Marketing Breakdown: National Days
In 2013, Marlo Anderson, radio talk show host of The Tech Ranch, also known as the “Guru of Geek”, founded the National Day Calendar, a website dedicated to listing every single national day out of a love for celebrating every day. To date, Anderson and his team documented over 1,500 national days and the list is still growing. Whether you love it or hate it, national days have been utilized by many companies as part of their marketing campaigns to leverage social engagement with their target audiences and clients.
Incorporating a strategic hashtag to your post on a national day is a fun way to show your audience a more personable, more human side to your brand or business. It can generate conversations related to your business. If you do choose to use national days as part of your marketing campaign, take note of some guidelines you might want to follow.
Plan Ahead
Before you start posting about #NationalPopcornDay or #NationalBringYourDogDay, you have to map out upcoming national days in advance. This allows you to strategize and plan for maximum impact. Also, you want to make sure the national days you utilize are in line with your brand and your message. For example, you don’t want to post something about #CallYourDoctorDay if your brand doesn’t interact with the medical field or doctors in general.
Don’t Overdo It
Just like everything, use National Days in moderation or as it relates to your brand. Do not overdo it. Celebrating too many national days may have the opposite effect on your business. Your audience might be turned off with the messaging. If you’re a financial institution encouraging your members to save their money, you may want to skip #NationalSplurgeDay. Be as discerning as you want in how you utilize national days.
Make It Personal
Utilizing national days give your brand the opportunity to show a more personable side of your business. This is your chance to add some fun into your brand and to spruce it up with something unexpected. Think warm and fuzzy. Again, you are placing your brand in a position to engage with your audience on a different level. For example, #NationalSelfieDay will give your brand a chance to create a fun post that can showcase your team and the people behind your business.
Staying Relevant
One of the benefits of using national days is showcasing your ability to keep up with trends and knowledge of what is going on in the world. It demonstrates that your brand is active. You may even find that you are teaching things related to national days to your followers. Promoting topics you don’t usually talk about gives you the ability to large a bigger audience by using different tags on Instagram or Twitter.
Utilize All Your Platforms
As with all marketing campaigns, plan on making multiple posts across the board. Don’t just use Instagram when you have a LinkedIn and Twitter account. And tailor the post to each audience specifically. That rule of knowing your audience comes in handy there.
When it comes to celebrating national days, remember to be selective. Promoting all national days will spam your audience. Choose the days that make sense to your brand or business. Make sure the national day reflects the personality of your brand or at least links to it directly. Select days that are conversation starters’—they don’t have to be controversial. Last but not the least, avoid days that would hinder or interrupt a campaign you’re already running.
