As the holiday season approaches, many businesses are looking at ways to translate holiday shopping trends into sales.
You’ve no doubt already seen the start of holiday advertising pushes, and may be planning your own push for your business. Everyone from huge corporations to little mom-and-pop shops tend to rake it in from Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, so there’s good reason to get excited for your business when the holidays roll around.
That said, there’s more to improving your business through holiday celebrations than just targeting Christmas and the other end-of-year holidays. Even small businesses can score some extra sales throughout the year by targeting lesser-known or “weird” holidays that have a big fanbase online.
Here are just a few examples of holidays you can celebrate to garner some extra attention for your business:
January 4: National Trivia Day
People love trivia, especially about obscure topics. There are numerous Facebook groups dedicated to providing little-known facts or unheard histories behind common products or events.
On January 4, your business can join in on the fun with the #NationalTriviaDay hashtag while shining some light on the hidden histories of some of your products or services.
Not only will it make you trendier, but it may also win over some trviaphiles who had never considered shopping with you before.
February 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day
Come February, everyone’s focused on Valentine’s Day (or Singles Awareness Day/Half Price Candy Day on the 15th). Skip forward a few days, though, and there’s a day that’s perfect for spreading the love without the need for cards and flowers.
Encourage your followers to share the love by celebrating #RandomActsofKindnessDay online and in your stores.
March 23: National Puppy Day
While some would argue that the Internet is made for cat videos, cute puppy pictures run a close second. Why not add some more doggos and puppers to the mix by celebrating #NationalPuppyDay? You could even get in some solid product promotion if you can add a few pictures of puppies posed with the products you want to sell.
April 30: National Honesty Day
April begins with a day of tricks and lies, so it seems fitting that it should end with a bit of honesty. You might already be doing promotions for Earth Day in April, but a little shout out for #NationalHonestyDay could go a long way. Depending on your business niche, this could tie in to a larger promotion as well.
May 24: National Scavenger Hunt Day
While some companies may shoot for Star Wars Day on May 4 (#MayThe4thBeWithYou), you can have a bit more fun with your followers by creating a digital (or possibly physical) scavenger hunt that culminates on #NationalScavengerHuntDay.
A prize for the first to complete the hunt or a drawing for everyone that completes it could go a long way toward getting your followers involved, as well.
June 8: National Best Friends Day
This isn’t really a weird holiday because everybody needs friends. Why not engage your followers and have them get together with their besties? Possible marketing ideas include having best friends submit #NationalBestFriendsDay photos together to find the best pair of best friends, or having an in-store sale where shoppers can get a discount for bringing their best friend in tow.
July 1: International Joke Day
Sure, July 4 is the biggest holiday of the month. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun beforehand, though. Encourage your followers to submit their best #InternationalJokeDay jokes to share a laugh and maybe even win a prize for the best one-liner or joke on this weird holiday.
August 9: National Book Lovers Day
While this seems like it would mostly be celebrated by book-related businesses, there’s nothing to stop other businesses sharing information about your employees’ favorite books or offering up contests related to #NationalBookLoversDay. The bookworms in your following will thank you for it.
September 30: International Podcast Day
If you aren’t celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19, you totally should. It’s becoming so popular that it’s easy to get lost in the crowd, though. To combat this, you should also give a shout out to #InternationalPodcastDay, either sharing favorite podcasts that you think your community will enjoy or maybe even launching a new podcast for your business.
October 1: International Coffee Day
Up all night talking about your favorite podcasts? Grab a cup of your favorite joe and celebrate #InternationalCoffeeDay the next morning.
November 21: National Entrepreneurs Day
Though not as “fun” as some of the others on this list, #NationalEntrepreneursDay is a natural holiday for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It celebrates not only the entrepreneurs but also the entrepreneurial spirit that keeps the business world growing.
December 15: National Cupcake Day
It was a close run between this and #NationalCookieDay on December 4, but #NationalCupcakeDay won out because of the glory and majesty of the cupcake. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you and your followers from enjoying both.
There are plenty of other lesser-known and fun holidays that you can celebrate with your business. Don’t worry if they don’t all fit in your niche; even if you can’t find an angle to connect it directly to your business, your fans and followers will likely appreciate a little bit of fun every now and then too.