Modern’s Q1 Seasonal Calendar: Your Go-To Source for Holiday Promo Ideas
Turn Holidays into Paydays
Strategically planning your print and digital marketing campaigns around relevant holidays can not only give your business a great reason to engage customers and drive sales, it can also help set it apart from competitors who aren’t launching festive advertising. If you are already running annual promotions for major U.S. holidays like Christmas, Independence Day, Valentine’s Day, etc., try selecting one or two unique days in 2018 to promote. There are endless unconventional (and sometimes wacky) celebratory days that can inspire outside-of-the-box promotions, so your business can draw crowds and stay top of mind.
Honor Special Recognition Days
Outside of traditional or well-known holidays, there are specific dates that acknowledge major diseases, acts of kindness, nonprofit foundations and much more. Your business can easily shine a spotlight on a meaningful cause or give back to the local community with any commemorative day that aligns with your mission and values.
Here’s a sampling of some notable dates that take place in January, February and March:
JAN 02 | Science Fiction Day
JAN 15 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day
JAN 18 | Get to Know Your Customers Day
JAN 24 | National Compliment Day
JAN 28 | Fun at Work Day
FEB 02 | National Wear Red Day
FEB 04 | World Cancer Day, Super Bowl Sunday
FEB 14 | Valentine’s Day
FEB 17 | Random Act of Kindness Day
FEB 19 | Presidents’ Day
MAR 01 | Women’s History Month Begins
MAR 08 | International Women’s Day
MAR 14 | Pi Day
MAR 17 | St. Patrick’s Day
So, how do you discover best-fit holidays and special observances to plan your business calendar around? Get started with some good online resources.
We recommend:
- timeanddate.com/holidays/us and
- foodimentary.com
(specifically for national food holiday ideas).
Pro Tip: be sure to fact check multiple online sources as there can be some contradictions for proper holiday names and exact dates. Once you have selected the best topics to feature for your business, host a brainstorming session on how they can help get new customers, increase sales, spread the word about a special cause – whatever aligns with your goals! Below, we have provided some expanded marketing concepts tailored to the first months of the year, but be sure to download the PDF for more ideas.
New Year Shopping Season| January – February
After the holidays, many consumers have received cash and gift cards as presents – and they are anxious to redeem them! Mailed catalogs are a smart choice to increase Q1 sales for stores and online retailers. Create a New Year look book with pictures of your freshly launched or bestselling items, and then mail them out in early 2018. Booklets come in all shapes and sizes depending on your budget, but their selling impact is mighty regardless of size.
International Women’s Day | March 8
Build your brand and gain respect from new customers by backing women’s causes that are relevant or important to your business. From local women’s shelters and female-owned nonprofits to big organizations like Susan G. Komen, you can leverage International Women’s Day by donating a percentage of proceeds to the foundation of your choice, either on March 8 or during the entire month. Combine marketing mailers with emails to local women or an entire community near your business.
Want the full scoop on how to turn holidays into paydays?
Download our FREE Q1 Seasonal Promotion Calendar here.
Are you in a holi-daze and not sure where to start? Planning your marketing promotions calendar can get overwhelming. Contact Modern to help your business create a direct marketing strategy that helps get new customers year round.
Call a Direct Marketing Specialist at 800.959.8365.