Seasonal marketing opportunities are especially important to small business owners in the specialty retail market.  Taking advantage of the warm weather, holidays and tourism should be top priority during the summer months.  We’ve scoured the internet to bring you these 7 examples to help spur your creativity.

1. “Goodbuy Girls, a vintage shop in Nashville, Tenn., this year plans to repeat a summer promotion that’s proved successful in the past. Customers receive $10 off any purchase of $100 or more when the temperature is above 100 degrees.”

2. “Survey your customers so you know which ones are NOT going away during the Summer. Get to know them better and maybe even take your best customers to lunch or provide one for them, for example.”

3. “Create a thread that will carry through your social media campaigns. You might use a “road trip” theme on Facebook, for example. As you “travel” to different states, highlight something about the state that relates to your product or service. If you are a retail establishment, create killer displays in your windows and throughout your store that are totally Pinteresting. Find ways to dovetail summer visuals with your business.”

4. “If you can swing it, have a summer vacation sweepstakes. If you need to scale that idea down, try tickets to a nearby summer hangout, like a water park or the county fair. How about a drawing for a summer picnic basket complete with food?”

5. “The summer season yields a number of events that occur in communities across the country such as festivals, concerts, and holiday celebrations.  Locals and tourists alike are in attendance at these events, thus presenting an array of current and potential customers to connect with.  Furthermore, in some cases the media is present at events that are worthy of receiving coverage.  Let consumers and media outlets know that your business will be present at a given event via social media outlets and email.  At the time of the event, hand out flyers and promotional materials or host games and contests for attendees to participate in.  Consider employing a “street team” to work the day of the event.  Have team members answer customers’ questions and pass out items that have your company logo on them.  Being a part of community events acts as a marketing tool for your business to generate brand awareness and directly interact with consumers.”

6. “At their best, neighborhood coffee shops are all about community, the chance to see familiar faces over a steaming hot cup o’ joe. One New York City coffee shop, however, has expanded that idea — forgive us — quite a latte. Greenwich Village’s Fair Folks & a Goat is based on a subscription model: $25 a month gets members as many coffees, teas and lemonades as they desire.”

7. “Step into an Alton Lane showroom and you might find yourself casually having a drink and an engaging conversation about your hobbies.  The premium tailored apparel retailer is creating a bit of a revolution in bespoke menswear, attempting to know its customers well enough to create “the best experience possible,” according to CEO and co-founder Colin Hunter. “We want our team to be observant hosts and hostesses, so we try to pick up on the small cues that naturally come up in conversation.”  Style preferences, clothing needs and personal interests all help determine the best offerings. As for the customer data, that’s taken care of through NetSuite’s integrated customer relationship management, financial, inventory and order management software. Hunter considers the partnership a “game-changer,” allowing Alton Lane to track and access data as effortlessly as striking up a chat.”

In many cases small business owners lack the credit or collateral to access the money needed to remain flexible.  Quikstone Capital Solutions provides cash for businesses.  A merchant cash advance from Quikstone Capital Solutions is a business loan alternative that can help your business thrive and prosper, whether you need cash to buy equipment, cash to renovate or expand, cash to purchase inventory, cash to advertise or cash for emergencies. Quikstone Capital Solutions can help. Contact us for a consultation today.

Sources: intuit.com, smallbiztrends.com, susansolovic.com, business2community.com, nrf.com