Unmissable dates that will generate buzz for your marketing campaigns

If you look hard enough, you’ll find there’s a national day for almost everything!

Instead of a paint by numbers approach to marketing, where you try to tenuously link all the national days in the calendar to your business, avoid the temptation to create marketing for the sake of it. You’ll actually lose people’s interest, rather than gain it! Instead, we recommend focusing on what is relevant to your customers and your business.

It’s never too late to start planning your marketing campaigns, so we’ve put together some key dates for this year and 2024 that you can make the most of. If you need some expert advice, our friendly team is always here to help.

Work related events

Trade shows and events

Don’t miss the opportunity to shout about the industry trade shows you are attending. It’s a great chance to showcase your products and expertise within the industry. The more people who know you are there, the better networking opportunity it will be. The same goes for award ceremonies and other industry events.

Mark big anniversaries

Celebrate your business’ experience and achievements. Mark key milestones, such as your 50th anniversary, or the launch of your latest product or service, and share your successes with your customers.

Industry recognised days

Show support for charity campaigns or industry events that link closely to your business. It is a great way to support positive change and boost your company’s reputation.

Key times of the year

Halloween

You may have been one of the many businesses that offered their customers a treat, rather than a trick this Halloween. If not, you can always look to include it in your marketing plan for next year.

You know your customers best, if Halloween is likely to offend your customers, then avoid at all costs. But otherwise Halloween is a chance to have a bit of fun with your marketing, especially on socials. You may want to throw in some spooktacular Halloween competitions, limited offers and discounts, or even dress up and offer Halloween themed food.

Black Friday

Black Friday used to be a massive one-day sales event, where people were fighting to get the best deals, but now it’s more like a promotional period that lasts a couple of weeks and an ideal chance to capitalise on pre-Christmas sales.

Offer your customers some great deals and get the attention of bargain hunters, ahead of the Christmas rush.

Christmas

Christmas is obviously a big date in the diary – it’s a great chance to reward loyal customers with personalised discounts and rewards. It is also a great time to offer gift cards, which can make the perfect present and help you win extra business.

Don’t forget to offer great deals for Boxing Day too. Celebrating and supporting other religious holidays throughout the year works really well.

Planning for 2024

New Year’s Day (Monday 1st January 2024)

As we are coming to the end of 2023, you might be starting to think about plans for 2024 and beyond.

Get the New Year off to a great start, by offering fresh promotions on New Year’s Day.

In addition to the events we’ve already covered, you can pick and choose which dates are relevant for your customers:

• Valentine’s Day (Wednesday 14th February 2024)
• Mother’s Day (Sunday 12th March 2024)
• Easter (Friday 29th March to Sunday 31st March 2024)
• May Day (Wednesday 1st May 2024)
• Father’s Day (Sunday 16th June 2024)
• Guy Fawkes Night (Tuesday 5th November 2024)

These dates are especially ideal for hospitality businesses, but offering special promotions at key times of the year will work well for any business.

It’s important to note, these occasions can be sensitive for some, you may even want to offer your customers the chance to opt out of specific email marketing to respect their preferences.

Wellbeing dates in 2024

Marking key dates in your calendar doesn’t have to be just about boosting sales (although that’s important too, obviously), many are great for lifting morale, increasing awareness and showing support for things like wellness, mental health, inclusivity and equality.

Key 2024 dates include:

• Monday 15th January 2024 – ‘Brew Monday’ run by the Samaritans to shake up ‘Blue Monday’ (the most depressing day of the year) to remind everyone to reach out to each other over a cuppa, to support wellness and mental health.
• Thursday 1st February 2024 – Time to talk run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation to promote good mental health and wellbeing.
• Friday 1st March 2024 – Employee Appreciation Day – The perfect chance to reward your hard working staff.
• Friday 8th March 2024 – International Women’s Day – A great way to recognise success and support gender equality.
• Sunday 10th March to Monday 8th April 2024 – Ramadan – A chance to support Muslim colleagues who are fasting.
• April 2024 – Stress Awareness Month – The ideal moment to promote wellbeing.
• Sunday 7th April 2024 – World Health Day – Promote fitness and healthy living, you could even organise a sponsored team event.
• Monday 22nd April 2024 – Earth Day – A good chance to focus on sustainability and promote eco-conscious products and initiatives.
• Sunday 28th April to Saturday 4th May 2024 – National Small Business Week – Support small businesses and celebrate your own successes.
• Monday 13th May – Sunday 19th May 2024 – Mental Health Awareness Week – Focus on removing the stigma and promoting positive mental health.
• Saturday 29th June 2024 – London Pride – Celebrate LGBT+ culture.
• Wednesday 5th June 2024 – World Environment Day Show commitment to sustainability.
• Sunday 6th August 2024 – Cycle to Work Day – A chance to promote the benefits of sustainability and getting more active, plus the cycle to work scheme.
• Tuesday 1st October – Thursday 31st October 2024 – Black History Month – Celebrate black history and culture.
• Tuesday 10th October 2024 – World Mental Health Day – Promote positive mental health and focus on removing the stigma.
• Friday 1st November – Saturday 30th November 2024 – ‘Movember’ – Raise awareness for men’s health issues including prostate cancer and depression, there’s also a great opportunity for company wide sponsorship.
• Wednesday 6th November 2024 – National Stress Awareness Day – Promote health and well-being, share ways to prevent burnout.
• Tuesday 19th November 2024 – International Men’s Day – An ideal opportunity to promote men’s health and wellbeing, and reduce stigmas.

We hope this blog has given you plenty of ideas for your upcoming marketing campaigns. If you’d like more marketing inspiration on what would work well for your business, please give us a shout.

For a free virtual marketing ideas session with marketing experts, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk