A Little Mid-Summer Madness - Christmas in July?

by Skip Cohen
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It's Marketing Monday, and time for a little mid-summer madness. Think about it - nothing major is happening in the consumer world. There are no significant holidays in sight, no seasonality, and, for the most part, the consumer side of the market is quiet. Even in the world of snail mail, things are quiet - this past week, our mailbox was empty almost every day.

This is an excellent time for you to get everyone's attention with a special offer via email or direct mail!

At the beginning of July, one of our favorite local restaurants launched the gift card promotion to the right. "Christmas in July" was the perfect promo to get my attention.

Most of us think of gift cards as gifts we will give, not necessarily for our own consumption. But Sheila and I eat at Deep Lagoon several times a year, and there's nothing to say we can't give a gift to ourselves, and pick up the discount.

While my interest was only with one of their restaurants, the July offer also got them exposure to other restaurants in the brand's family. From my perspective, it was a no-brainer to participate.

Now, take this model and build a promotion for August. Whether special discounts or some sort of free goods with recognized value - it's an excellent noisemaker for mid-summer.

Plus, it's ideal to bring in partners. Pretend the four restaurants above were different vendors targeting the same consumer group. Even better, how about several photographers working together to target different groups like bridal, maternity, and newborns?

Here's my point today - We live in a noisy world! The timing is perfect NOW to promote your business and expand your reach when there are fewer distractions in your target's world.

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