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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
In the example below, a restaurant offers a deal whereby a percentage of its weekend proceeds will go to its selected charity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do you want more tips on executing flawless SMS marketing campaigns? Check out our best practices guide.
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.