In June 2020, your content marketing could feature martinis, selfies, cookouts, live-streaming, and safety.
Content marketing is the act of creating or curating content, publishing that content, and distributing it all with the aim of attracting, engaging, and retaining customers.
What follows are five content marketing ideas your business can use in June 2020.
1. National Martini Day: June 19
Gin or vodka. Shaken or stirred. The martini is a prince among cocktails, and June 19, 2020, is National Martini Day in the U.S.
For June 2020 content marketing, you might publish an article involving the history of the martini. You could relate stories about how the martini impacted important figures in the industry you serve.
For example, a rare book dealer could note that author Ernest Hemingway contributed to the names of two martinis.
First, there is the Hemingway martini, which features a combination of vodka, Giffard Vanille de Madagascar (a liqueur), vermouth, maraschino liqueur, pink grapefruit, and a Luxardo maraschino cherry.
Second, there is my favorite martini named as an insult to British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. Hemingway reportedly said that he liked the gin to outnumber the vermouth in his martinis in roughly the same ratio (according to Hemingway) Montgomery had to outnumber his enemies before he would attack. Most bartenders make the Montgomery with 15 parts gin to one part vermouth.
2. National Selfie Day: June 21
A disk jockey in Texas supposedly created National Selfie Day on June 21, 2014. Folks — who may or may not need encouragement — are invited to take a picture of themselves and share it on social media. Anyone using Snapchat will wonder what’s the big deal. But this pseudo-holiday could represent a good content marketing opportunity for some businesses.
For example, an ecommerce company could publish a serious article about the selfie. The article might discuss how the iPhone first enabled selfie-takers. It could discuss several famous selfies, and end with a collection of selfie best practices or filter recommendations.
Once published, the company could use its selfie day article to spur a selfie contest, asking customers to post selfies (perhaps with the business’s products) for a chance to win a prize.
3. Summertime Cooking
Many online and omnichannel retail businesses may be able to write about summertime cooking. This includes businesses that don’t directly sell cooking or food products.
For example, a workwear retailer could publish a series of blog posts or videos about the most stain-inducing, job-site meals.
Good, old-fashioned chili served in a thermos could be a tasty worksite meal. But if the chili is greasy and ends up on a worker’s Carhartt pants, the stain could last forever. The workwear retailer could get several articles out of the idea.
- First, publish the main article, such as “10 Lunchtime Meals Guaranteed to Stain Your Jeans.”
- Then, publish a recipe for each of the 10 meals.
- Finally, publish an article about workwear stain removal tips.
Similarly, an online store selling medical scrubs could publish an article about barbeque leftovers. The post would describe how to transform the leftover brisket into a meal that a nurse, doctor, or dental hygienist could bring to the office.
4. Live Stream a Seminar
The stay-at-home orders that started in March generated a surge in live-streaming and video meetings.
Continue this trend in June. Schedule an informative and entertaining seminar.
For example, imagine an online stationery and writing accessories retailer. The company could produce a seminar about journals, such as “7 Ways Kakeibo Journals Can Save You Money.”
Kakeibo is a Japanese method for keeping track of household finances. It requires writing financial goals and expenses by hand in a paper journal.
The stationery retailer could:
- Use a platform such as Zoom to conduct the presentation,
- Live stream on YouTube or Facebook (Zoom connects to both),
- Use a service such as Eventbrite to capture registrations,
- Post on social media and send emails to encourage registrations.
After the live streaming event, post the video on YouTube. A transcription of the broadcast (from Rev or similar) would make a good blog post.
5. Summer Safety
By June 2020, hopefully, most of the coronavirus lockdowns will have ended. Your customers and prospects will have fallen into somewhat normal summer patterns.
They will be getting outdoors more. They may be driving more or swimming more. All of these activities are a fun and welcome relief after spending too much time indoors. But they also represent safety concerns.
For your June content marketing, provide summer safety tips that make sense for the industry segment your business serves. Here are some examples.
- Online auto accessories retailer: “10 Summer Driving Safety Tips.”
- Toy retailer: “The 5 Laws of Pool Safety for Toddlers.”
- Hiking and camping supply store: “20 Ways to Make Your Backcountry Adventure Safer.”
Your content could cite useful summer safety tips from organizations and government agencies, such as the National Safety Council, Grow by WebMD, and the Centers for Disease Control.