70+ Easy & Engaging August Marketing Ideas (With Examples!)

August national days

See the full list at the bottom of this post!

For community-friendly marketing

• Night Out Day (First Tuesday)
• Garage Sale Day (Second Saturday)
• Bowling Day (Second Saturday)
• Senior Citizens Day (Aug 21)

For positive/inspirational marketing:

• Friendship Day  (First Sunday)
• Purple Heart Day (Aug 7)
• Happiness Happens Day (Aug 8)
• Be An Angel Day (Aug 22)
• Just Because Day (Aug 27)
• World Lung Cancer Day (Aug 1)

For DEI marketing

• Minority Donor Awareness Day (Aug 1)
• Slavery Remembrance Day (Aug 23)
• Women’s Equality Day (Aug 26)
• Webmistress Day (Aug 26)

For straight-up marketing

• National Dollar Day (Aug 8)
• National Thrift Shop Day (Aug 17)

Diversity, equity & inclusion marketing ideas in August

Fitting diversity, equity, and inclusion in your marketing is a year-round best practice for growing businesses, but here are a few ideas specific to August:

Black Business Month

Black Business Month was founded by John William Templeton and Frederick E. Jordan in 2004. Use this as an opportunity not to just support the Black-owned businesses, but to get into the habit of doing it year-round.

• Retailers: Take the 15% Pledge and start selling products made by Black-owned businesses. You can use the Support Black-Owned Businesses Directory to find Black-owned businesses near you.
• B2B businesses: Interview a Black business owner and share their tips on running a business, overcoming prejudice, or dealing with challenges your clients commonly face.
• Any business: Show your followers how to support Black businesses.

• Black-owned businesses: Make use of Google’s and now Insta’s “Black-owned” attribute tag.

Women’s Equality Day (August 26)

Women’s Equality Day occurs every August 26 to reflect the date women were granted the right to vote in the U.S. in 1920. However, there are many other hurdles women have overcome, and are still fighting, today. Have your business take part in honoring this day with these ideas:

• Highlight all the superstar women who make your business come to life. Share the stories of what the women in your business do that make them great. This will build your employer branding strategy as you show your customers you truly care about the women within your organization.
• Even now, women on average earn 82 cents to every $1 men make. While we work to close that gap, your female customers are sure to appreciate an extra discount tossed their way. Make up the difference by offering 18% off your products or service while raising awareness for gender pay equality.

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August marketing ideas based on monthly awareness

As you can see from the different categories of observances, you can appeal to all kinds of emotions in your marketing. Use these ideas to connect with your audience in a more meaningful way than any of your competitors.

Family Fun Month

• Partner up with nearby attractions and offer coupons.
• Share a blog post or email newsletter roundup of your favorite family-friendly spots in town.
• If your target audience is parents: Write a post on how to actually have family fun month in the depressing last days of summer when your kids are at each others’ throats and you’ve had no alone time in weeks (emotional marketing opp?).
• Team up with other local businesses in town and run a family fun night. Photographers can offer family portraits (before little Jane gets a butterfly plastered to her face), restaurants can provide the food (and coupons to get them through their doors), and other businesses (like preschools) can set up informational (but fun) tables.
• Clothing companies, run a series of sales each week for men, women, babies, and tweens.

Back to School Month

Back to school season and January are friends. Go wild with all the fresh-start, back-in-gear, goal-setting themes you used in your January marketing (repurposing opp?)

• Salons, offer special deals on back-to-school haircuts.
• Spas, invite parents in for a much-needed massage after a long summer.
• Schools and after-school programs, offer early bird registration deals.
• Personal trainers or fitness centers, offer discount packages.
• Dentists or nutritionists can encourage appointments or give healthy tips.
• Run a re-engagement campaign to bring back any customers who went quiet over the summer.
• Run a back-to-school sale with a fun back-to-school pun, like this Facebook ad below:

Check out more back-to-school marketing ideas here.

Simplify Your Life Week (August 7-13)

According to Amazon, “seeking simpler living” is the latest trend in consumer behavior. As a business owner, take this time to clean out clutter (virtual and physical), and organize your mind and workplace before the September storm hits.

As for marketing ideas:

• Productivity tool providers could offer a free trial during this week.
• You could share a roundup of tools or apps you use (or have deleted) to simplify your life.
• Interior designers can share their organization tricks.
• Break down a complex topic into plain English for your audience.

Life is as broad as it gets, so anything related to simplifying works here.

August marketing ideas based on national days

Here is where you can get real creative with your August social media posts and marketing initiatives.

National Friendship Day (Aug 6)

This day gives a good excuse for promoting referral programs and running BOGO sales promotions. You might also use catchy taglines like “You never know how many friends you have until you own [the product you provide].”

National Dollar Day (Aug 8)

On this day in 1786, the US monetary system was established. A nice history lesson, but also a great marketing opportunity.

• Use a money-saving-themed blog post to teach your audience how to save a dollar (or hundreds).
• Take a dollar off your (low-priced) products.
• Offer something for just $1.

National Book Lovers Day (Aug 9)

There are readers in every audience. Share a post on social media recommending your favorite reads, top industry influencer authors, or asking for recommendations from your followers. Your audience likes opportunities to share their input, you like post engagement, everyone wins.

National Relaxation Day (August 15)

It is National Wellness Month, after all. Ideas:

• Spas and salons can offer discounts, or even volunteer to visit a local office and give short chair massages.
• Restaurants can promote signature drinks as a way to kick back and relax.
• Yoga instructors can run free sessions for offices.
• YOU can close up shop early to allow employees to enjoy some hard-earned rest.

National Spirit of ’45 Day (second Sunday in August)

On August 14, 1945, President Truman announced the end of WWII. The national pride, can-do spirit, and eagerness to step up and play their part is not only what made this victory possible but also that which laid the groundwork for future generations. The Spirit of ‘45 is a great platform for inspirational blog posts, emails, and social media posts.

World Humanitarian Day (August 19)

On World Humanitarian Day, we recognize those who lost their lives working for humanitarian causes. Incorporate this into your marketing by:

• Donating proceeds to a humanitarian organization near you.
• Encouraging your audience to do something good.
• Sharing quotes from modern-day humanitarians like Eddie Aijuka.

This modern-day humanitarian is tackling Africa’s electricity crisis. (Source)

There’s nothing wrong with a Mother Theresa or Gandhi quote, but featuring newer individuals provides an opportunity for both you and your audience to learn about the current crises the world is facing.

Senior Citizens Day (August 21)

Even though these folks get year-round senior discounts, why not throw an extra one in the mix on this day?

• Senior living communities, host an open house barbeque on this day to honor your residents and give potential residents (or their adult children) a chance to check you out.
• Local businesses, contact local senior centers to see if you can sponsor or cater an event, or even stop by with free manicures to brighten up someone’s day.

Secondhand Wardrobe Day (August 25)

Many local secondhand stores are part of nonprofits that fund needs in the community or even worldwide. Consider running a clothing drive to give your audience the opportunity to make a difference while cleaning out their wardrobe (perhaps to simplify their lives…see #4).

Or, for businesses NOT in the clothing industry, publish mission-statement-friendly posts like these:

National WebMistress Day (August 26)

This holiday recognizes women in web development. Recognize #womenwhocode, do an employee spotlight on a female developer, or donate to learnerships like GirlCode.

National Just Because Day (August 27)

The creative marketing possibilities are endless for this day.

• Send your email subscribers a promo code just because you appreciate them.
• Encourage your patrons to buy that outfit (or any product you sell), book that ticket, or do something spontaneous for no reason other than because you can.
• Go against this post on how to write copy that sells and promote something with “just because”—no features or benefits.
• Inspire your audience to do a random act of kindness. Just because.
• Run a giveaway that not only ramps up engagement but sparks an inspirational comment thread your followers will enjoy.
• Write a post on X (inspirational) things to do just because.

Even more August marketing ideas

You don’t need a specific August social media holiday or monthly observance to market your business this month! Here are some additional August marketing ideas:

Plan for state/county fairs

Many state fairs happen in the fall, so plan ahead and see if you can get on the list!

• Be a web sponsor—get your logo on their website (good for a backlink).
• Be a vendor—food, tables, bouncy houses, and more.
• Donate an auction or raffle item.

Lean into the summer weather

August can be a coin toss when it comes to weather. Odds are, your customers are either trying to beat the heat and getting excited about cooler weather, or they’re enjoying their last few warm, sunny summer days. You could frame your August summer marketing promotions around either angle. Whether you share tips for soaking in those last few summer days, or get your audience excited for the upcoming cooler temps, this August marketing idea is sure to be effective.

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Find more Facebook ad examples you can apply year-round here.

Plan for Labor Day

More of a tip than an idea, but get your Labor Day marketing in order, especially if you’re running a special only during that weekend. September sneaks up fast! Get started with these resources:

Summer is ending, but August marketing must go on

Whether you’re heading into fall with gusto or dragging your feet, your marketing needs to stay consistent and strong! Use these ideas to engage your audience, attract more customers, and stand out above your competitors.

Ready for more monthly marketing ideas? We have a post for that.

And finally, for a year’s worth of marketing ideas, check out the full marketing calendar from LocaliQ.

And now, as promised, the expanded list of national days you can use in your August marketing.

Full list of August national days