Your August Marketing Calendar
August is almost here with promises of lots of fun in the sun to be had! With the month fast approaching, we thought we’d share our August Marketing Calendar, highlighting the dates you should be looking out for in your content planning.
It’s mid-Summer, the sun is shining and the kids are out of school for the holidays. What better way to prepare than by planning marketing content based on key August dates?
From fun events like National Cat Day to more meaningful celebrations like World Humanitarian Day, August provides lots of opportunity for creative marketing ideas – so let’s make the most of it!
Find a pen and include some of these dates in your August Marketing Calendar.
1st August: Yorkshire Day
This month begins with the celebration of Yorkshire Day. Have you ever been to this region of the UK? It’s so beautiful that it even gets its own national day!
Whether your restaurant is traditionally British or a completely foreign cuisine, bring a little Yorkshire into your eatery, making your ‘special of the day’ a Yorkshire food – this could be a Yorkshire pudding, a Yorkshire curd tart… and serve it for the day!
Don’t forget to ask your customers to post it on their social media using a special hashtag and tagging your restaurant.
2nd August: National Night Out
Did someone say National Night Out? This is typically a national day in the United States, but who doesn’t love going out? So, let’s celebrate it in the UK as well!
This is a good opportunity for bars and restaurants to create some special offers or events, for example, an extended happy hour (perhaps for the whole night), or a student night in which you pay an entry price and only students are allowed, with shots deals and cocktail jugs.
Or, for restaurants that want to offer something more relaxed, perhaps serve a free glass of wine to everyone who orders a main course.
5th August: National Cycle to Work Day
Did you know that cycling is linked to lower risk of heart disease and cancer? The UK introduced “National Cycle to Work Day” back in 2013 and it’s most definitely a great initiative.
For any business wanting to bring in more customers, offering a stamp card that encourages customers to cycle to your venue, with the promise of a discount once a certain number of stamps is reached, can be a brilliant idea.
8th August: National Cat Day
It’s Cat Day! Are you a pet shop? How about asking your followers to share a picture of their cat on social media tagging your company for a chance to win a discount or freebie? Customers love to feel special and this is a great opportunity to bring more awareness to your business. You can also share pictures of the cats at your shop as well! Who doesn’t love pet pics??
If you run a hotel, why not use this occasion to become pet-friendly and announce this to your customers and target audience? Every year, so many hotel bookings are lost due to the fact that the hotel does not allow furry friends. If you are already a pet-friendly venue, make sure to announce it on social media and create awareness among your customer group.
8th-14th August: Afternoon Tea Week
Forget national days, there’s a whole week designed to celebrate Britain’s famous tradition of Afternoon Tea. Yes, you heard right – we are in Britain after all. Is there any better way to celebrate than by having a whole week dedicated to afternoon tea?
Are you a business that serves afternoon tea? You could launch a giveaway competition on your socials – the winner gets a free afternoon tea experience! Competition: Tag 3 friends on the original post, repost it on their story and voila! They have entered the competition.
12th August: International Youth Day
On 12th August, it’s International Youth Day. This day was created by the United Nations with the purpose to enhance awareness of cultural and legal issues affecting youth of today.
Regardless of the type of business you run, try dedicating a few hours to creating a safe space for young staff and customers and decide on a youth-focused charity that your brand will start supporting. If you’re a restaurant business, why not dedicate a special dish or drink to the charity, donating a percentage of all sales? It is undeniable that this approach will benefit your company professionally and personally; doing good for people will attract even more valuable customers that support important causes.
Another option could be a brand display of appreciation to young people. You could invite a youngster to perform at your venue, singing, dancing, even painting – you name it!
13th August: National Prosecco Day
Did someone say prosecco? Bottomless brunch is always a success: they provide so much fun and the ideal way for your business to attract happy customers.
Host a Bottomless Brunch and offer delicious food along with bottomless prosecco and entertainment. Who wouldn’t want that? In terms of food, you can offer anything from pizzas to waffles, whatever is your specialty. Customers can enjoy bottomless prosecco or prosecco-based cocktails.
Get your customers involved! Host a competition that allows customers to create a prosecco-based cocktail of their choice to be added to your menu. Ensure they tag a friend, follow your account and share to their story to enter, increasing brand exposure.
19th August: World Humanitarian Day
World Humanitarian Day. People help the people. On this day, why not donate 40% of every bill paid to an important cause? For instance, donate to the people of Ukraine and all families affected by the ongoing war.
22nd August: World Plant Milk Day
For a restaurant owner, create and post a dish or drink on socials usually made with normal milk substituted with plant milk, making your customers aware that you offer vegan alternatives. This is a great way to ensure all your customers feel included and catered for.
24th August: National Dog Day
Dogs are adorable and today is their day! Invite your customers to bring their pet into your venue. This will let everyone know that your business embraces the connection between humans and their pets. But, make sure to have loads of water pots for them – it’s still August!
31st August: Summer Bank Holiday
It’s the last day of August and with the end of summer approaching, most people are out of work trying to enjoy as much as possible.
This is a great opportunity for restaurants to provide Summer discounts or special offers to their customers while they’re out of work. For example, cater to family and friend groups with food platters at a 15% discount price for groups of +4, or cocktail jugs can be a great idea to attract customers.
Looking for something more exciting? Host an event at your venue: DJs, canapes, drinks, photo booths and more. You might want to charge an advance ticket price so it’s more exclusive and the event is profitable.
Still need some more marketing ideas? Get in touch with Posh Cockney today for a more tailored plan to your specific business or event. Planning a little further ahead? Check out our marketing calendars for March, April, May and June.
