Most businesses use a marketing calendar – a tool displaying upcoming marketing events and more – as part of a marketing strategy, and a way to know what promotions are coming down the pipeline.
Selecting a Marketing Calendar
Promotional marketing calendars come in many shapes and sizes. Businesses can make their own by looking up dates and placing them in a free calendar (e.g. Google Calendar), or getting organized by creating a promotional marketing plan in Excel. There are also dozens of free marketing plan templates online.
Special Holidays and Awareness Days for Promotional Marketing
In January 2010 alone there are over 20 special holidays and Awareness Days that can be included in a promotional marketing calendar. Not all the days apply to all companies, but there might be a match or two. Don’t let these days pass by – do some research and find out what applies to one’s business. Some of these days are quite obscure, lending themselves to endless possibilities for creative marketing!
Sampling of Special Days in January for Marketing Promotions:
- National Thank Your Customers Week (1/4/10)
- Women’s Self Empowerment Week (1/4/10)
- Cut Energy Costs Day (1/10/10)
- Hunt for Happiness Week (1/18/10)
- Get to Know Your Customer Day (1/21/10)
- National Compliment Day (1/24/10)
- Better Business Communication Day (1/25/10)
Building Marketing Hype and Creating Promotions Around Special Days
Once a marketer discovers what special days work best, the next step is to design a promotion around it. An example would be to send out an email to top customers during National Thank Your Customer week starting 1/4, and offer them extended holiday or New Year discounts as a special thank-you. It’s a win-win situation. Customers feel special, and businesses get more revenue and start the year off strong.
Another idea is to design a preference center and/or conduct a survey to customers for Get to Know Your Customer Day on 1/21. Showing interest in customers helps to create loyalty, which is very important for future business. If possible, take a customer out to lunch!
It's not difficult to create a promotional marketing calendar. It's really as simple as finding the special days that work, and creating unique marketing promotions around them. Plug the dates and promotions in a calendar, and start marketing away!
More Marketing Resources
Find out more about marketing in How to Write a Marketing Plan.
Also find out how to create a marketing and PR calendar for small businesses in Insurance Agents Marketing Tips.
Amber Cleave - Hello, world of writing! Here's a little bit about myself: My background, education and training is in literature and journalism. Along ...
