5 Content Marketing Ideas for July 2016

In July 2016, content marketers can feature national holidays like Canada Day and July Fourth, Independence Day in U.S.

National holidays, movies, useful product information, and the upcoming Olympic Games can fuel your business’s content marketing campaigns in July 2016.

Content marketing is the act of creating, publishing, and distributing content with the aim of attracting, engaging, and retaining customers. When you can provide a consumer with useful, informative, or entertaining content, that consumer is more likely to buy from your business.

This month’s list of content marketing suggestions is being published a bit earlier than usual. At the end of May, Steve Kubenez commented on our June 2016 content marketing suggestions.

“I really enjoy your monthly marketing ideas,” Kubenez wrote, “but would like to suggest that you send this out a month in advance vs. one week. These are great ideas, but it takes time with creative departments to develop the content.”

While this not a full month in advance, I am giving Kubenez and other content marketers a bit more time to try some of these ideas.

1. Canada Day: July 1

A Canada Day fireworks display over Barrie, Ontario. Source: Wikipedia.

Marking the beginning of Canada on July 1, 1867, Canada Day is a widely-celebrated federal holiday. Proud Canadian citizens take part in parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, and fireworks displays.

Content marketers can produce articles or videos around the holiday’s history or its activities. Here are a few example article titles, created with help from Portent’s Content Idea Generator.

• “20 Best Canada Day Videos on YouTube”
• “13 Worst Canada Day Disasters in History”
• “Unbelievable Canada Day Success Stories”
• “10 Canada Day BBQ Recipes That Will Make Your Mouth Water”
• “Canada Day Fashion Tips to Look Cool When It’s Hot”

Canada Day could interest American online retailers that want to increase cross-border sales. Selling and shipping to Canada are relatively easy as international ecommerce goes, and Canada Day might be an opportunity to start attracting Canadian shoppers.

2. Independence Day: July 4

It would seem the Redcoats are coming in this July Fourth parade photo take by S. Pakhrin in Washington D.C. Independence Day offers content marketers opportunities to produce content around the holiday’s history and activities.

In the context of this article, America’s Independence Day sounds a lot like Canada Day, or vice versa.

Americans will cook out, spend time with friends, and ultimately watch a fireworks display to celebrate the nation’s independence. Here again, content marketers can focus on articles or videos that consider the holiday’s history or its activities. Here are some article or video ideas.

• “Is Your Bomb Legal? Fireworks Laws by State”
• “10 Reasons July Fourth Is Worth Celebrating”
• “15 Revolutionary Heroes You’ve Never Heard Of”
• “Host the Best Fourth of July Party Ever in 5 Easy Steps”
• “Fourth of July Fireworks: 7 Must-follow Safety Tips”

3. Preview, Review, or Otherwise Discuss a Movie

July is the heart of Hollywood’s summer blockbuster season. The month features some of the year’s most anticipated films. Content marketers can ride on the movie industry’s coattails, if you will, and produce interesting and entertaining articles and videos around trendsetting movies.

Here are some movies that are scheduled to be released in July 2016.

• “The BFG” [Big Friendly Giant]
• “The Legend of Tarzan”
• “The Secret Life of Pets”
• “Captain Fantastic”
• “Ghostbusters”
• “The Infiltrator”
• “Star Trek Beyond”
• “Ice Age: Collision Course”
• “Jason Bourne”

Following from those movies, example articles for online stores could include these titles.

• Apparel retailer: “10 Fashion Blunders from The Legend of Tarzan 2016”
• Pet supply retailer: “How to Tell if Your Pet Has a Secret Life”
• Electronics retailer: “10 ‘Beyond’ Belief, Star Trek-inspired Gadgets You Can Buy Now”
• Toy retailer: “Life Lessons from Disney’s Big Friendly Giant”

4. Useful Product Video

Part of the role of content marketing is to provide consumers with useful, often task-oriented, content. This useful content might help shoppers make a better buying decision or help a customer do more with a product already purchased.

Here is a simple example from the Hobie Cat Company. The 1:45 video demonstrates how to adjust the rudder system on the company’s Mirage Eclipse 10.5 and 12 stand-up pedalboards.

5. Olympic Trials: Gymnastics, Track and Field, More

The Olympic Games begin in August. Until then, content marketers can produce entertaining and informative content around the various Olympic Trials.

Note: Since I wrote this article, the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee have attempted to restrict all use of Olympic words, phrases, and emblems on social media and, possibly, in content. Given this change, I no longer recommend using the Olympics in your content marketing.

One of the world’s largest sporting events in coming in August. The Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will engage millions of interested fans around the globe. These fans will not only watch or stream the events, but search for information about their favorite athletes and sports.

In 2012, searches for Olympic-related topics rose nearly 100 fold around the London Olympics, according to Google Trends. So, July 2016, the month before things get started, is likely to be a good time to create and publish content.

With this in mind, consider covering some of the ongoing Olympic trials. In July, as an example, the U.S. Olympic team holds its track and field trials in Eugene, Ore. from the first through the tenth, and the women’s gymnastics trials in San Jose, Calif. from the eighth to the tenth.

For content marketing, you can publish information about the history of the games, the history of a particular sport, the outcome of the trials, or even how the games relate to the industry or segment your business serves. Do, however, pay attention to the Olympic brand guidelines. Some terms, icons, and images are trademark and copyright protected.