63 perfect summer promotions for hot advertisers

Posted

Matt Coen
The summer months are when consumer spending on vacations, summer fun activities, home repairs, and yard improvements greatly increases. This means there are some specific advertisers looking for a chance to get in front of summer spenders.

For many newspapers, summer can be one of the slowest periods for revenue growth. But if you target the right advertisers with the right promotions, you can make this summer one of your biggest revenue generating seasons.

With these seven perfect advertisers and nine promotions ideas to pitch for each, surely these 63 ideas will be all you need to heat up your summertime revenue this year.

1. Lawn Care & Landscaping

With so many barbecues and backyard parties during the summer months, people are putting a ton of focus (and money) into making their yard look fantastic. Local lawn care and landscaping businesses want to get their brand in front of as many people as possible.

A great way to capitalize on this is to run an "Ugly Yard" photo contest. Both your paper and the landscaper can learn a lot about someone's lawn care needs from carefully crafted survey questions. Add an email opt-in on the registration page, and you're giving your advertiser a list of qualified leads in their prime season.



2. Summer Events

Summer is one of the busiest times for events and festivals such as local farmer's markets, county fairs, Fourth of July celebrations or maybe even a Renaissance festival. The success of these events is directly attributed to attendance – so promotions are perfect.



When you're trying to drive attendance to an event, a sweepstakes is a great tool for your advertisers. These are easy to enter. They can drive big awareness on social when you offer additional chances to win from social shares. Plus, you'll have a rich list of people to send reminder emails as the event gets closer.



3. Deck & Home Construction

Summertime weather leaves many people anxious to do some work around the house. With homeowners on average spending $7,000 on a new deck, construction companies are eager to secure business during the summer months.



A sweepstakes is a great way for you to showcase your advertiser's services. Plus, if you pick a specific prize (instead of a gift card), you'll be able to see who's in the market for your advertiser's products. Include an email opt-in and your advertiser has a qualified new list to email with their next marketing email.



4. Travel & Recreation

We don't need to tell you that summer is the biggest season for travel – this opens up a lot of advertisers for you to contact. And while travel agencies and hotels may be a good fit, also consider local "staycation" hotspots like amusement parks, recreational facilities or even campgrounds.



A great promotion around summer vacations is a quiz, like this one for Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson, Mo. Not only can the quiz questions highlight aspects of the vacation site, but it can also be a great way to collect valuable consumer profile data for your advertisers.



5. Pool & Pool Maintenance

While it can cost $22,000 to install a new pool, a lot of pool costs come from routine maintenance. Pool companies are eager to secure this yearly recurring business just as much as a new pool installation – and that's exactly why local pool installers want their business name to be the most recognized in the area.



A sweepstakes is an ideal way to collect qualified leads for your advertiser. To collect even more consumer profile data, leverage survey questions like these:

  • When was the last time your pool was resurfaced?
  • Who currently handles your yearly pool opening service?
  • Are you interested in installing a pool fence?


6. Air Conditioning & Utility Companies

As the summer heats up, consumers are blasting their air conditioner to keep up with the rising temperatures. With many HVAC units being put to the test, it's the perfect time to target advertisers that make sure these units are running their best.



A new HVAC units and summer electric bills are expensive. Running a sweepstakes that offers a new unit, free yearly servicing, or a paid summer electric bill can definitely appeal to a large audience. Add on a few survey questions, and your advertiser will walk away with a ton of qualified leads.



7. Retail & Patio Furniture

One more advertising category to target for summer promotions is retail. From patio furniture to barbecue grills, there are a lot of retail stores focusing on summer sales.



This was a great sweepstakes that not only had the prize of a new grill, it also offered a grocery gift card – all the "fixins" of your next great summer barbecue party. Include an email opt-in on your form, and your advertiser will be able to quickly grow their database for their next email marketing campaigns.



Now is the perfect time for your paper to take advantage of these big summer revenue opportunities.

Matt Coen is the president and co-founder of Second Street, a leading provider of private-label online promotions platforms and partner success services for media companies based in St. Louis, Mo. He can be reached at (314) 880-4902 or matt@secondstreet.com.

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