’s associated with the holiday. Not only will your customers have a limited edition item from your brand, but you’ll also get an opportunity to experiment with new and festive products that resonate with patriotic spirit.
Tips for getting long-term benefits
When creating your Fourth of July campaign, it would be great if you could create one that benefits your business even after the holiday is over. Here are some tips to help you achieve that:
- The campaign should encourage more people to browse your products. Mention how your featured product goes well with other items in your product list or what is often bought along with it.
- Don’t be active and exciting only during a campaign. Create eye-catching content and promos even during regular days to keep your customers interested.
- Create a loyalty program that lets customers earn points and redeem prizes with plenty of time. But instead of a campaign with limited time, give them plenty of time to acquire punches on digital punch cards. This will keep them committed to your brand and maybe stay loyal even after they’ve claimed their rewards.
Time to kickstart your Fourth of July campaign
There’s no template or uniform approach to creating a successful campaign. This guide merely serves as a starting point. With a platform as diverse as Shopify, you’ll always have to tailor and customize these tips and ideas to meet your brand’s needs and to set your brand apart from other Fourth of July campaigns.
It can be quite challenging and time-consuming to plan, execute, and assess a brand campaign for the Fourth of July but the results are promising. It may not get you up there immediately, but it’ll help you learn more about how you can make it better the next year or for any holiday that may come in the future.
Now’s the time to fire up your marketing grill and kickstart your Fourth of July promotions. As long as you devise the right marketing plan and make good use of your resources, you can hope to achieve success.
