Most of us probably have a pretty ambivalent relationship with weird holidays. When days like “National Deep Dish Pizza Day” roll around, we may be tempted to have a pizza—or, we may just ignore it and think of it as a gimmick.
However, for marketers, unusual holidays can be an extra opportunity to reach out to customers, build relationships, and stand out from the crowd. After all, not all businesses use strange national holidays in their campaigns— and doing so in the right way will give your campaigns a boost. A touch of originality will go a long way in this over-marketed world we live in.
Here is a quick guide on how you can add some fun and individuality to your marketing campaigns by usingwith a list of national days.
Why using weird holidays in marketing works
Bizarre holidays can be an excellent addition to your marketing campaigns. For one thing, they provide a great excuse to reach out to your customers. They also give you an opportunity to make special offers and promote specific products or services that may be relevant to the day. Finally, they give you the chance to establish your brand personality as fun and original.
Using a list of national days to schedule special outreach campaigns will also:
- Keep you “top-of-mind”
- Improve your customer relationships and customer loyalty
- Connect with customers on days when they may be more willing to spend
Clever ways to incorporate a list of national days into your campaign
Here are a few tips on how you can make the most of national holidays as a marketer.
Choose days that align with your brand ideals
First of all be careful about which holidays you choose to celebrate as a brand. The list of national days is pretty long—in fact, in the U.S., there are almost 1,500 days to choose from.
Try to choose 5-10 days per year that align with your brand. This will help you to further establish your brand. For instance, if you run a tech business, you might want to include National Flash Drive Day. Or, if you run a travel business, National Read a Road Map Day might be a great day to celebrate.
Offer clever deals or promotions that match with the holiday
Once you’ve chosen a few national days that fit well with your brand, think about how you can use the day to promote specific products, or how you could create special deals that fit well with the holiday. After all, discounts and deals have been shown to be most effective during holidays.
For instance, if you want to offer a deal in honor of National Clean Off Your Desk Day, you could offer your customers 50% off software that will help your customers organize their computer desktops.
Or, if you want to celebrate Pizza Party Day, you could offer a free pizza delivery with every purchase.
Get creative—your customers will love a fun, unusual deal that stands out from the usual boring offers.
Run email campaigns that target specific customer groups
Use targeted email campaigns to send offers to specific customers based on their engagement habits and product preferences. Collect data to discover which customers will be most likely to respond to your offers.
Give gifts to select customers on specific days
While some holidays can be great for giving customers offers and deals, other holidays may be a good chance to give select customers special gifts to show your appreciation and continue to build a strong relationship.
A good example would be National Best Friends Day—show your favorite customers that they’re your “best friends” with a gift.
A few great holidays from the calendar of national days
While every company will probably want to pick unique national holidays that complement the brand, there are a few fun holidays that just about everyone can use. Here are some good examples:
- International Joke Day
- National Girlfriend Day
- Forget Me Not Day
- Spouse’s Day
- Common Courtesy Day
… to name just a few!
Final thoughts
Using weird national holidays can be an amazing way to spice up your marketing campaigns. It’s a chance to show your customers who you are as a brand and why they should continue to choose you over your competitors. This technique will help keep your brand at the forefront of your customers’ minds, while also encouraging them to make spontaneous purchases.
When creating a marketing campaign based around weird national holidays, try to select days carefully to ensure they align with you as a brand. You can also come up with clever ways to celebrate the spirit of the day with creative deals or gifts.
Ready to add some fun to your next campaign? Get started by searching for some relevant holidays, and let The Birthday Company handle the cards or gifts to connect with your customers!
Sources:
https://nationaldaycalendar.com
https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/marketing-strategies-retail-holiday-promotions/
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/
https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/09/list-of-national-holidays-marketing.html
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/11070-national-days-advertising.html
https://remarkable.net/blog/use-national-days-in-your-marketing-calendar/
https://www.threegirlsmedia.com/2020/07/06/national-holiday/