Now that we’re in the Dog Days of Summer (July 3rd – August 11th), temperatures are rising and tempers often rise as well. It seems like everyone gets a little irritable during the hottest days of the summer.

That’s why I think of August as the month to take care — take care of myself, my family, and my community. 

August is American Adventures Month so if you’re into adventure, this is a great time to take care of yourself by getting out there and trying something new.

If you prefer something more mellow, and indoors, it’s also American Artist Appreciation Month, so think about taking some time to visit a local art gallery and take care of yourself while supporting, and caring for, your community.

Personally, I like to start the month by organizing something simple on each day of National Simplify Your Life Week (August 1st-7th). It could be my household toolbox that’s in disarray or the plethora of sticky notes I have all over my desk. Whatever it is, it’s got to be quick and simple so I don’t get overwhelmed or frustrated. At the end of the week, I’ve been relieved of some of the clutter and I have a great sense of accomplishment.

I highly recommend trying it.

And, while there are a lot of designated holidays for August, I’ve picked a few that I feel are worth mentioning. Take a look through the following August holidays and Newsletter ideas and see what resonates with you. Then think about how you might be able to share that holiday with your readers — in a caring way.

August holidays — 2022

• August 1st – DOGust 1st: Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs.
• August 2nd – National Coloring Book Day. Download and share these great coloring pages from the Smithsonian.
• August 4th – Assistance Dog Day.
• August 5th – National Water Balloon Day. It’s hot. Cool off.
• August 6th – Farmworker Appreciation Day. If your community doesn’t already have an event for this day, think about getting together with other local businesses and starting one.
• August 7th – American Family Day and National Friendship Day.
• August 9th – Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Night.
• August 13th – Garage Sale Day. One of my favorite ways to take care of myself, my neighbors, and my community — upcycling opportunities abound!
• August 14th – Love Your Bookshop Day and Navajo Code Talkers Day. While Love Your Bookshop Day is an Aussie holiday, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate it here  —  especially if you own a bookstore.
• August 19th – World Humanitarian Day
• August 19th – World Photography Day. I’m taking this day off from work to spend some time with my camera — taking care of myself and appreciating my community.
• August 20th – International Geocaching Day. If you like to hunt for treasure, you have got to try this! Better yet, set up a geocache at your location or get together with other businesses in the area and create a story or series of caches for people to find.
• Aug. 20th – National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day and World Honey Bee Day. Sweet, sticky, gooey, yummy-ness. Okay, well, not the bees, but definitely what they make.
• August 21st – Internet Self-Care Day. See, a whole day dedicated to finding self-care resources  —  like “massage therapists near me.”
• August 22nd – Be an Angel Day. Be gentle. Be kind. Take care.
• August 25th – National Park Service Founders Day. #FindYourPark.
• August 29th – According to Hoyle Day and More Herbs, Less Salt Day. I’m certain these go together… somehow.
• August 31st – Eat Outside Day. Anyone up for a picnic? I’ll bring the pie!

August newsletter ideas

As I mentioned previously, to me, August is about taking care… of myself, my family and my community. And, taking care includes everything from being aware and staying safe to showing appreciation for one another  —  even sharing great recipes that you can make and share with one another.

August Newsletter ideas for awareness and safety

So often those who bring awareness to health issues are those who have been affected by them. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Show your community that you care about them, and you want them to be safe, stay healthy, and be sensitive to each other and what others may be going through.

August is the month for:

• Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month
• MedicAlert Awareness Month
• National Eye Exam Month
• National Hair Loss Awareness Month
• National Traffic Awareness Month
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month
• Summer Safety Month

Awareness and Safety Newsletter and Online Marketing Ideas 

If you’re not an expert in the field, the best way to share awareness and safety issues with your readers is to curate content from healthcare professionals and other trusted resources. 

Once you learn how to curate content correctly, you can:

• Republish blog and print articles on your own site and then share a snippet of their article in your newsletter  —  making sure to include a link back to the article on your website.
• Share tips for summer safety and traffic awareness on social media.
• Create and include gifs in your newsletter that introduce and link to videos on a subject that resonates with your business or your community.

Go a step further to take care of your community. Partner with a related nonprofit to host or sponsor a fundraising event to help those in your community. Then let your readers know how they can contribute to it.

August Newsletter Ideas for showing appreciation

While health and safety are important, part of taking care of one another is showing appreciation.

Show your appreciation by:

• Saying thank you. Start this month’s newsletter by saying thank you, or better yet, send a special thank you email to your readers that includes a special offer or leads to a blog article that explains why you’re thankful for them.
• For National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 7th-13th), add a section that thanks the local farmers. And, provide a schedule of area farmer’s markets so your readers can thank the farmers personally by purchasing their fresh goods.
• For National Health Center Week (Aug. 7th-13th), give healthcare workers a special discount if they show their health center ID when they checkout at your store. And, make sure to announce what you’re doing in your newsletter.

While I’ve listed a couple of special “week” holidays in the list above, that’s just to get you thinking about what you’d like to do to show your customers and community that you appreciate them.

Ideas for sharing recipes in online marketing

Of course, every month has a plethora of food celebrations. But rather than trying to give you a list of foods and dates to celebrate, I think we should talk about ways to share recipes with your audience even if you’re not in the restaurant industry.

• Take advantage of storytelling marketing. If you have a favorite food that’s being celebrated this month, show a little of your personal side in your newsletter by sharing a story about what makes it your favorite food. When was the first time you had it? Is there a special memory associated with it? Does it tie back to your business in some way? Then,
• Build upon your food story by moving it to social media. Share a snippet of your story and lead back to the original article on your blog or in your newsletter. Create a social media contest by asking followers to share their favorite version by posting their recipe on their social media pages and tagging your business in the post. A winner could be determined by most likes, comments, or even random selection. Incentivize people to participate by giving the “winner” a callout in your next newsletter, on your social media page, and/or a special discount, service, or opportunity that is rarely offered or otherwise unavailable.
• Use food to build customer relationships. If food is a passion of yours and can be linked to your business in some way, think about creating a private Facebook page where members can swap recipes and share food-related stories. Maintain an active presence in the group and ask your employees or volunteers to join and participate as well.

TIP: Whatever holiday you highlight in your newsletter this month, whether you issue a challenge, offer advice, or ask your readers to share, include a branded hashtag and a custom hashtag — along with a corresponding post on social media — so you can easily find and like what they post!

August newsletter subject lines

• “You’re going to want a piece of this pie” – Homemade Pie Day (Aug. 1st). This is great for offering a limited-time opportunity.
• “[name], is your Spidey-sense tingling?” Preheader: It should be. – Spider-Man Day (Aug. 1st). Good for letting your readers know what’s new.
• “This is simply genius” – National Simplify Your Life Week (August 1st – 7th). Perfect for announcing a new product or service  —  especially if it will simplify things for your customers.
• “Come to our side. We’ve got cookies.” Preheader: Okay, not really but… – National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (Aug. 4th).
• “Aw, Shucks!” National Oyster Day (Aug. 5th).
• “Have you been working like a dog?” Work Like a Dog Day (Aug. 5th). Great for sharing information about self-care. Or for sharing an article about working dogs.
• “Stop! In the name of… “ – Stop on Red Week (August 7th – 13th). Finish the sentence with your newsletter headline. It can be whatever fits your newsletter focus — from “love” to “great shopping” or “traffic awareness” and “back-to-school safety.”
• “It’s not laziness. It’s self-care.” – National Lazy Day (Aug. 10th). Perfect for spas, salons, massage therapists, and any other business that provides self-care services.
• “We’re having a garage sale!” – Garage Sale Day (Aug. 13th). Great for having a blowout sale of old stock.
• “Hey, Kool Aid! I mean [name]” – Kool Aid Day (Aug. 19th). Be sure to personalize this one.

For more August holidays and ideas on what you can do to share them with your customers, download the graphic below. Or, plan out the rest of your year with our Online Marketing Calendar, complete with a free template and a list of holidays you can use to make the second half of the year a complete success.

August 2022 Marketing and Holiday Planning infographic

The post August Holidays and Newsletter Ideas — 2022 appeared first on Constant Contact.