12 Outdoor Marketing Ideas for Summer 2023

The arrival of summer means the world is heading outside. Families hop in the car for long drives and vacations. Couples plan dates at beaches and boardwalks. Friends meet at beer festivals and farmers’ markets. 

In other words, summer and the culture that comes with the season is a living, breathing ecosystem for commerce — people doing things, trying things, and discovering things. 

For small businesses and entrepreneurs, the summer season is a prime opportunity for marketing and a chance to drum up new business. Places like restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, or breweries can leverage the warm weather and engage with potential customers on their adventures.

But where to begin? There are many outdoor marketing strategies that can support your small business. Here, we highlight some of the most effective outdoor marketing ideas. 

Who doesn’t love the sunshine? Throw on a tank top, and let’s dig in.

12 Creative Outdoor Marketing Ideas for Summer 2023

Need some thoughts to get your creative juices flowing? Here are 12 outdoor marketing ideas for small businesses that will make yours a summer to remember.

Upgrade your custom sticker game 

First, alongside your spring cleaning, you should look at your current marketing supplies. Do you have a fresh approach to the season? Trends move fast, and you don’t want your business to seem dated. Take this opportunity to design and create some new custom summer stickers. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to consider your business’s overall aesthetic.

Create customized boxes for the summer season

If your small business is a bakery or coffee shop, your customers probably take things to go. Nothing like enjoying a cold brew and a scone in the park on a Saturday morning, right? It might not be your first thought, but custom-branded boxes for takeaways or product deliveries are a simple way to reinforce your brand identity. Make something fun enough, and maybe it’ll get shared on social media, too.

Fire up some sampling stations

The summer season is all about pop-ups. Walking through any city on a Saturday, you’re bound to run into street fairs or other random events. Set up a mobile sampling station in a high-traffic area and offer free samples of your products. Ensure you’re all set up with free swag to hand out — the aforementioned custom stickers, custom coasters, water bottles with custom labels, or whatever other swag feels right. 

Partner with local (and popular) food trucks

Host joint events or collaborations with the best food trucks in your area. This outdoor marketing idea is ideal for tapping into a similar business’s customer base while introducing your products or services to a new audience. It’s advantageous for everyone — cross-promote each other’s businesses through social media and signage. Better yet, you can even collaborate to create customized stickers or other products for the specific event.

Host outdoor collaborative art projects

One of the best forms of outdoor marketing is to engage the local community. Use your business to organize outdoor collaborative art projects. For example, create a large canvas or wall where people can contribute to a mural or graffiti artwork. Or take over the sidewalk in front of your place and have a sidewalk chalk art contest. Encourage participants to share their work on social media and tag your establishment. These are powerful initiatives to foster creativity within the community — which are very good for your business to be associated with.

Design a shiny new canopy tent 

Nothing grabs attention at a crowded community event quite like a custom canopy tent. But when was the last time you updated yours? Consider designing a new canopy tent that sends the right message. Increase your business’s visibility while creating a welcoming space for potential customers.

Provide outdoor fitness or yoga sessions 

Summer is full of activity. People want to get out and move — and have a good time while doing so. You can connect with these fitness-minded customers by sponsoring outdoor workout classes or yoga sessions with local instructors or studios—nothing like hitting a warrior pose in the park with your friends and neighbors. Offer the classes for free or at discounted rates — and give attendees a customized water bottle upon arrival so they know who is sponsoring the event.

Don’t underestimate the power of a street team (AKA free stuff!) 

On a hot Saturday afternoon in the summer, who’s mad at a free water bottle or sample? No one, that’s who. The point is that free stuff rocks. Depending on the size of your business, you may want to consider sending some employees out to busy areas in the neighborhood with custom stickers, discount cards (such as a free coffee or free beer), or other marketing materials. Plus, they’re brand ambassadors — helping show people that your business is fun and community-friendly.

Create magnetic signs for business cars 

If you’re a coffee shop, brewery, or another small business, your summer is most likely filled with various events and festivals. Make sure you have a few magnetic car signs to slap on vehicles traveling to your events. These are effective mini-billboards and are a cost-effective stand-in for the company car that doesn’t want a company paint job. 

Let your freaky feather flags fly

This one isn’t too complicated. Colorful and tall feather flags outside your establishment or festival booth draw attention from a distance. These flags can be customized to whatever you want — displaying promotions, offers, or simply your logo. 

Sponsor live music or collaborate with live performances 

As a small business, showcasing your value to the local community is a very effective form of marketing — plus, it’s good vibes all around. When considering outdoor marketing ideas, look no further than your street. Are there local street performers or musicians? Providing a platform for these artists sends an inclusive message while creating a warm and welcoming environment for customers.

Host a sidewalk market

A sidewalk market is a unique way to physically get out in front of your business and interact with potential customers. Even if it’s just a simple coffee stand in front of your coffee shop or bakery, it encourages passersby to stop. Here, you can offer real estate to other local businesses and create a little market hub. To make your table stand out, we recommend a custom-fitted table cover with your logo and colors.

Soak Up Some Sunshine with Stomp

Take advantage of outdoor marketing and soak up some sun while you can. Summer is the time for foot traffic and attracting customers with effective, low-cost, low-tech marketing. But where can you create custom outdoor products for your marketing events? Well… Stomp, of course! 

Our nifty design tool and user-friendly interface offers a wide range of design options for creating custom outdoor marketing products. Get ready to drink up that Vitamin D, and start designing today.

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