Wow ‘Em With Off-The-Beaten-Path Holidays

If you are a corporate refugee like me, you are all too familiar with the standard 7 – 9 holidays that you get during the year. However, did you know that there are literally thousands of holidays during the year that people celebrate? For example, did you know that September is “People Skills,” “Healthy Aging” and “Shameless Self Promotion Month?” October is “Eat Better Eat Together Month.” One of personal favorites is “Bubble Gum Day” in February!

What does this mean for business owners? Plenty!

There is a handy reference book in almost every library called Chase’s Calendar of Events. This book is the comprehensive and authoritative reference available on special events, worldwide holidays and festivals, civic observances, historic anniversaries, famous birthdays and much more. You can also subscribe online if you like at chases.com.

Take a look through this reference guide and find a holiday or two that you can use to attract clients and raise your profile. For example, December is “National Identity Theft Month.” One of my clients sells identity theft protection, so last year we worked together to develop a direct mail campaign to raise awareness. She could even up the ante this year by holding party or open house to celebrate. Sending out a similar press release to the one she sent out last year will be a snap because it’s already written and she can simply add details about what she’s doing this year for the holiday and how the public can benefit.

And then there is my colleague, Communication Coach Felecia Slattery, who celebrates “National Communication Month” every June. One year, she created an online bonus extravaganza that increased her visibility by putting her business and her strategic partners in front of over 10,000 people in their target market in just that one month!

The ideas you can come up with are unlimited if you take some time to brainstorm. Here are a few other ideas for you to consider after you locate a holiday that relates to your business:

  1. Create a month-long celebration: a sale, a percentage off, an extra bonus for the month, etc.
  2. Hold a one-day celebration: an open house, free balloons, bring a friend and receive a gift, etc.
  3. Send out a press release about what you are doing to celebrate.
  4. Partner with another business to create a joint celebration, thereby introducing your businesses to each other’s lists.
  5. If you write articles or publish an ezine, you can use different holidays as topics for an article. For example, April is “Stress Awareness Month.” For a fitness or nutrition expert or a life coach, this is gold!
  6. Pick funky holidays to celebrate during the year and create client touch-points around them. For example:
    • For “National Ice-Cream Day” you can send your best clients and customers a $5 gift card to your favorite ice creamery and say, “Here’s the scoop… I appreciate your businesses!” (See if you can get the local ice creamery to split the cost w/ you for the advertising opportunity!)
    • For “Bubble Gum Day” – Send a pack or stick of gum and say “Chew on this” and make a special offer.

Here’s an advanced tip on using holidays to build your business: Do you know where these holidays come from? People just like you and me! If you want to proclaim a national holiday, just go to chases.com and read their submission guidelines. Claim a national holiday for your business!

How you celebrate a holiday is only limited by your imagination. Have fun deciding which holiday or holidays to celebrate and creating your unique marketing program that “wows” your clients, potential clients and raises your profile.

© 2009 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.