The coronavirus pandemic will likely influence July 2020 activities. But that shouldn’t stop you from publishing seasonally-appropriate content.
Content marketing is the act of creating (or sometimes curating) content, publishing it, and then distributing it with the aim of attracting, engaging, and retaining customers.
Here are five content marketing ideas your business can try in July 2020.
1. Backyard Vacation Plans
Some families are reluctant to travel this summer and are receptive to backyard vacation suggestions. Photo: Johanna Dahlberg.
2020 has been difficult. There have been several significant earthquakes, an airline crash in Pakistan that killed nearly 100 people, protests and riots over George Floyd’s death in police custody, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
As such, many of your store’s customers and prospects may be considering stay-cations this July rather than hitting the road.
For your July content marketing, try to develop articles or videos that help your customers plan a backyard vacation.
Here are a few headlines to spark your creativity:
- “7 DIY Projects to Transform Your Backyard into a Vacation Cabana”
- “Plan the Perfect Backyard Camping Trip for Your Toddlers”
- “Create a Tropical Vacation in Your Backyard”
- “4 Vacation Retreats in Your Own Backyard”
- “10 Amazing Recipes for Your Backyard Vacation”
2. Summertime DIY or Crafts
Do-it-yourself and craft articles are a good way to connect with customers. Photo: Hip2Save.
It has been roughly eight years since marketing expert Jay Baer released his seminal book, “Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is About Help and Not Hype.”
Baer and others argue that content marketing is at its most effective when it is helpful. Thus, how-to articles and videos that help a customer learn a skill or complete a task rank very high for building customer relationships and reciprocity.
Consider including do-it-yourself or craft articles and videos in your company’s July 2020 content marketing, such as:
3. Define a Routine
Related to learning and how-to topics, try to introduce your audience of customers and potential customers to a new routine.
The self-help community emphasizes the benefits of morning and evening routines. Here are a few examples on YouTube:
Try to suggest routines to your audience that could help your business. For example, a sporting goods retailer might post a soccer practice routine. A fishing retailer could have a kayak fishing trip routine.
4. Celebrate Mobile Tech
The Sony Walkman wasn’t as much a technological innovation as it was an example of imagination.
On July 1, 1979, Sony introduced the Walkman.
“The Sony Walkman didn’t represent a breakthrough in technology so much as it did a breakthrough in imagination,” according to the History channel website.
“Every element of the Walkman was already in production or testing as part of some other device when Sony’s legendary chairman, Masaru Ibuka, made a special request in early 1979.
“Ibuka was a music lover who traveled frequently, and he was already in the habit of carrying one of his company’s ‘portable’ stereo tape recorders with him on international flights. But the Sony TC-D5 was a heavy device that was in no way portable by modern standards, so Ibuka asked his then-deputy Norio Ohga if he could cobble together something better.
“Working with the company’s existing Pressman product — a portable, monaural tape recorder that was popular with journalists — Ohga had a playback-only stereo device rigged up in time for Ibuka’s next trans-Pacific flight.”
Stories like this exist in many industries, including yours, potentially.
For July 2020, do a bit of research and see if there was a significant mobile innovation in your niche. If so, write about it. Readers would likely find it engaging.
5. Disneyland Opens: July 17, 1955
Disneyland opened in July 1955, issuing tickets such as this one to customers.
July 17, 2020, will be the 65th anniversary of Disneyland’s opening. It’s an opportunity to connect with your customers.
At the time of writing, Disneyland was closed as a result of the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean the theme park isn’t a good topic for your July content marketing. You might have several options, such as:
- Describe your childhood experience at Disneyland,
- Interview a couple of customers about Disneyland,
- Address an important industry event that took place at Disneyland.
You could, also, contact Disneyland for other ideas that relate to your industry, as in:
- Cleaning supply retailer: “7 Sanitation Tips from Disneyland’s Planned Reopening”
- Travel gadget retailer: “10 Major Differences between Disneyland and Disney World”
- Food and beverage retailer: “The 15 Best Things to Eat at Disneyland”
