Off-the-Wall Presidents Day Marketing Strategies

The term publicity stunt might have negative connotations, but the fact remains that publicity stunts - or "events" - represent some of the fastest and most effective ways to brand your company and push direct sales. If you want think way outside the box to set your business apart from the competition this year, consider these off-the-wall Presidents Day marketing strategies to generate free press, increase brand recognition and elicit instant sales.

Invite Honest Abe over

Have Abraham Lincoln, George Washington or another past president appear at your sales event. Tailor your impersonator's appearance to your business and your event-or just get wild and crazy to draw a crowd and market accordingly. You could put Abe up on a dunk tank, have Washington chop cherry trees in your ax section, or put Teddy Roosevelt in charge of gun sales. Or, how about Thomas Jefferson on a Harley at a motorcycle rally? Remember that the more your "guest of honor" interacts with your customers, the better chance your publicity stunt has of earning you a solid return on investment.

Break a world record

Attempting to break a world record will no doubt draw media and public attention, and believe it or not it might not be as difficult as you might think to set a world record. Scour the Guinness World Records website for inspiration, or create your new world record to set. Some world records are silly, and therefore have little competition. You might, for example, attempt to set the world record for the number of people running a marathon dressed as Abraham Lincoln. Launch a robust postcard, banner, poster, brochure and flyer marketing campaign to attract hundreds or even thousands of potential customers to your world record-breaking attempt.

Field a presidential street team

Instead of inviting former presidents to your place of business, send them out into the field to distribute club card flyers, stickers, posters and other promotional printed material. Recruit some fun-loving people (or even professional actors) to portray the most famous presidents, and send them to public avenues where your target audience is likely to hang out. Have them play their roles as their chosen president to add a flair of personality. Best case scenario: Their performances are so good that crowds form around them, take your flyer, and go directly to your place of business to make a purchase. No matter what event you decide to pull off, make sure you market early and often to get both the media and the public hyped about your event. Send postcards to your target audience. Hang posters and banners where they're likely to be seen by your customers. Send VIP greeting cards and distribute flyers, rack cards and brochures. Try table tents and door hangers, and take out ad space in local publications. Print your marketing materials on high-quality paper from a reliable online printing company such as PsPrint - doing so will yield a higher return on investment, earn you free press coverage and brand recognition, and make Presidents Day a profitable day for your company.