But with every holiday marketing season, there comes one challenge: standing out from the crowd. Because every marketer, every brand out there is fighting for attention. Everyone’s advertising, everyone’s promoting – so how can your brand cut through the noise? 

How do you come up with brilliant campaign ideas? And how do you bring these ideas to life through different marketing designs? We’ve got all the answers right here. 

Buckle up! Let’s boost your Labor Day marketing strategy! 

Labor Day – The Story of How It Started

For a quick overview, Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September in the United States. It is meant to be a celebration of the hard work and contributions of the American workers. But do you know how it all began? 

Some believe that the day was proposed by Peter J. McGuire, a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. There are others who believe that it was machinist Matthew Maguire who founded this holiday. 

The first-ever Labor Day celebration took place on September 5, 1882. In the past, there were street parades and gatherings mostly organized labor activists. It was in 1894 that this holiday became a Federal holiday in the United States. 

Seize the Season: Why Your Brand Needs a Labor Day Marketing Strategy

Before we even get to the Labor Day marketing ideas, let’s address the first question that’s perhaps on your mind. Is this a holiday worth investing in? Short answer: yes! We’ll give you two good reasons why: 

• Labor Day arrives in September, the time when summer comes to a close and people get ready to welcome fall. End-of-season means the beginning of new opportunities. It means an increased consumer spending. So, it’s a great time for brands to revisit their marketing strategies to boost sales. 
• Holidays like Labor Day can also be wonderful opportunities for brands to connect with their customers on a more personal level. Patriotic themes, and themes aligned with the spirit of the long weekend can all make Labor Day marketing campaigns relatable to customers. And relatable campaigns help nurture customer relationships. 
• Data shows that about 61% of consumers like to transact with brands that treat their employees well. Labor Day is one of the best times for brands to focus on employee appreciation. This not only aligns with the holiday but also builds a positive brand image. 

Want to tap into these perks of Labor Day marketing but don’t know how? Then here are some campaign ideas to try. 

Labor Day Marketing: 10 Campaign & Content Ideas for Brands 

1. Embrace the seasonal change 

Make it easier for consumers to welcome change and prepare for the season ahead. That’s one way to create a contextually relevant Labor Day campaign. The below image shows a Labor Day marketing email from Everlywell, a company offering home lab tests. The theme in this Labor Day campaign is saying goodbye to summer. The brand has also incorporated an exclusive coupon for users. 

2. Focus on brand-building 

During holidays like Labor Day, you need to adopt the holiday theme to fit in, no doubt. However, when doing so, you cannot ignore your brand altogether. The campaign itself and the crux of the celebration should align with your brand and your brand’s values. Otherwise, the campaign feels out of place. 

So, you can use occasions like Labor Day to consistently build your brand’s image. Pepsi’s 2023 Labor Day tweet perfectly exemplifies this strategy. They didn’t just post a generic sales message; instead, they shared a vintage Pepsi ad – one published in 1939 for Labor Day. While staying on the theme, this ad also subtly emphasizes the brand’s heritage. The campaign also effortlessly fit into Pepsi’s 125th anniversary celebrations that year! 

No Labor Day is complete without a cold, refreshing Pepsi. Stealing our hearts and taste-buds even in 1939. #Pepsi125 pic.twitter.com/FP8cyCmVJN

— Pepsi (@pepsi) September 4, 2023

3. Cut through the noise with personalized campaigns 

Remember we spoke about the challenge of standing out during holidays since everyone is running holiday campaigns? The answer to this is personalization. 

For Labor Day 2021, Budweiser collaborated with Upwork to create the Raise a Bud campaign. The brands invited participants to nominate a hard worker they know and share a picture on social media. The finalists were rewarded with personalized Labor Day Budweiser cans and one of them also received three months’ wages for free from Budweiser. 

Ideas like this transcend various marketing channels and help significantly boost the brand’s reach and engagement. 

4. Get up close with your customers with a Labor Day event 

Another great idea to cut through the noise is to host an event. Experiential marketing is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools and hence it makes a great choice for Labor Day marketing as well. 

Harley-Davidson understands the power of events. Their Labor Day rally spanning five days at The Harley-Davidson Museum consists of an exhibition and a variety of events. 

Events make a brilliant Labor Day marketing idea because:

• They help build stronger communities. 
• And they leave a lasting impact on customers. 

5. Celebrate your employees 

Labor Day is a celebration of the workforce. What better way to celebrate this occasion than by acknowledging and appreciating your own employees? 

Ford posted this video to celebrate their employees, expressing their gratitude to the Ford Builders with a few clips of what happens behind the scenes. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ford Motor Company (@ford)

Simple video posts like this one can be hugely beneficial. They help customers familiarize themselves with the faces behind your brand thus humanizing your brand. Besides, these posts can also help attract and retain top talent in your workforce. 

Need help editing videos for your social media pages? Get a KIMP Video subscription! 

6. Boost sales with a Labor Day sale 

Labor Day marketing is about making connections but boosting sales can be a profitable add-on. And the best way to do that is the timeless strategy of wooing customers in with relevant discounts. 

The email below is from the popular online education subscription platform MasterClass. This email talks about a Labor Day discount on courses they offer.  

There’s just one catch to executing this Labor Day marketing idea – a vast majority of brands adopt this strategy. Therefore, here are a few things to remember: 

• Offer promotions that resonate with the spirit of Labor Day. 
• Identify product categories that feel most relevant to the Labor Day celebrations. 
• Offer exclusive discount codes to help customers feel rewarded. 
• Add a time limit to infuse a sense of urgency into your campaign. 

7. Reward loyalty 

Sale seasons like Labor Day are a great time to show your customers how beneficial it can be to sign up for your loyalty program. A few ways to do this will be:

• Special discounts for members of your loyalty program. 
• Additional membership perks. 
• Freebies for members. 
• Increase in loyalty points accumulated during Labor Day purchases. 

Spec Ops Tools, a company known for its tools designed and engineered by a team of veterans and industry professionals, added the below post for Labor Day. In addition to the discounts, the sale also included a significant boost to loyalty points. Such simple add-ons to your Labor Day sales can make a big difference! And also encourage more customers to sign up for your loyalty program. 

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A post shared by Spec Ops Tools (@specopstools)

8. Create content that creates value

Labor Day marketing does not always have to be about driving sales or website traffic. It can also be about simple conversations. About sparking inspiration. Giving your customers new ideas and creating value for them. Think shopping guides or even recipes for backyard parties that happen over the Labor Day weekend.

This is all about creating informational content in the form of social media carousel posts or videos or even emails or blog posts. To come up with the best ideas for these posts, look for the common questions customers have or what they are searching for. Provide them with answers and you strike up a meaningful conversation, a possible long-term bond. 

For instance, the below post from ESPN gives a glimpse of the games ahead. A quick and easy way to connect with fans and to give them ideas on what to look out for over the weekend. 

The stars of tomorrow are ready to shine.

A stacked Labor Day Weekend across the ESPN family of networks 🍿 @ESPNCFB pic.twitter.com/cb7tuFgZOE

— ESPN (@espn) September 1, 2022

9. Spark engagement with a Labor Day giveaway 

Social media contests are great ways to enhance customer engagement and boost your social media presence. They work particularly well during holidays like Labor Day when the social media marketing space gets too crowded. With well-executed giveaways and social media contests, you are giving your customers a compelling reason to engage with your brand, transact or make a purchase or talk about it on social media. 

The post below is from a popular grill company, Weber Grills. The post highlights the details of their Labor Day giveaway. Structuring a giveaway similar to this one can help boost your social media following, and significantly increase your brand’s social media mentions. Both of these bring in more relevant leads. 

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A post shared by Weber Grills (@webergrills)

10. Keep your audience informed 

The Labor Day weekend often means a change in operating hours for various businesses. Customers who are planning to make the most of the long weekend and go shopping are curious about finding these updated operating hours. So part of your Labor Day marketing strategy should also focus on keeping your customers informed. 

Tell your customers whether your store will be open or closed for the weekend. Will there be a change in the operating hours? Is there anything else about your operations or particular changes to your services that your customers should know about? Create a social media post to provide your customers with all these details. An email works well too! 

Popular wood-fired bar and grill place, Rolo’s, shared the below post to keep their inner circle informed of their store closure for Labor Day. The post also gives a peek into what the team will be up to over the weekend and how the company honors their workforce on Labor Day. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rolo’s (@rolosnyc)

Now with the campaign and post ideas sorted, let’s talk about the execution part. A preview of tips that might help in designing these campaigns for various platforms. Ready? Let’s go! 

Tips to Bring Your Labor Day Marketing Ideas to Life

Identify the right platform 

Are you going all digital to connect with your audience on Labor Day or will you focus more on local print and outdoor channels to place your ads? The answer depends on the audience demographics you wish to target. 

• If it’s your local audience, then billboards and flyers promoting your Labor Day sale or business postcards to wish them are some effective ideas. 
• But if you wish for a more scalable approach, a social media campaign helps. 
• Finally, if you would like a more personalized approach, then Labor Day marketing emails are just what you need. 

Identify a single clear message that resonates with your customers 

Instead of coming up with one long email with one section talking about limited-time discounts, and another talking about a Labor Day event, identify a single clear message for each ad. This could be about a limited-edition product or service introduced as a part of your Labor Day marketing strategy. Or it could be about a product that will be available at a discounted price. 

But whatever the message you choose, ensure that it resonates with your audience. Talk about what’s there in it for your customers rather than keeping it generic. For example, the below social media post focuses on “savings” rather than talking about the prices. This way the ad makes customers realize that they would be saving money on shopping during the Labor Day sale rather than making them think about “spending money”. 

KIMP Tip: As you see in the above design, keep the overall layout organized and clutter-free. This helps direct the user’s attention to the main message and drives them to the next step. In other words, keep your CTA clear and accessible. 

Help customizers visualize what you are offering 

When it comes to Labor Day marketing, you need visuals that strike the right chord. You need the right image – not a plain product photo. 

Perhaps a lifestyle image that helps customers visualize what you are offering and put your product into perspective. Additionally, the visuals you choose should also have a strong emotional value in order to make an instant connection with your audience. 

For example, the below image incorporates a backyard barbecue scene, and the cheerful tone in it complements the message effectively. 

Incorporate illustrations 

We spoke about using visuals effectively. What’s even more important is to ensure that these visuals are unique. You do not want overused stock images to ruin your message. Instead, opt for clearly edited versions that carry your brand’s personality. Or better yet, use custom illustrations that can communicate your message effectively while preserving your brand’s identity as well. 

Edit your images to align with the theme 

If you do need to include your products in your Labor Day marketing post, ensure that you add relevant tweaks to align the design with the theme.  

The below post from Coca-Cola is a brilliant execution of this idea. While the soda bottles are the heroes of the design, the little costumes added subtly capture the theme as well. This shows how simple design manipulations can create stunning Labor Day marketing designs. 

Happy Labour Day! RT your most hard working friend and show some appreciation to them. pic.twitter.com/XeqrUYNyoh

— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) May 1, 2014

Create Engaging Labor Day Marketing Designs With KIMP 

Equipped with all these campaign ideas and design tips, are you ready to ace your Labor Day marketing game this year? Then all that you need is a dedicated design team that can consistently work on your brand’s designs and gear you up for the holiday. An unlimited design subscription like KIMP comes with a dedicated design team, a flat monthly fee, and unlimited revisions among other benefits. 

Ready to tap into the potential of unlimited design for your Labor Day marketing? Get KIMP!