as we enter september, your customers are likely planning their last summer hurrah and preparing to send kids back to school. business owners can plan promotions around the same themes, but there are a few non-traditional promotions you can try out this month too.

to help you create and send promotions that generate repeat business, here are four traditional and nontraditional holiday promotion ideas for the month of september.

1. a labor day discount

labor day signals the end of summer. last year, 35.5 million americans traveled at least 50 miles to celebrate the unofficial end of the season, according to aaa. whether your customers are hitting the road or not, you can still send a labor day promotion to drum up some business.

try a simple discount to celebrate the holiday.

fivestars members can use the promotion information below, just tweak what’s in brackets to fit your business.

here’s what to enter as a promotion in fivestars:

what’s the promotional offer?

• take 20% off your entire purchase for labor day.

what’s the occasion?

• celebrate the final days of summer with [name of business]

when does it expire?

• give the promotion a three-day window.

2. bogo for back to school

you don’t have to sell school supplies to take advantage of the back-to-school buying season. the national retail federation estimates the average family spends about $630 on school needs, which represents a good marketing opportunity for businesses.

of course, every business will likely offer a back-to-school promotion, so you’ll need to do something that stands out. try a buy-one-get-one-free offer, or bogo, as they’ve become known.

pick an item in your store that you want to promote, and use it in your bogo deal. you can get creative here. a salon could offer a bogo deal on manicures for moms and daughters as a treat before the school year starts, an appliance shop could offer a bogo deal on small appliances that are great for dorm rooms and a liquor store can offer a bogo deal on wine for parents to celebrate the start of school.

fivestars members can use the promotion information below, just tweak what’s in brackets to fit your business.

here’s what to enter as a promotion in fivestars:

what’s the promotional offer?

• buy one [manicure] and get one free.

what’s the occasion?

• celebrate a new school year with our back to school bogo promotion.

when does it expire?

• give the promotion a three-day window.

3. double points for world gratitude day

did you know that september 21 is world gratitude day? it is. show your customers how much you appreciate them by sending a promotion on this non-traditional holiday.

showing customer appreciation is good business. research shows 70 percent of buying experiences are based on how a customer feels they’re being treated. a customer that feels valued is more likely to return again and again, and sending a promotion on world gratitude day is a simple way to engage with your customers without investing a ton of time or resources.

here’s what to enter as a promotion in fivestars:

what’s the promotional offer?

• earn double points today!

what’s the occasion?

• in honor of world gratitude day, we want to say thanks to all of our wonderful customers.

when does it expire?

• closing time on september 21.

4. a free mystery treat for international frugal fun day

october 1 is international frugal fun day. you knew that, right? it’s another non-traditional holiday that businesses can use in a promotion.

during the last week of september, create a promotion that offers a free mystery gift for anyone that comes to the store on october 1.

you can giveaway free company swag, a service upgrade or a small item from you store.

here’s what to enter as a promotion in fivestars:

what’s the promotional offer?

• stop in for a free mystery treat this saturday.

what’s the occasion?

• in honor of frugal fun day, every customer that stops by will get a free treat. no purchase necessary.

when does it expire?

• closing time on october 1.

these four ideas will keep your promotion train running all month long. remember, you can schedule promotions ahead of time too. not only will this save time, but it ensures that you won’t miss one of these unique opportunities to attract customers to your store.