Is your team brainstorming fresh marketing ideas or full-fledged campaigns right now? Are you hitting a brick wall? Sometimes you just need a hand stimulating ideas. That’s why we publish updated marketing ideas from time to time to give you a head start in your planning.
Plan Ahead
Marketing campaigns are always better executed when they are planned with enough time ahead of the big day they are needed. The most successful campaigns come from companies that start thinking about their marketing needs months in advance. The good thing about future planning is you have plenty of time to get organized. Mapping out upcoming holidays and occasions using a calendar is one way to make sure you don’t miss anything important.
There are lots of ways to incorporate the timing of the year into your marketing mix. In this blog we will highlight holidays, seasonal events, and activities to mark on your calendar for inspiration as you strategize your marketing ideas for the rest of the year. Below are several ideas to get the marketing ideas flowing for the next 6 months:
Social Media Holidays
The world of social media is fun because it gives people a platform to make ordinary moments, extraordinary. Few other places will you see people outwardly celebrating things like International Donut Day or Hug Your Cat Day. On these social media holidays relevant hashtags will see a spike in popularity which means that using them could help people discover your brand. If you need inspiration for fresh marketing ideas, trending holidays are a wonderful place to start. Websites like HubSpot or Hootsuite are a great resource for seeing what’s coming up next.
While you can find seemingly endless lists online of various social media holidays, here are a few of our favourites between July and December:
- July 7: World Chocolate Day #WorldChocolateDay
- July 17: World Emoji Day #WorldEmojiDay
- July 21: Get to Know Your Customers Day (Third Thursday of July) #GetToKnowYourCustomersDay
- August 16: National Tell a Joke Day #NationalTellAJokeDay
- August 19: World Photo Day #WorldPhotoDay
- August 26: National Dog Day #NationalDogDay
- September 5: International Day of Charity #CharityDay
- September 21: Miniature Golf Day #MiniGolfDay
- September 26: National Pancake Day #NationalPancakeDay
- October 1: International Coffee Day #InternationalCoffeeDay
- October 4: National Taco Day #NationalTacoDay
- October 14: National Dessert Day #DessertDay
- November 15: National Entrepreneurs Day (Third Tuesday of November) #EntrepreneursDay
- November 17: International Students Day #InternationalStudentsDay
- November 25: National Day of Listening (the day after Thanksgiving) #DayOfListening
- December 4: National Cookie Day #NationalCookieDay
- December 11: International Mountain Day #InternationalMountainDay
- December 21: Crossword Puzzle Day #CrosswordPuzzleDay
Traditional Holidays
Of course, there are the classic beloved holidays sprinkled throughout the year as well which many people look forward to. These holidays present a fantastic opportunity to connect with your community and an older audience that may not resonate with social media as much. You can invest more time and effort into these holidays as they will have a longer running time and can be acknowledged in a variety of ways.
Canada Day
Celebrate this national holiday by wearing red and white! Being a Canadian company is something to be proud about. Plus, Canadians will be extra patriotic about shopping local around this holiday to support the community. Offering a Canada day promotion is a terrific way to draw attention to your business at the start of the summer.
Labour Day
This holiday is the perfect opportunity to show your team some appreciation. After all, it takes all hands on deck to run a small business!
Thanksgiving
This family centered holiday is a wonderful opportunity to show your customers how grateful you are for their support. Recognize them with a message of gratitude or offer a promotion as a gesture of thanks – the choice is yours!
Halloween
Make the fun last all month by building up to the 31st with themed décor and playful marketing. Show off your spooky side by dressing up and sharing photos on your social media!
Christmas
As one of the largest holidays of the year, you will want to make sure to prepare your promotions and products well in advance. Make your seasonal marketing campaign work for you by taking part in the buzz of holiday shopping!
New Years
Everyone will be celebrating the end of the year and starting to think about where they are headed next. As a business how can you be a part of your customers next chapter? Share your achievements and goals for the future to let your clients know what to look forward to. And don’t forget to start your next year budgeting early as well (For 8 great marketing budget ideas check out this blog: 8 Marketing Budget Methods You Can Use for 2022 Planning – Wingman Direct Marketing (wmdm.ca)).
Event ideas
Some holidays and seasons lend themselves to hosting and taking part in fun events. Here are couple of ideas to get your marketing ideas flowing!
The Calgary Stampede
Calgary locals know very well that this week of July supercharges the hospitality, retail, and entertainment industries in the city. For 10 days Calgary adopts the work hard play hard mentality – get in on the fun by dressing up, hosting a pancake breakfast networking event, and decorating your location with western flair.
Halloween/Costume Parties
Many people will be excited about the chance to dress up and partake in festivities together. This holiday lends itself well to decorations, music, themed food, and costumes! Consider throwing a Halloween bash of your own to mingle with community members or bond with your staff. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, you could even take part in Trick or Treating by handing out candy to kids in costumes or keep a festive bowl at the front desk.
Black Friday/Boxing Day
Use this shopping holiday as an opportunity to clear out products that make sense for your business and get ready for new stock! Customers will be excited to see deals and will be shopping for the holidays around this time.
Seasonal Themes
The Fall Season
Lean into the cozy vibes of the seasonal change and see where you can add a little (pumpkin) spice to your marketing! Colder and shorter days tend to shift people’s attention to the holidays and nesting their homes for the winter season. Beautiful fall foliage serves as the perfect inspiration for new colour schemes and décor!
Back to School
Back to school means back to the routine of busy life! Offering educational content is another wonderful way to take part in this theme or you can promote items that will help parents, teachers, and kids adjust to the swing of things once again.
Youth Sports
Back to school is shortly followed by the starting up of fall sports leagues and clubs. Youth sport events are a great chance to promote your business by sponsoring teams and showing your presence in the community.
Small business week
Small business week is an annual celebration put on by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) for entrepreneurs to share their journeys, network, and celebrate their businesses across the country. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce also hosts a weeklong Small Business Week every October. During this week small businesses will be in the spotlight as people are encouraged to shop local and support ventures they care about. You can join in on the fun by interacting with the hashtags on social media and taking part in the BDC’s events!
Conclusion
We hope these ideas helped spark at least a few marketing ideas for the coming months! To keep up with Wingman Direct Marketing and see what we have been up to/celebrating lately, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter!
