37 Free & Creative July Marketing Ideas (With Examples!)

july marketing ideas national parents day nissan ad

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Diversity, equity & inclusion marketing ideas in July

National Pandemonium Day
National Tape Measure Day
National Nude Day

National Minority Mental Health Month

National Eat Your Beans Day
National Hop-a-Park Day (first Saturday in July)
Canada Day
International Joke Day
American Zoo Day
National Postal Worker Day

Recreation for the Disabled Day (July 2)

It’s important to seize every opportunity you can to celebrate diversity in your marketing. Acknowledge National Buffalo Soldiers Day on July 28 to commemorate some of the earliest Black troops in the US Military who served on the Western frontier after the Civil War.
july-marketing-ideas-buffalo-soliders-day
You could even Instagram campaign where customers can receive a percentage off products or services in exchange for posting a selfie and custom hashtag.
july marketing ideas compliment your mirror day instagram campaign
July 30
july marketing ideas anti boredom campaign on facebook

Malala Day (July 12)

july marketing ideas anti boredom campaign on facebook

National Buffalo Soldiers Day (July 28)

PS here’s our full series of monthly marketing ideas

July marketing ideas for month-long awareness

Spread awareness using resources like BIPOC’s MMHM toolkit, or come up with an event of your own to support this inclusivity-related cause.
july marketing ideas minority mental health month instagram post

National Independent Retailer Month

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National Anti-Boredom Month

july marketing ideas uv safety month facebook post
Collector Car Appreciation Day – Changes Annually July 9, 2021

  • Host a gratifying month-long challenge around food, fitness, hydration, or something related to your business.
  • Share your favorite summer spots and activities.
  • Write a blog post compiling events going on in your area.
  • Ask your followers for recommendations on books, places to go, DIY projects, etc.

july marketing ideas american flag art
National Ice Cream Day – Third Sunday in July

National Grilling Month

july marketing ideas grilling month facebook contest
National Give Something Away Day
National I Love Horses Day
National Pet Fire Safety Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day – Third Thursday of Each Quarter
July 18
And now, it’s time to get down to (marketing your) business. We’ll first start with July marketing ideas based on monthly awareness causes and then move to single-day observances.
July 15

National UV Safety Month

July marketing ideas UV safety month infographic
Did you know over 15% of the world’s population lives with a disability? Historically, people with different abilities have had limited access to recreational activities. Recreation for the Disabled Day aims to change that by bringing awareness to the ways the world can be more inclusive for all.
According to my cursory research ( aka the Real Simple magazine), Christmas in July began in 1993 with a summer camp in Brevard, NC. And then somewhere along the line, businesses began using it as a marketing tool. Here are some ways you can follow suit.
You should already know your customers like the back of your hand, but you should also always be learning—especially with the shape-shifters we consumers have become due to the pandemic.
National Junk Food Day
National Be Someone Day

Everybody Deserves a Massage Week (usually 3rd week in July)

Or simply run a generous flash sale that’ll feel like, well, Christmas in July.
This photographer promoted family photo shoots, framed as a way to get your Christmas card photo taken care of early (and when you’ve got that summer look going). Depending on the weather, winter clothes may or may not be a good idea!
july marketing ideas - content marketing post celebrating malala day
july marketing ideas get to know your customers facebook survey

July marketing ideas based on national days

Christmas in July (varies)

july marketing ideas christmas in july instagram post
National Love is Kind Day Or, take a no-nonsense approach like this business did:
July 21
July 14
National Tell the Truth Day
National Dive Bar Day
National Father-Daughter Take a Walk Day
National Strawberry Sundae Day

Compliment Your Mirror Day (July 3)

July 22
July 31

International Chocolate Day (July 7)

July 5
Make your own image with a content marketing tool like Canva, like this business did:

Gruntled Workers Day – July 13

July 24

  • Gather feedback from your employees to see if you can make any improvements to their experience. Happy employees make for happy customers (who write reviews).
  • Write a thought leadership post on company culture building and highlight yours in the process.
  • Remind your audience of your commitment to customer experience.

If you’re not a spa or salon, partner up with a local provider to see if you can run a mutually-beneficial deal.

Give Something Away Day (July 15)

National Mutt Day
Compliment Your Mirror Day, observed on July 3rd, encourages people to feel positive about themselves—inside and out. If it fits with the tone of your brand and your audience, acknowledge it on social media.

National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday in July)

But of course! It’s the biggest holiday of the summer. Here are some ways to incorporate this patriotic holiday into your marketing:

  • Run an ice cream social: Use that frozen sugary goodness to lure customers into your store! In addition to offering free ice cream, provide special discounts on items or coupons with a purchase.

Gorgeous Grandma Day

  • Have an internal ice cream sundae party at your business and share on social media: the delicious masterpieces, the mess, the people indulging. Even better, purchase the ice cream from a local store and tag them in your posts.
  • Offer free ice cream after a class or session: Get more signups for a workout or yoga class with the promise of a free ice cream afterward. (Organic ice cream for the yoga folks).
  • Try getting creative with your content: We don’t always use ice cream cones to explain marketing concepts, but when we do…

July 28

Get to Know Your Customers Day (third Thursday)

July 27
I’m going to spare you the “I scream you scream” and share a little history with you. Back in the day (1984), former President Ronald Reagan decided July was to be National Ice Cream Month and that the third Sunday in July would be National Ice Cream Day. Ice cream shops, you know this one well. For the non-frozen dairy-delighted, try out these ideas:
International Kissing Day
July 11
National Hawaii Day
National Workaholics Day
National Bikini Day

National Parents’ Day (fourth Saturday in July)

July 25
National Drive-Thru Day
National Cousins Day
National Amelia Earhart Day
National Day of the Cowboy – Fourth Saturday in July
July 12

Fourth of July marketing ideas

Get to Know Your Customers Day happens on the third Thursday of every quarter—a good reminder to stay on your toes and a good opportunity to strengthen your client relationships.

  • Holiday promotions: Offer a 17.76% discount, reduce an item price to $17.76, or use promo codes like FIREWORKS or FREEDOM. Create buy-one-get-one deals for appropriately-themed products. Or just run a sale simply because it’s a holiday—ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.
  • Run a giveaway: Offer up a red, white, and blue-themed prize, barbeque supplies, a gift card, or even a survival kit like a lawn chair, bug spray, hand sanitizer, glowsticks, etc.
  • Write a blog post on topics related to your business, through the lens of themes like freedom, independence, stars, stripes, and more. Or, if applicable to your business, write more practical posts like firecracker safety tips, tips for keeping your dog calm during fireworks, or travel tips.
  • Get creative: Ditch the stock photography and get creative with your digital media.

july marketing ideas national give something away day donation drive on instagram
After the July 4th festivities, the summer heat and structureless days can start to creep in with looming threats of boredom.

Got any July marketing ideas? Share em!

And for a year’s worth of marketing ideas, check out this marketing calendar template from our friends at LOCALiQ.
July was proclaimed Minority Mental Health Month in 2008 by the US House of Representatives. This helps ensure that not only do people of color have access to adequate mental healthcare, but also that health professionals are culturally aware, empathetic, non-judgmental, and able to properly diagnose each patient who walks into their office. july marketing ideas grilling month twitter post
National Aunt and Uncle’s Day
National Bagelfest Day
National Disability Independence Day
National All or Nothing Day

Full list of July holidays

Here are some ideas to help your target audience avoid the dog days of summer:
July 29
But I did find some ideas on Facebook. This business ran a contest with a grilling-themed prize.
Rather than running an Instagram giveaway, consider hosting a charity fundraiser for Give Something Away Day. Consumers like doing business with people that share their values. Doing something for your community or a greater cause will engage your followers and make a positive impact.
National Simplicity Day
National Different Colored Eyes Day
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July 10
July 9
Run deals and sales to get new customers coming in. BigCommerce tells us that repeat customers spend 25% more per transaction during the (real) holiday season, while a new customer spends only 17% more. So start building that repeat customer base now!
july marketing ideas christmas in july sale
Share a survey via email or social media—something brief but meaningful enough to demonstrate that you value your customers, and to be informative to you.
July: It’s the seventh month of the year (fifth in the Roman calendar), rhymes with reply, should rhyme with truly, has a whopping 31 days—all great marketing opps for your business! Just joshin. That’d be sad. But July is filled with many opportunities for creative marketing—it’s National Anti-Boredom Month, Independent Retailer Month, home to World Emoji Day, Pandemonium Day, and plenty more.
The sun won’t run out of hydrogen for another 5 billion years, so consider it an evergreen topic. No matter what business you’re in, you can’t go wrong with posting UV safety tips.
July is the designated month for celebrating independent retailers who, like all local businesses, help to build our economy, towns, and communities. Promote your own business if you are one, or show your support for independent retailers in your community.
july marketing ideas facebook post showing support for independent retailers
July 3
While it’s always a good idea to include diversity, equity, and inclusion marketing in your plans year-round, there are a few observances specifically in July that you won’t want to miss:
So yes, gruntled is a word. It means pleased, satisfied, or content.
Cow Appreciation Day – Changes Annually
Not all of the July awareness causes and observances were covered in this post. There are far too many. But if you have any ideas of your own, we’d love to see them in the comments.
National Hammock Day
National Rat Catcher’s Day
National Refreshment Day – Fourth Thursday in July
If you are in any way connected to massages, whether that be a traditional massage studio, a physical therapist, or a salon, you should definitely be taking advantage this week by running sales promotions.
As promised, here is a more complete list of July observances that may or may not apply to your business:
july marketing ideas world chocolate day chocolate usb drive
National Cheer Up The Lonely Day
All American Pet Photo Day
National Mojito Day
National 7-Eleven Day
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Consider taking a more emotional approach with your brand on this day. Acknowledge the hard-working parents out there, but stay sensitive to the fact that not everyone has living parents, that not all parents are one item, and that there are many caretakers who are like a parent.
July 7
july marketing ideas everyone deserves a massage week dog getting massage
Or borrow an infographic from the CDC:
july marketing ideas ice cream social invite
July 13
National Get Out of the Dog House Day – Third Monday in July
july marketing ideas - small business facebook post on recreation for the disabled day
National Father-in-Law Day
National Whistleblower Day
National Talk in an Elevator Day – Last Friday in July
National System Administrator Appreciation Day – Last Friday in July
National Get Gnarly Day – Last Friday in July
National Support Public Education Day
International Day of Friendship
marketing funnel ice cream cone
This electric company encouraged its followers to save electricity by grilling outside:
July 6
July 1
Anyone can get behind this holiday. Whether it’s with a candy counting contest, giving out Hershey’s Kisses to customers, or just posting a funny meme. Or, you could get some chocolatey USB drives made up with your logo on em!
I tried to think of ways to put a creative twist on things to make it more widely applicable, but to no avail—unless you’re into grilling your customers for feedback…
July 26
July 4
Or take it a step further like these guys:
National Intern Day – Last Thursday in July
July 19
National Hire a Veteran Day
National Wine and Cheese Day
National Parent’s Day – Fourth Sunday in July
Buffalo Soldiers Day
National Waterpark Day
National Lottery Day
World Emoji Day
Toss Away the “Could Haves” and “Should Haves” Day – Third Saturday in July
July 17
july marketing ideas christmas in july flash sale
You could also take a lighter approach on social media. Ask more playful questions, like “would you rather,” “yay or nay,” “when was the last time you…” but keep the topics relevant so you can glean something from the answers.
Independence Day
National Barbecued Spareribs Day
Her perseverance has inspired a worldwide movement for more accessible education across all corners of the world. Inspire your audience with Malala quotes, like those included in her memoir: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot. Another idea would be to celebrate the work of Malala, and share how your business’s community is working towards better education accessibility for minorities.
National Kitten Day
National Pina Colada Day
Malala Day celebrates the work of Malala Yousafzai, an international human rights activist and the world’s youngest Nobel prize winner. Malala is from Pakistan which is an area known to deprive women and young girls of education. Her stand on education for all ultimately lead to her being shot by the Taliban. Despite this event, Malala courageously continued with the cause she believed in.