June. School is out (was it ever in?) No more warm weather teasers. Accordions abound (What? We'll get to that later). June is filled with freedom and fresh air, so you can't afford stale marketing campaigns! While it's important to identify and harness content types and topics that resonate with your audience, it's equally as important to step out of your comfort zone and add some color and authenticity to your communication.
And thankfully, June has tons of great causes and holidays to make your summer marketing campaigns hot!
In this post, we're going to set you up for free and easy June marketing wins so you can stay connected with your customers and attract even more of them.
- A list of June awareness causes, themes, national days, and holidays.
- Over 50 creative ideas for incorporating them into your articles, posts, events, and promotions.
- Real examples of these ideas in action.
Without further ado, let's kick this thing off.
June national awareness causes and themes
Here are the overarching focal points of June that you can use as a compass for your social media posts, blogs, emails, and promotions.
- Give a Bunch of Balloons Month
- DJ Month
- Zoo and Aquarium Month
- LGBTQIA Pride Month
- Men’s Health Month
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month
- Camping Month
- Great Outdoors Month
- Homeownership Month
- Iced Tea Month
- PTSD Awareness Month
- Safety Month
- Accordion Awareness Month (who knew?)
June holidays and observance
There is an observance day for just about every niche out there, from gardeners to homeowners, dog owners to runners. The full list (with dates) is at the bottom of this post, but here are some notables:
- Go Barefoot Day (June 1)
- Leave The Office Early Day (June 2)
- Repeat Day (June 3)
- SAFE Day (June 4)
- Donut Day – First Friday in June
- Eyewear Day (June 6)
- Higher Education Day (June 6)
- Gardening Exercise Day
- Cancer Survivor’s Day – First Sunday in June
- Best Friends Day (June 8)
- Call Your Doctor Day – Second Tuesday in June
- Making Life Beautiful Day (June 11)
- Kitchen Klutzes of America Day (June 13)
- Children’s Day – Second Sunday in June
- Flag Day (June 14)
- Garbage Man Day (June 17)
- Splurge Day (June 18)
- Juneteenth (June 19)
- Father’s Day – Third Sunday in June
- Summer solstice/first day of summer/ longest Day of the Year
- Selfie Day (June 21)
- HVAC Tech Day (June 22)
- Take Your Dog to Work Day – Friday After Father’s Day
- Beautician’s Day (June 26)
- Sunglasses Day (June 27)
- Insurance Awareness Day (June 28)
- Social Media Day (June 30)
June marketing ideas for monthly themes
June is home to LGBTQ Pride Month, National Safety Month, National Great Outdoors Month, and more. Let's go through some great ways to market your business with these June awareness causes.
LGBTQ Pride Month
The LGBTQ community is one of freedom, creativity, and expression. So why not corporate those themes into your associated campaigns?
And why not with a pride art or pride flag contest? Encourage your social media followers, or even other businesses and nonprofits in your neighborhood, to create their own pride flag or pride art and post it to social media. Make sure they use a specific hashtag so you can gather all entries and pick the winner(s).
Also, depending on your business, you can give away a couples-themed service, such as a couples massage session or photo shoot.
Safety Month
Safety is a versatile topic that can apply to just about any audience. For example, here are some evergreen blog post ideas for different audiences:
- Cyclers: 10 Must-Have Features for your Child’s Helmet; 10 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid When Riding at Night
- Parents: Quiz: Are You Truly Keeping Your Baby Safe?
- Businesses: 5 Ways to Safeguard Your Network Against Hackers
- Millennials: 8 Social Media Safety Tips You Didn’t Know you Needed
You could also take a more seasonal approach by creating content around staying safe in the summer, or by handing out travel-sized sunscreen bottles in your store or with online orders for a limited time.
Of course, travel-related businesses can focus specifically on safe traveling during a pandemic.
Great Outdoors Month
Ah, out of lockdown and into the outdoors! People will be particularly excited to get outside this year after so much time inside. Here are some ways to apply this theme to your marketing:
- Create a blog or social media post on the best places around your state to get outside and experience nature. Ask your followers to share their favorite spots too.
- You could also run a month-long email campaign that points out new ideas and places to visit each week.
- If you hold indoor classes, host them outside!
- Run a sidewalk sale (because hey, outdoors doesn't have to mean sitting atop a mountain).
- If there’s a local business near you that sells outdoor gear, see if they’ll donate some products for an “outdoors essentials” kit or even just a discount that you could offer in a giveaway. In return, you can promote their business on social media or even offer to donate your products at a relevant time.
- Keep it simple and post a beautiful image with some outdoor inspo.
Summer vacation/graduation
Celebrate the end of the school year with specials geared toward high school or college graduates. Some marketing ideas for you:
- Moving companies can run special promotions for college grads.
- Restaurants can offer a gift card to graduates who post a picture of themselves at your restaurant wearing their cap and gown.
- Catering and events businesses can post the dates in which their services are still available.
- Don't forget about graduation and teacher gifts!
Marketing ideas for June holidays
Before we get into the sillier of observance days, let's take care of the two major holidays in June: Flag Day and Father's Day.
Flag Day (Monday, June 14)
Flag Day is a great way to continue to celebrate America, after Memorial Day has passed and July 4th is still a few weeks away. It commemorates the day that the stars and stripes were adopted for the flag. Here are some marketing ideas for this day:
- Incorporate an American flag theme into your offerings: American flag cookies, jewelry, clothing, and more.
- See if you can find a creative way to incorporate stars and stripes into your content.
- Offer discounts on red, white, or blue products you offer, whether that clothing, paint, or in the case below, fabric:
Father's Day (Sunday, June 20)
Of course, you can offer discounts and sales on this day, but here are some other ways to promote your business. We’re always looking for ways to think outside the [tie] box when it comes to Father’s Day gifts.
- Father’s Day gift guide: Compile some great gift ideas into a blog post, some of which can be your offerings. See if you can create a persona for the dads of your target audience. Are they young fathers? Old timers? Gardeners? Gadget lovers? Readers? There are tons of Father's Day gift guides out there, so keep it targeted for your audience.
- Gift baskets: Spare moms and kids from having to come up with ideas and put together creative gift baskets or combinations. Seeing everything together and artfully arranged gives added appeal.
- Restaurants: Supply gift cards to your restaurant with a bottle from a local distillery or winery.
- Spa or salons: Run specials on men’s grooming supplies. Moms who come in to redeem their gift certificates from Mother’s Day will love the one-stop shopping!
- Don’t forget about last-minute shoppers!
While diligent shoppers make careful decisions to find the right brand or product, last-minute shoppers are looking to make the fastest decision with the lowest risk. Make your flexible return policy prominent in your marketing copy, such as with “No hassle returns!” or “No return deadlines!”
Marketing ideas for June national days
These observance days provide opportunities to stand out to customers and show your creative side. Let's dive in!
Flip a Coin Day (June 1)
The first day of June is Flip a Coin Day. This holiday was made to celebrate math, but you can have some fun with it in your marketing content. Here are some ideas:
- Run a coin flip discount day: For each purchase, have customers flip a coin and call heads or tails. If the customer wins, they get a percentage discount based on the value of the coin. Quarter flips = 25% off, dime flips = 10% off, and nickel flips = 5% off. Of course, you can adjust the discounts depending on your budget and customer volume.
- Create content about decision-making. You can use the below blog post title formulas for just about any industry:
Don’t Leave It to Chance: How to Choose a [X] Wisely
It’s a Toss-Up: Should You Use X or Y?
Can’t Make Heads or Tails of X? Read This
Don’t Flip a Coin When Deciding on Your Next [industry] Partner. - Gyms and trainers can share or run a coin flip workout.
Donut Day (Friday, June 4)
The people love the Fridays. And the people love the donuts. And on the first Friday in June, they come together on National. Donut. DAY.
- Create a new tradition: Local bakeries, if you want to do something beyond just discounts and coupons, announce to your audience a week or so prior that you'll be coming out with a brand new, never-seen-before donut on this day—with a limited supply! Post little teasers on social media and your website to generate some excitement and mystery. Better yet, continue the tradition annually. Your patrons will look forward to it every year!
- Fitness businesses can offer or share an after-Donut Day workout. Donuts are delicious but not exactly marketing materials for the fitness industry. Host or post a Day After Donut Day workout.
- Show customer appreciation: Bakeries can post pictures of your loyal customers, tagging them (with their permission)
Or, do a Google search for “incredible donuts” and prepare to be amazed.
I feel like this should be called the Batman donut
World Environment Day (Saturday, June 5)
We know that consumers look for businesses that support causes they care about—one of which being environmental protection. Here are some ways to show your support for this cause:
- Collect donations for a charity or offer limited edition eco-friendly items.
- Offer waste-reducing freebies with purchase, like a reusable bag or metal straws.
- Even just creating visuals with appealing and earthy tones for your June 5th Instagram post can make a mark.
Best Friend Day (Tuesday, June 8)
National Best Friend Day is a relatable holiday and a great excuse for a sale. Run buy-one-get-one sales, promote your referral program, or run a tag-a-friend social media contest.
And this one is pretty creative:
Iced Tea Day (Thursday, June 10)
While not everyone drinks it, iced tea day is a reminder that summer is here and the weather is beautiful, which puts everyone in a good mood. Here are some simple ways to celebrate:
- If you collaborate with a local coffeehouse or bakery that specializes in tea, you can host a pop-up at your business and offer free tea for guests, or a coupon for a free tea with purchase.
- If you have a brick-and-mortar location, hand out iced tea samples to get foot traffic and spread brand awareness!
- Simply engage your audience with questions about their iced tea preferences.
Nature Photography Day (Tuesday, June 14)
Nature Photography Day is more than, well, nature photography. It’s about using images to raise awareness and advance conservation and protection efforts for plants, wildlife, and landscapes.
Post some of your best nature photos on social and accompany them with an eye-opening stat pointing to the need for conservation.
Summer solstice (Sunday, June 20)
The summer solstice is the first, and longest, day of summer. This is the perfect time of year to launch a summer collection, throw a beach-themed event or sale, or offer a beach blanket or koozie with a purchase.
Take Your Dog to Work Day (Friday, June 25)
Invite employees to bring their pooches to the office and don’t be shy about advertising their presence on Facebook. The promise of a puppy is enough motivation for people to brave the summer heat and stop by your shops.
And of course, this is the perfect contest opportunity.
Insurance Awareness Day (Monday, June 28)
Not the sexiest of national days, but a very important topic nonetheless. You can post a video with tips on how to assess your insurance, like with the example below:
Other ideas:
- Lawyers and accountants can blog about the benefits of insurance for individuals and business owners, or resurface old posts on the topic.
- Doctors and dentists can encourage patients to check out their insurance to make sure they have adequate coverage, or provide tips for connecting with insurance companies about procedures.
- Massage therapists, chiropractors, and fitness centers should encourage clients to check their insurance benefits—many insurance companies offer coverage for massage and chiropractic treatments or subscriber discounts for joining a fitness center or gym.
- Travel agents, bed and breakfasts, and hotels can use this day to blog about the benefits of travel insurance.
And let's not forget about pet insurance…
Final June marketing ideas
And why not throw in a few more for good measure?
- Repeat Day (Thursday, June 3): Re-run past promotions and campaigns that were popular among your customers.
- Cancer Survivor’s Day (Sunday, June 6): Spotlight a team member or customer who is a cancer survivor, or simply post inspirational articles, quotes, and photos.
- Selfie day (Monday, June 21): You know the drill!
- Public Service Day (Wednesday, June 23): Feature a prominent member of the community on social media or offer a discount to those in the public sector who show ID.
Can you top this?
Try out these June marketing ideas
And there you have it. A basketful of ideas and examples to keep your brand creative, attractive, and authentic! And as promised, here's the promised list of June holidays and observances.
Full list of June holidays and observances
June 1
Go Barefoot Day
Say Something Nice Day
Penpal Day
June 2
National Leave The Office Early Day
National Running Day – First Wednesday in June
June 3
Repeat Day
June 4
Clean Beauty Day
Hug Your Cat Day
SAFE Day
Donut Day – First Friday in June
June 5
Bubbly Day – First Saturday in June
Trails Day – First Saturday in June
June 6
D-Day
Eyewear Day
Higher Education Day
Gardening Exercise Day
Cancer Survivor’s Day – First Sunday in June
June 7
June 8
Best Friends Day
Call Your Doctor Day – Second Tuesday in June
June 10
Iced Tea Day
Herbs and Spices Day
June 11
Making Life Beautiful Day
June 12
Red Rose Day
Loving Day
Rosé Day – Second Saturday in June
June 13
Kitchen Klutzes of America Day
Random Acts of Light Day
First Lady’s Day
Weed Your Garden Day
Sewing Machine Day
Children’s Day – Second Sunday in June
June 14
Army Birthday
Flag Day
June 15
Smile Power Day
Nature Photography Day
June 17
Garbage Man Day
Eat Your Vegetables Day
Mascot Day
June 18
National Splurge Day
Wear BLUE Day – Friday Before Father’s Day
National Flip Flop Day – Third Friday in June
June 19
Juneteenth
June 20
Father’s Day – Third Sunday in June
Summer solstice/first day of summer/ longest Day of the Year
June 21
Daylight Appreciation Day
Selfie Day
June 22
HVAC Tech Day
National Hydration Day
National Pink Day
June 25
Take Your Dog to Work Day – Friday After Father’s Day
June 26
Beautician’s Day
June 27
Sunglasses Day
PTSD Awareness Day
June 28
Logistics Day
Insurance Awareness Day
June 29
Camera Day
Meteor Watch Day
Social Media Day
