We are days away from the Fourth of July weekend. Across the nation, there will be festivals, parades and fireworks. Families will gather and grill out. Neighbors will hold block parties. People will go camping and boating and The Fourth of July gives us a reason to get out of the house and celebrate.

Any time you can tie your brand to a time of celebration, it is a boon for your brand. However, if you are going to market to these means, here are a few tips.

First, try to be as exclusive as you can with a sponsorship. I was looking at a running event that is happening on the morning of July 4. It is a charity run for a local youth organization. It is a great cause and a wonderful event to attach your logo to as the sponsor. But in this particular case, there are 40 sponsors for the event. Do you think your logo will get much traction amongst 39 others? Unless there is a tiered sponsorship structure (this is often the case with these kinds of events) and you can be the title sponsor, you will get no marketing boost from so many other sponsors. Be picky about what you sponsor. If you are handing out marketing dollars, make sure you are getting recognized by the participants.

Second, attach your brand to fun and stay away from controversy. You may have very strong feelings, especially in political circles. It has become popular for corporations to tie their brand to a political agenda. The problem is, unless you are selling exclusively to the right or the left, wading into the political arena alienates a certain segment of your customers. It is unavoidable where feelings run deep for one side or the other. Why take a chance in losing customers? Unless your target market has strong leanings to the left or the right, you should market to the celebration of fun and not the celebration of an agenda.

Third, find out where the action is and get your logo in front of people. As I mentioned, people will be out of the house this weekend, doing all kinds of activities. Do your homework: where are people gathering? Pick your spot and make your brand visible.

Fourth, promote what you are doing on social media. There is a psychological boost people get when they see your brand in the same place as happy people. The visual helps sell your brand. Be sure to wish people a happy holiday in a way they will respond to your posts. I cannot stress enough that people tie visuals together. When they see someone having a good time and your brand in the same place, they associate the two.

The Fourth of July weekend is the perfect time to tie your brand to the celebration that will be going on around you. Have a great time!