Do social media managers ever get a break? We don’t think so! Just as you’re wrapping up your Easter marketing campaigns, it’s time to start planning for the next month.
But don’t worry because this month is packed with events and holidays. In May we celebrate mothers, teachers and veterans, but there’s much more than that, depending on your target audience.
If you feel like you’ve run out of May marketing ideas, this article will make you change your mind. Keep reading or send it to your social media manager and let’s rock in May!
Source: Unsplash.com
May marketing ideas: Dates to mark in your calendar
If you want to post consistently, the first step is to prepare your content ahead of time and stick to your content calendar. Holiday campaigns never get old! Here are some dates you don’t want to miss:
- May 1st – International Workers’ Day/May Day/Lei Day (Hawaiian celebration)
- First full week in May – National Small Business Week/Screen-free week
- May 4th – Star Wars Day/International Firefighters Day/World Password Day
- May 5th – Cinco de Mayo
- May 6th – Kentucky Derby/National Nurses Day
- May 7th – May 13th – National Travel and Tourism Week/National Pet Week
- May 8th – May 12th – Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 8th – Red Crescent Day
- May 14th – Mother’s Day
- May 16th – Love a Tree Day
- May 19th – Nascar Day/National Pizza Party Day
- May 20th – Be a Millionaire Day
- May 25th – National Wine Day/Geek Pride Day
- May 29th – Memorial Day
- May 30th – National Day of Creativity
- May 31st – National Macaroon Day
7 May marketing ideas for your business
Here are some great marketing ideas to try out, followed by examples of how other businesses implemented them.
Use gamification marketing
The gamification market is projected to grow at 27.4% by 2025 and more and more companies are starting to rely on games to attract and retain customers. Using games in marketing is the best way to engage your customers and move them down your sales funnel. So, how does it work?
Our gamification software lets you turn any content into a game with just a few clicks. Trivia, quizzes and leaderboards, to name a couple of them.
Here are a few ideas you can try out:
Trivia
Everyone loves healthy competition! Engage your customers by inviting them to compete against each other on a particular topic. For example, you can create Cinco de Mayo trivia to see how well they know Mexican culture, Mexican food, etc.
With Adact, you can create multi-player trivia or even video trivia where they get to watch a short video and answer questions based on it.
Related: How to make a trivia quiz and the Best trivia app
Swipe Poll
In May, Kentucky hosts its famous derby and you can host a swiping contest to measure the pulse of your audience and see their predictions. Don’t forget to prepare awards for those that guess the winner!
Wheel of Fortune
If you’re sending a Mother’s Day newsletter, you can show them some appreciation by adding a Wheel of Fortune at the end of the mail. Ladies get to swipe through it and unlock gifts you’ve prepared for this special day: vouchers, coupons, discounts, free shipping, etc.
Related: How to make a Wheel of Fortune
Get to know your customers
If you want to get more ideas, the best way is to directly ask your customers what kind of content they want to see. Create a gamified survey that will grab the attention of your subscribers and boost the answering rate.
Scratchcard
Suppose you want to reward your followers for participating in a survey or send a thoughtful gesture to ladies for Mother’s Day or National Nurses Week. Online scratchcards may be the perfect solution for you. It gives an element of mystery and excitement as they get to unwrap their gift.
Spread awareness for a cause
Our second tip is to go beyond your business goals and support a significant cause. Here are some causes you may want to support this May:
- Mental Health
- ALS Awareness
- Employee Health
- Brain Cancer
- Small Businesses
- Military Appreciation
- Celiac Disease
You can do so through educational content, publishing whitepaper or hosting events or fundraisers. Here are two great examples to inspire you:
In 2021 Selena Gomez’s company Rare Beauty went viral with its “Mental Health 101” campaign. The goal was to provide education and resources to people struggling with mental health issues and show them they’re not alone.
The campaign focused on sharing valuable insights and tips on how to deal with conditions like anxiety, depression or simply chronic stress.
Source: RareBeauty.com
Another example comes from backpack brand JanSport whose mental health awareness campaign targeted Gen Z. They created the hashtag #LightenTheLoad and encouraged thousands of young people to use it to talk about their mental health struggles on Instagram and TikTok. The goal was to remove the stigma and encourage people going through a tough time by showing them they’re not alone.
Source: JanSport.eu
Show appreciation for the military service members and teachers
May is celebrated as Military Appreciation Month, ending with the most significant military holiday on the last Monday of the month. Of course, we’re talking about Memorial day.
It’s a great occasion to show your appreciation to military service members, veterans and their families. The best way to do so is to offer them special discounts, small gifts or even better free service.
Many restaurants celebrate this holiday by offering free meals for military members and their families.
Source: Hooters.com
On the other hand, there’s National Teacher Appreciation Day, when you can do the same for all the school staff teaching and raising our kids.
McDonald’s never fails to surprise teachers, whether by offering free coffee, free meals or small gifts for every purchase. Depending on your business type, you can do something similar: gift cards, vouchers or special teacher discounts.
Don’t forget to check out our other school campaign ideas.
Source: McDonalds.com
Add some Star Wars spice
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, Star Wars Day is a perfect occasion to transform your shop into a spacecraft and create a unique customer experience.
For those that run an online business, you can use the Star Wars theme for your social media posts or newsletter.
If you want to go above and beyond, you can create limited offers for true fans. American Tourister released a limited edition of Star-Wars-themed luggage a few years ago. They went viral on social media and soon sold out the collection.
Source: Facebook.com/AmericanTourister
Celebrate moms
Apart from standard discounts, you can invite your community to celebrate Mother’s day together. Mother’s day is an excellent opportunity to boost engagement by encouraging customers to write about their moms using a special hashtag.
User-generated content can also increase the reach of your Mother’s Day campaign and, if planned well, even make you go viral. You can organize contests and giveaways to encourage your followers to participate.
Check out how Starbucks did it a few years ago on their social media.
Source: Instagram.com/starbuckspartners
You could also send a newsletter with gift ideas for moms where you get to showcase your best products.
To prepare for Father’s Day in advance, check out our Father’s Day campaign ideas.
Get creative with derby fashion
May is also a sports month, with the famous Kentucky Derby falling on the first weekend of May. You don’t need to be present at the live event, but you can share the atmosphere with your audience through social media posts.
A great content marketing idea is to share derby-themed recipes with your audience. For example, you could teach them how to prepare famous Kentucky Derby signature drinks: from Mint Julep, the official drink of the derby, to kid-friendly, non-alcoholic beverages.
Source: Attagirlsays.com
Offer special May bundles
Many people start preparing for the summer holidays in May, and you can use that to prepare for summer campaigns on time.
Let’s say you’re a nutritionist who focuses on weight loss and you’ve created some digital products like ebooks, recipes or weight loss challenges. To boost your sales and marketing efforts, you can create a special bundle that prepares people for the summer months.
It’s a win-win situation because you can also offer a discount for people who decide to buy all of your products together.
You can also play with the words and use terms associated with spring decluttering and a fresh start. For more spring marketing ideas, check out our blog post.
Source: Allthingsprintables.com
Conclusion
We hope you found some May marketing ideas that resonate with your business and audience. No matter what theme you choose, there’s something that can take your marketing to the next level – turning your campaigns into a game.
We are here to help you. Whether you want to create a Star Wars trivia or use a Wheel of Fortune for contests prizes, we’ve got you covered.
Adact allows you to choose from over 30 gamified campaigns. They’re all highly customizable, easy and quick to create. Sign up today and check it out yourself!
May marketing ideas: FAQs
In May, you can’t go wrong with ideas that celebrate mothers, teachers or military servants. Another great idea is to use your campaigns to spread awareness for an important cause. May is the month of mental health and brain cancer awareness, supporting small business owners and many other causes.
Find a way to link your marketing campaigns with May holidays such as Mother’s Day, Memorial Day or Cinco de Mayo in a way that resonates with your target audience and brings value and delight.
Use a content calendar to prepare monthly marketing ideas ahead of time and celebrate important dates. You can use games to boost engagement or create special May bundles to increase sales.
