9 Memorial Day Marketing Ideas for Your SMS Campaigns

If you’re anything like me, you may wonder why many companies run promotions on Memorial Day, a federal holiday honoring military service members who died. After digging into the matter for our readers, I found that Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer in the U.S. As a result, many brands use this unofficial summer kickoff to promote seasonal products and run larger deals because 95% of people celebrating the holiday plan to spend money.

Given the spending plans of Americans, brands can find great success in running Memorial Day promotions. This blog will provide nine Memorial Day marketing ideas for your holiday SMS campaigns. 

Jump right to:

• 9 Memorial Day Promotion Ideas for Your Text Program
• Tips for Running Effective Memorial Day Promotions

9 Memorial Day Promotion Ideas for Your Text Program

Check out the following Memorial Day marketing ideas to drive sales for your business. The examples below focus on SMS — after all, that’s our bread and butter — but they can easily be translated to social media posts or email campaigns. 

Promote Seasonal Items

Given Memorial Day Weekend’s title as the start of summer, one of the most common marketing campaigns is a brand promoting seasonal items. A seasonal promotion can help you launch summer products or clear spring inventory.

In the example below, a beverage company promotes its new seltzer flavor to kick off summer.

Run a Limited-Time or Flash Sale

Many brands lean into a limited-time sale for their Memorial Day marketing campaigns. It’s a great time to run a three-day sale, which encourages customers to buy before the discounts disappear.

One great example of a Memorial Day flash sale comes from Lovepop, an online greeting card seller. The brand creates a sense of urgency by stating exactly when the weekend sale ends.

Share a Military Discount

Sometimes, it may make sense for your business to specifically target a promotion to members of the military community on Memorial Day. In this instance, consider sharing a text message promoting a deal specific to this community.

In the example below, a mindfulness studio offers 40% off a class for military members and their families over the weekend of remembrance.

Promote a Local or Remembrance Event

Use a text message marketing campaign to promote your Memorial Day event. Whether it’s a local parade, food festival, class, or remembrance gathering, you can use a marketing campaign to boost attendance.

In the example below, a nonprofit sends subscribers an event invite to join a Memorial Day walk to a military ship.

Offer a Freebee in Stores

Sometimes, your goal may be to increase foot traffic to your store over the holiday weekend. To help you accomplish that goal and encourage purchases, consider offering a freebie with an in-store purchase.

In the example below, a golf retailer offers American flag golf balls with any in-store purchase. This encourages golfers to come in to purchase over the weekend to get the free item.

Run a Donation Campaign

The reality is that some companies are changing their strategies to focus on brand marketing. One great way to build your brand reputation is to run a campaign that shows you care. For Memorial Day, consider running a campaign to request and match donations to a nonprofit or charity that supports the military community. For example, you could consider donations to:

• The Wounded Warrior Project
• Children of Fallen Patriots 
• Carry the Load
• Homes for Our Troops

In the example below, a restaurant offers a deal whereby a percentage of its weekend proceeds will go to its selected charity.

Last-Chance Sale Deals

Another marketing idea for Memorial Day is to run a last-chance campaign. These campaigns let shoppers know that the time to shop a sale or claim their discount is slowly running out. This type of campaign can push on-the-fence buyers over the finish line. 

In the example below, Alphalete encourages shoppers to buy from their online athletic wear brand for just a few more hours.

True Memorial Day Sale

One of the most common marketing campaigns used by brands across the U.S. for the end-of-May holiday is a simple promotion of a true Memorial Day sale. We’ve seen businesses of all shapes and sizes use this campaign type, including grocers, car dealerships, big-box retailers, and flower shops.

In this campaign, a brand simply lets its SMS subscribers know about an ongoing sale. Take a look at an example from a car dealership.

Weekend Countdown

Encourage your target customers to start thinking about your Memorial Day sales earlier in the week by running a weekend countdown. This is a great way to encourage shoppers to take a look at your products now and entice them to buy when the discount is running.

In the example below, an outdoor hiking store lets its subscribers know that the 30% sitewide discount starts in one day.

Need more inspiration for your next holiday marketing campaigns? Our 2025 SMS Marketing Calendar provides ample ideas for key holidays and moments this year.

Tips for Running Effective Memorial Day Promotions

Memorial Day is a great time to run promotions as consumers expect to capitalize on those deals. However, to effectively capture customers’ attention and dollars, remember these tips.

• Be respectful. While the holiday weekend is often associated with boats, camping trips, and warmer weather, be mindful that Memorial Day is a day of pain and sorrow for many Americans. As a result, remember to be respectful and careful with word choice when running promotions around this holiday. For example, many military members ask people to avoid saying “Happy Memorial Day.”
• Play up the FOMO. Memorial Day Weekend is just three days. Use this limited-time-discount language to your advantage. When you encourage urgency, your target audience is more likely to bite on your deals.
• Add a splash of creativity. Some of the best marketing campaigns think outside of the box. You know your customers best, so take some time to think about a creative freebee that would bring them into stores or share a fun campaign that will bring them joy.
• Make it easy to shop or claim a deal. Always make it easy for customers to browse your website or claim the deal. You should always include a link to the right landing page or include the discount code in the text message copy.
• Segment your audience. The best marketing campaigns are highly relevant and tailored to specific target audiences. When running a Memorial Day promotion, ensure you’re segmenting the audience by relevant criteria such as their location or past purchase behavior.

Do you want more tips on executing flawless SMS marketing campaigns? Check out our best practices guide.

Boost Memorial Day Sales With Textedly

Now that you have ideas for your Memorial Day text message marketing campaigns, it’s time to pick a platform to send them on. Textedly is known as the marketer’s dream sidekick.

Textedly is one of the most affordable texting services on the market. It allows marketers to easily set up mass texting campaigns, schedule messages, attach images, and measure performance from a web browser. 

Ready to see for yourself and launch your Memorial Day SMS campaigns? Try Textedly free today, and start seeing your revenue grow.