“Out of Office” email notifications are becoming more frequent. Cities are emptying out, and beaches are filling up. For many brands, July and August bring a common fear: a drop in metrics.
But just because your audience is on vacation doesn’t mean your marketing should take a break. It just means the context has changed. Consumers are swapping the office for the patio and their computers for their cell phones.
To stay relevant, you need to adapt your seasonal marketing strategy (in this case, summer marketing). The key isn’t to shout louder to be heard above the sound of the waves, but to tailor your message to be a pleasant companion. Today we’ll walk you through some steps for creating summer campaigns that build connections without overwhelming your audience.
1. Mobile First: Where Summer Happens
During the summer, desktop usage drops off and mobile reigns supreme in terms of usage numbers. People are scrolling on the beach, by the pool, or while traveling. If your content (or website) doesn’t work perfectly on a phone, you’ve lost the game.
Digital creativity this season should focus on vertical formats (Reels, TikToks, Stories) and fast-loading websites. No one is going to wait 5 seconds for a website to load (especially when the sun is beating down on the screen).
2. “Snackable” and light-hearted content
No one wants to read dense texts or watch hour-long lectures in August. Your audience wants entertainment and something lighthearted.
Your strategy should focus on content that requires little time and mental energy.
Less Selling, More Value: Instead of “Buy Now,” focus on “How to use our product on vacation.” The goal is to keep the brand top-of-mind for consumers so it’s there when they return to their daily routines.
Education Disguised as Entertainment: It’s possible to sell without seeming like you’re selling, by creating narratives that engage users rather than interrupting them.
3. Take Advantage of User-Generated Content (UGC)
The hot season is a golden opportunity for summer engagement. People are more willing to take photos and share happy moments.
Encourage your customers to share photos featuring your product while they’re on vacation. This not only creates authentic social proof but also gives you free content to post on your social media channels. A simple summer hashtag or a photo contest can dramatically increase your brand’s organic reach.
4. Adjust the schedules and budget for ads
User behavior changes dramatically in the summer. Traffic peaks may shift to later in the evening (after dinner) or to early in the morning.
Monitor and adjust: Don’t let your campaigns run on autopilot. Analyze the data weekly and adjust your posting and ad schedules.
Lay the groundwork: Even if direct conversions drop, summer is an excellent time for reach and brand awareness campaigns, helping you fill your funnel for the “rentrée” in September.
5. Summer is the run-up to Christmas
It may seem early, but while you’re projecting a “lighthearted” vibe on the front end, the back office should already be planning for Q4 (Black Friday and Christmas).
The slower months are ideal for SEO audits, website restructuring, and strategic planning. Remember: Christmas sales start long before December. Those who sow the seeds of customer relationships in the summer reap conversions in the winter.
Take Advantage of Summer Marketing
Staying relevant during the summer doesn’t require a million-dollar budget—it requires intelligence and adaptability. By swapping complexity for creativity and aggressive sales tactics for emotional connection, you can turn the “silly season” into an opportunity to build customer loyalty.
At Brief, we help you create strategies that work all year round—from an optimized website to ads that convert.
Is your brand ready to take the plunge without drowning? Talk to us.