How To Make The Most Of The Canada Day Long Weekend

Summer is here! It’s official! Today marks the first day of summer. And, for most Canadians, top of mind today is how to celebrate and enjoy their summer vacations. Technically, it all starts off next weekend when the entire nation will enjoy a long weekend to commemorate Canada Day. This year, our country’s birthday falls on a Monday. Therefore, a week from today, the Canada Day long weekend will commence!

What will you be doing to celebrate Canada Day? Just as important a question is what will you be doing to ensure that your business has a successful Canada Day long weekend? While it may be a holiday for many, next weekend will provide you with many great opportunities to boost profits. It’s all about finding the right marketing strategy!

Give away Canuck-based freebies.

Who doesn’t enjoy getting something for free? If you’ve never invested in promotional products for your business, it’s time to chew over this excellent marketing strategy. Consider some “Canadianized” giveaways such as beer mugs labelled with red maple leafs (and your company logo, of course). Or you could just keep it simple. After all, when it comes to gift-giving, it’s always the thought that counts.

Basim Mirza of Colour Tech Marketing recommends sending postcards. “You automatically grab people’s attention when they receive a postcard in the mail before Canada Day,” he says, “You can automate this process using the automated postcard program we provide for our clients. Again, you’re not using this exposure to promote yourself, but more so to establish a personal connection.”

Run an online Canada Day contest.

There are few things that excite consumers more than opportunities to win prizes. With everyone in the country about to celebrate Canada Day, it’s the perfect time of year to invite Canadians to your website to express how proud they are of their nation. Select your favourite blurb or story and offer a worthwhile prize for the winner. On Wishpond.com, Carlo Pacis suggests adding a countdown timer to your website to prepare its visitors for the nation’s birthday.

“One thing I’d definitely recommend you add to your Canada Day contest page is a timer,” he writes, “Though you might be running your contest for Canada Day, it won’t necessarily end on July 1st. Adding a countdown timer helps page visitors become aware of the time they have left to your awesome contest, and putting it somewhere prominent like your hero section or in an opt-in bar (as in the example) is a great way to make sure they see it.”

Host a Canada Day event.

Just because you’re working, it doesn’t mean you can’t party! Why not throw a Canada Day party at work and invite all of your customers? It will give you the always-valuable opportunity to meet your customers face-to-face and build better relationships with them. Not to mention, fun events are excellent ways of boosting your brand’s image.

“There’s no better way to establish relationships than meeting in person,” Mirza reminds us, “This will require time and planning on your part, and involve an early invitation…BBQ’s are perfect because people are looking for things to do during the day, as well as make new friends.”

No matter what you do to celebrate the Canada Day long weekend next week, be sure to make it easy for your customers to pay for their purchases with their credit and debit cards. Call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost to learn about how the Poynt Smart Terminal makes accepting payments easier than ever!