Sun is shining, the temperatures are rising and the sound of the sea waves melts along with the chilling music floating in the air of the beach bar. Traditionally, summertime brings a mood for vacation, holidays, outdoor activities… and a drop in sales.
This year, however, the spending forecasts are encouraging: 79% of Americans say they are planning to shop more in the coming months and most consumers expect a return to normal holiday celebrations this summer. Seasonal travelling is expected to increase by 2500%, so for summer-heavy brands July and August will be a small BFCM in terms of revenues.
But it doesn’t really matter what your product or service is – with the right tools and a solid marketing plan there are ways for every business to capitalize on the summer season and use the upcoming weeks to reach out to customers, boost engagement and conversions.
Here are 5 proven SMS marketing ideas to battle the sales slump and help your revenue increase along with the temperatures.
Summer Tip 1: Use SMS to Promote a Summer-Special
The best way to attract the attention of your customers during the hot summer days is by offering them an equally hot summer offer. It could be anything from a special seasonal menu, a new breezy scent, or an exclusive bundle to get them beach-ready.
Your subscribers will really appreciate anything that will help them plan and enjoy the perfect looong-awaited summer days.
Use text messages to announce and promote your summer-special campaign. SMS marketing enjoys a whopping 98% open rate, so you know you’ll reach your audience even at the most secluded beach or at the loudest pool party.
Add seasonal lingo or puns to grab people’s attention and boost engagement. Don’t forget to include appealing images to make shoppers crave your hot products.
Summer Tip 2: Use SMS to Launch a Flash Sale
If you don’t plan on releasing a seasonal product or a collection, but you still want a solid boost in revenue, it is time to turn to the oldest trick in the book: launch a flash sale!
A flash sale is a limited time offer, intended to grab the attention of people with massive discounts and strong FOMO. The goal is to create urgency, get customers to act fast and make a direct purchase.
And what better way to reach out to your shoppers and grab their attention in between cocktail hours than a direct and brief SMS? With the help of our new built-in template gallery the perfect text message is just a click away!
Make sure you let customers know your flash sale is not going to last for long and mention low inventory. Use phrases such as: “Hurry up”, “Grab now”, “While stocks last”, “Limited Quantities”, etc.
Another cool(ing) idea is to launch a Beat the Heat SMS campaign. It will help you leverage text marketing and promote last-minute deals that reflect the weather – lower the prices as temperatures rise.
When the forecast is predicting a scorcher, send out an SMS campaign with limited time offers on themed products, such as cooling items, beach accessories, etc. You don’t need special preparation, a simple text message can do wonders for your sales:
“Beat the Heat with 35% discount on beachwear – all day today!”
“Cool off with 10% OFF sitewide!”
Summer Tip 3: Use SMS to Leverage Summer Events
If you are looking for ways to make your promotions even more engaging and push your sales beyond a single day, you can tie your offer to specific summer occasions.
People LOVE all kinds of special events, as they provide them with the perfect excuse for some extra spending – either when it comes to gifts for friends or families, or to pamper themselves with some well-deserved treats. We are here to give you some creative ideas for engaging SMS campaigns even during the traditionally slower summer months.
Beauty brands, for example, can leverage World Chocolate Day (July 7) to sell natural cocoa-based products, or bet on National Lipstick Day (July 29) to announce a new makeup collection.
Fashion brands can use summertime to promote all sorts of vacay-related items and collections, such as swimwear, sunglasses, beach accessories, skin care products, outdoor equipment, mini travel beauty sets, etc. And as we all know, summer season = wedding season. Shoppers are actively browsing the web for the cutest outfit and the comfiest dancing shoes, so they would really appreciate your help in becoming the king or queen of the party.
If your brand sells sports equipment, health supplements, gym accessories or even outdoor-related products, the upcoming Summer Olympics (July 23 – August 8) present the perfect occasion for you to actively use text marketing to reach out to customers with special offers and win the gold medal in sales.
Summer Tip 4: Use SMS to Invite Shoppers to Local Happenings
As the situation is slowly getting back to normal, expect a great variety of outdoor events this summer. Check up the calendar for some local community happenings that might be interesting for your audience and use the occasion to connect and engage with potential customers and set your brand top of mind.
Use SMS to invite your subscribers to а street fair or а local festival, where they can find your brand and products. Excite them more by announcing a special deal or a limited product bundle – available only for the time and place of the event.
And if there is no suitable occasion – just host your own summer event! Send a text message to your subscribers in the area to invite them to some in-store entertainment, exciting giveaways and a chance to meet your brand and the people behind it.
Leverage SMS-only offers: give additional incentive to people to come to your event booth or local store, by offering exclusive coupons with discounts – available only for SMS subscribers. This will boost the attendance, but also – will give additional nudge to potential customers.
Summer Tip 5: Leverage Upsell and Cross-sell to Maximize Results
Especially in the summer season, it is crucial to have active upsell & cross-sell SMS campaigns. It was hard enough to grab the attention of your customers, resting around a pool and enjoying a fresh cocktail, so now that they are in the shopping mood you better make the most out of this interaction.
Try to be helpful by providing your customers with a matching deal or a discount of a product you know they want. Send them a relevant offer that complements something they have already purchased from you recently.
After all, it is summertime. If you miss out on your chances to score some extra sales, you can’t be sure when you’ll have your shot at it again. You know that acquiring new customers costs between 5 and 25% more compared to retaining an existing one. So focusing on your current shoppers by offering targeted deals and discounts using SMS might be the best decision you’ve made this summer.
Have a Successful Marketing Summer
These were our top tips on how to avoid sales meltdowns this summer. Apply some of them to your business and don’t be afraid to experiment!
Get creative and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Check out the calendar and brainstorm some ideas on how to use the summer season to best promote your brand and products to keep your shoppers engaged and drive additional revenue.
