Understandably, it can be difficult to integrate relevant, industry related content into your social media marketing. You don’t want to stray too far from what you’re currently doing, but adding new topics for a social media post or blog article is enjoyable for your readers and yourself as well. But what’s the easiest way to do that? Recognize a national holiday.
Now I know what you’re thinking: You already create social media posts for holidays like Christmas, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. However, I’m going to teach you how to take your national holiday marketing one step further.
Recognizing National Holidays
There are two types of holidays: national and federal. According to the Merrium-Webster dictionary, a federal holiday is one that has been recognized by the U.S. Government. Government offices will be closed, and federal employees are paid to have the day off. A national holiday is one that many businesses take off from work. A holiday is a day set aside by custom, or by law, on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to celebrate or commemorate an event or tradition of cultural or religious significance.
But did you know that national holidays go much further than Easter, Veterans Day and Halloween? July 9th is National Sugar Cookie Day, and November 6th is National Nacho Day. Believe it or not, there is a national holiday for just about everything, and you can use them in your marketing!
If you own a convenience store, then recognizing National Candy Bar Day might be a fun marketing opportunity for your brand. Or if you work in the coffee industry, you could recognize National Cappuccino Day on November 8th.
The complete list of national holidays can be found here.
Create Your Own National Holiday
National Day Calendar is the premier destination for brands, nonprofits and corporations to register an official National Day that aligns with their product or service.
“Over 20,000 media outlets source their stories from National Day Calendar’s website including Fox and Friends, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen and Elvis Duran to name only a few. Countless newspapers and bloggers write stories for their publications using information from the National Day Calendar and millions view it directly every day.
Do you have a special day that you would like to be recognized annually? How about a unique product or service? Having your own National Day, Week or Month can bring you, your company or cause special recognition every year.
The benefits of having a National Day, Week or Month include news stories, increase in product sales, market visibility, social media engagement, fundraising opportunities for nonprofits, brand authority and much more can be generated annually.”
For more information on creating your own National Holiday, visit the National Day Calendar.
National Holidays In Marketing
National holidays are an efficient, and exciting, way to relate to your audiences. If all you post on social media is promotional content, your viewers will miss the “human side” of your brand. Your audience will appreciate something non-promotional they enjoy (and who doesn’t like holidays?), meaning you have a much higher chance of receiving post engagement.
Use Canva’s free program with premade templates to create a festive graphic for social media. Remember to include your brand and add either your logo or website URL.
Now, let’s take it a step further than a casual social media post and discuss even more interactive marketing ideas. For National Donut Day, you should not only create a social media post, but also, have a box of donuts in your office or store to feature on your pages and promote the holiday even further. Be sure to clearly direct your audience to your location and let them know they can pick up a free donut!
You could also create a competition amongst your audience. For example, if it were National Ice Cream Day, you could have your followers guess what your employees favorite flavors are, and the winner gets a $10 gift card to a local ice cream parlor. Implementing a reward,no matter how big or small, is a fool-proof way to drum up excitement about your brand.
Is Your National Holiday Worth Celebrating?
Not quite sure you want to start a holiday? Here are some reasons from Holidappy on why it’s worth considering it:
- Fun. You can flex your imaginative muscles and create something entertaining or amusing to celebrate.
- To commemorate something or someone. Perhaps there’s a certain person, pet or occasion that you’d like to honor.
- To help sell something or build interest in your business. If you own a business or sell your own products, creating a holiday about, or around, them is a great way to market and increase the public’s interest.
- To raise awareness. If you are particularly committed to a cause, starting a holiday for it will help and inspire others to pay attention to it.
The next time you go to create a Facebook post for your company, head on over to the National Holiday Calendar and see if there is an upcoming national holiday worth sharing.
If you need help creating your social media plan, or deciding what national holidays are the right fit for your brand, contact the experts at Three Girls Media to get started with a complimentary 30-minute consultation.