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YOUR Ultimate 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE 2020 is finally over and we can see the light at the end of this long tunnel! So, what does that mean for your business? That now it’s time to plan for success as the world opens up again, and this guide will give you strategic marketing ideas to do just that.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 2021 Marketing Trends to Inform Your Planning 04 Popular Hashtags Marketing Ideas by Month 05 January 07 February 09 March 11 April 13 May 15 June 17 July 19 August 21 September 23 October 25 November 27 December 29 Conclusion YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
2021 MARKETING PREDICTIONS TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR THIS YEAR Set yourself up for success this year by paying close attention to these trends and predictions that may impact your marketing. YOUR WEB PRESENCE IS OF LOCAL SEO IS A MUST FOR YOUR BRAND STORY THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE ALL BUSINESS TYPES MATTERS MORE In 2020, we saw how critical it was for Local SEO is a key component of a Consumers are seeking a connection with businesses to have a solid web presence healthy web presence, and it’s no longer the businesses they frequent. Make sure so consumers could find their business negotiable for businesses – whether they know and understand your brand when searching online. This will continue you’re a local single-location storefront story – what makes you unique, what to be important as people navigate the or a multi-location national chain. As matters to you and your employees, and pandemic – and as we (hopefully) emerge more and more consumers turn to search what causes you care about. This can help later this year. engines to find businesses and answers, you stand out and build brand loyalty. local SEO is how you can ensure you’re getting seen when and where it counts. MAKE YOUR BUSINESS STAY SOCIAL NEWSWORTHY Social media has only grown in importance DEVELOP A PLAN – – if that even seemed possible – and In 2020, more people than ever turned BUT BE AGILE businesses are adapting to the new ways to their local publications to stay that consumers expect to engage with You might be hesitant to develop a full informed on all the changes and updates them and consume content. Make sure marketing plan for 2021 considering the happening across the country. And, we you have a plan to reach your audience, change we all experienced in 2020. But, it’s see that will only continue. Make sure post likeable content, and give a glimpse still crucial to outline your marketing plan your business is visible in the news – into what your business is all about on – determine what marketing is necessary whether in print or online – with print ads, social this year. year-round and what marketing strategies display advertising, and branded content. you’d like to try once you know where your business – and the economy – is going. YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
POPULAR INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC HASHTAGS Use these hashtags on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (and maybe even LinkedIn!) to help your social posts reach a wider audience. FINANCIAL #finance, #business, #investment, #entrepreneur, #investing, #success, #financialfreedom, #wealth, #stocks, #money, SERVICES #stocks, #accounting, #stockmarket, #investor, #trading INDUSTRY HOME #interiordesign, #homedecor, #architecture, #home, #decor, #interiors, #furniture, #homedesign, #interiordesigner, SERVICES #vintage, #homesweethome, #exteriordesign, #construction, #garden, #gardening, #designinspo, #designinspiration INDUSTRY HEALTHCARE #healthcare, #healthandwellness, #wellness, #healthyliving, #getyourcheckup, #checkup, #health, #telehealth, #doctor, INDUSTRY #selfcare, #pharma, #medtech, #hospitals, #covid19 FOOD & #food, #foodie, #foodphotography, #yummy, #delicious, #foodlover, #healthyfood, #tasty, #yum, #sweet, #hungry, BEVERAGE #eat, #healthy, #homemade, #chef, #alcohol, #booze INDUSTRY FITNESS & #fitness, #gym, #workout, #fit, #fitnessmotivation, #motivation, #bodybuilding, #training, #health, #fitfam, #sport, WELLNESS #crossfit, #lifestyle, #healthy, #strong, #fitspo, #wod INDUSTRY EDUCATION #school, #college, #university, #inspiration, #learning, #motivation, #teacherlife, #studentlife, #success, #knowledge, INDUSTRY #learn, #lifegoals, #teacher, #study, #student, #teachergoals, #virtuallearning, #distancelearning, #highered FASHION #fashion, #style, #love, #ootd, #fashionblogger, #beauty, #instafashion, #fashionista, #art, #makeup, #outfit, & BEAUTY #shopping, #dress, #lifestyle INDUSTRY AUTOMOTIVE #carsforsale, #newcars, #usedcars, #preownedcars, #carselling, #carbuying, #forsale, #carsales, #dealership, #carbuyer, INDUSTRY #autosales, #carbusiness, #newcarsforsale, #usedcarsforsale, #cardealership
January 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS JAN 13 MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE DAY THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST Share how you or one of your team members has had a dream come true – Get your year started off right by taking a look at your website. Don’t have one yet? Now’s whether it’s a goal you reached, a milestone the time to invest! Your website is the hub for your business and the foundation for all you celebrated, or a trip to Disneyland! Ask your other digital marketing strategies. your audience what dream they want to come true this year. #dreamcometrue QUICK TIPS • Make sure your website is responsive – meaning it looks great on desktop, mobile, JAN 18 and tablets. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY • Check that your contact information is prominently displayed on your homepage Celebrate this day by sharing your favorite and most other pages on your site. Martin Luther King Jr. quote and asking your audience to share theirs. #MLKDay • Test a few links and your form fill to make sure customers can easily contact you if they try. JAN 21 GET TO KNOW YOUR MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS CUSTOMERS DAY • Run a 21% off sale to celebrate the year 2021. What are your customers really like and what do they like? Ask them! Engage with • Make New Year’s resolutions for your business, and if applicable, share them with the people who love your business best. your customers on social media or through email marketing. #gettoknowyourcustomersday • Host or attend a blood drive as a company – January is National Blood Drive month. • Write a holiday round-up post for your company blog or social sites – include pictures of how you and your team celebrated. 86% of consumers won’t buy from a company with a poorly designed website. SOURCE: IRONMONK YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
January 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 NEW YEAR'S DAY 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LAW ENFORCEMENT NATIONAL TRIVIA APPRECIATION DAY DAY 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE DAY 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 MARTIN LUTHER NATIONAL GET TO KNOW YOUR KING, JR. DAY POPCORN DAY CUSTOMERS DAY #MLKDay 24 25 26 27 28 NATIONAL DATA PRIVACY DAY COMPLIMENT DAY 31 GOALS & PLANNING GRAMMY AWARDS #grammys YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
February 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS FEB 07 SUPER BOWL SUNDAY Share your and your team member’s Super THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST Bowl Sunday plans and ask your audience to share theirs. The day after the Super How do your listings look online? Your local listings are an important part of your online Bowl, ask your audience what their favorite presence because they show up in local searches, house reviews, and can increase your commercial was. #superbowl2021 visibility on search engines. FEB 14 VALENTINE’S DAY QUICK TIPS Socialize your Valentine’s Day specials or • Make sure your business is listed on the top local listings sites. promotions on your social sites. Target • Do a quick search for your business name and check that the listings that show up those last-minute shoppers with a special have the correct information about your business. gift basket giveaway. #valentinesday • Keep your business name, address, and phone number consistent across all your FEB 20 listings. Consistency is an important ranking factor! LOVE YOUR PETS DAY Who can resist a picture of some cute pets?! Share pictures of your pets and ask MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS your audience to share theirs and tag your business. #loveyourpetsday • Run a Valentine’s Day sale or promotion to show your customers how much you love them. • Send your customers your Valentine’s Day promotion over email so they get a little love in their inbox. • To celebrate Black History Month, share your favorite quotes from Black leaders or historical figures on social media and ask your audience to share theirs. • February is also Heart Disease Awareness month, so share resources on your social sites to educate your audience. 68% of people would stop working with a local business if they found incorrect info in their local listings. SOURCE: BRIGHTLOCAL YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
February 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 GROUNDHOG DAY WORLD READ NATIONAL ALOUD DAY WEAR RED DAY 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 SUPER BOWL CHINESE NEW YEAR GALENTINE’S DAY SUNDAY 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 VALENTINE’S DAY PRESIDENT’S DAY MARDI GRAS ASH WEDNESDAY NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PETS DAY 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 NATIONAL MARGARITA DAY 28 GOLDEN GLOBES #goldenglobes GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
March 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS MAR 05 EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY Shout out your employees on your social THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST media pages with a picture or video highlighting each one and sharing why Are you using your business’s social media sites to their fullest potential? Your social they’re special. #employeeappreciation media sites give you a place to directly engage with your target audience and brand fans – so they shouldn’t be ignored! MAR 14 PI DAY QUICK TIPS Share pictures of you and your team enjoying some pie to celebrate Pi Day. If • Take a minute to refresh your social media pages with new images, a high-res logo, you don’t offer pie, make sure to tag your and correct business information. local bakery in your post to support another • Try out different types of social posts to see which perform best for your audience – local business! #piday do they like pictures or videos better than content? MAR 20 • Create a posting schedule so you’re regularly posting on your social media platforms. INTERNATIONAL HAPPINESS DAY Ask your audience to share what makes them happy – it can be a picture, a post, or MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS a video. You can even turn it into a contest and choose one winner to make extra • Run a St. Patrick’s Day special – 17% off services or products. happy! #internationaldayofhappiness • March is Women’s History Month, so share inspirational quotes from inspirational women on your social media pages. • Celebrate your employees this month by giving them a special incentive or a paid day off – your employees are the backbone of your business! • Spruce up the About page on your website to make sure it accurately conveys your brand story. 60% of Instagram users say they discover new businesses on the platform. SOURCE: FACEBOOK YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
March 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 ZERO WORLD EMPLOYEE DISCRIMINATION WILDLIFE DAY APPRECIATION DAY DAY 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL CEREAL DAY WOMEN’S DAY 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 START OF SPRING SAINT PATRICK’S (Spring Equinox) & SAG AWARDS, PI DAY & DAY INTERNATIONAL DAYLIGHT SAVINGS HAPPINESS DAY 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 NATIONAL PASSOVER BEGINS PUPPY DAY 28 29 30 31 PALM SUNDAY VIETNAM WAR NATIONAL VETERANS DAY DOCTORS’ DAY GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
April 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS APRIL 1 APRIL FOOL’S DAY If your business is into pranks, post the THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST aftermath on your social sites. Ask your audience the best prank they’ve pulled – After giving your social media sites a little love last month, let’s take it a step further! or had pulled on them. #aprilfools Facebook advertising can help you reach a new audience on both Facebook and Instagram – two places you can’t afford to be missing out on. APRIL 13 NATIONAL SCRABBLE DAY QUICK TIPS For all those word lovers, celebrate this fun holiday by sharing the best Scrabble word • Try running a Facebook ad campaign using lookalike audience targeting, which allows you’ve played – or by sharing some unique you to target users with traits similar to your existing customers. Scrabble-approved words your audience • Create a Facebook Lead Ads campaign to get leads directly from Facebook. can steal. #nationalscrabbleday • A/B test an ad with different ad creative or a varied call-to-action to see what performs APRIL 22 best with your audience. EARTH DAY Celebrate Earth Day by sharing ideas for sustainability, pictures of you and your MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS team volunteering with a local clean-up, or • With many schools on Spring Break this month, consider a Spring Break sale or promotion. how your business contributes to restoring our earth year-round. #earthday • Run a Tax Day sale to entice shoppers to spend their refunds with you – or to help those who just paid their taxes save. • Spring clean your web presence by doing a quick search for your brand name and taking note of what shows up – does everything look good? • April is National Volunteer Month, so gather your employees and volunteer with a local organization. Make sure to share pictures to your social sites! 11 The average Facebook user clicks on 11 ads per month. SOURCE: HOOTSUITE YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
April 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 APRIL FOOL’S DAY AUTISM AWARENESS & NATIONAL BURRITO & GOOD FRIDAY DAY 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 EASTER SUNDAY NATIONAL NATIONAL & PASSOVER ENDS BEER DAY SIBLINGS DAY 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 NATIONAL RAMADAN BEGINS NATIONAL TAX DAY PET DAY SCRABBLE DAY & NATIONAL HIGH FIVE DAY 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 EARTH DAY 25 26 27 28 29 30 ACADEMY AWARDS PAY IT NFL DRAFT DAY ARBOR DAY & FORWARD DAY KENTUCKY DERBY GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
May 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS MAY 05 CINCO DE MAYO If you’re celebrating, share your pictures on THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST social media. Restaurants can share Cinco de Mayo party recipes. #cincodemayo Want your business to get found on Google and other top search engines? Then SEO is a must. SEO helps you rank on Google and get more traffic to your website, which can give your business a real boost. MAY 09 MOTHER’S DAY QUICK TIPS Shout out to all the moms on social media – share a special message, and include a • Make sure all your metadata – meaning your title tags and meta descriptions – picture with you and your mom, or you and on your website are filled in and contain relevant keywords for your business. your kids if you’re a mom! #mothersday • Test the links on your site to make sure they go to live pages instead of broken links with 404 errors. MAY 31 MEMORIAL DAY • Read through the content on your site – does it make sense? Is it clear what your Use quotes, images, and other posts to business does? show your support for those who have lost their lives for our country. #memorialday MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS • Take some time to make sure you’ve responded to all your business’s reviews so far this year. • If you’re near a college, offer a special student discount before school gets out for the semester. • Launch a customer loyalty program if you don’t already have one to reward your customers and keep them coming back. • Consider partnering with a few local businesses for a “block party” to take advantage of nicer weather and get the word out about your business. 93% of online experiences begin on a search engine. SOURCE: SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
May 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NATIONAL SMALL MAY DAY STAR WARS DAY CINCO DE MAYO NATIONAL NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK & NATIONAL NURSES DAY BUSINESS WEEK BEGINS TEACHERS DAY ENDS 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 MOTHER’S DAY RAMADAN ENDS ARMED #mothersday FORCES DAY 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 WORLD BEE DAY BIKE TO WORK DAY 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 NATIONAL WINE DAY NATIONAL BURGER DAY 30 31 GOALS & PLANNING MEMORIAL DAY YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
June 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS JUN 4 NATIONAL DONUT DAY Bring donuts for your team (and for your THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST customers if you have a storefront!) and share pictures or videos of people enjoying Video killed the radio star, and it’s still on the rise. Video is a powerful marketing tool them. If you got donuts from a local bakery, to help you connect with customers, share what your business is all about, and show – make sure to tag them in your social posts! instead of tell – why people should do business with you. #nationaldonutday JUN 20 QUICK TIPS FATHER’S DAY • Make a quick video from your cell phone walking through your location or introducing Now, it’s time to highlight all the dads yourself and share it on social media. out there! Share a picture of you and • Try going live on Facebook or Instagram to build engagement with your audience. your dad or you and your kids if you’re a dad and ask your audience to share how • Have your employees script a brand commercial for your business to either film they’re celebrating. Or, keep it casual and professionally or create using your smartphone. share your favorite dad joke. #fathersday #dadjoke MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS JUN 21 • We’re halfway through the year – are you on track to hit your business and marketing NATIONAL SELFIE DAY goals? Review the goals you set and adjust as needed. This is an easy one: Share your best selfie • Run a summer sale or promotion to get more people to try out your business. and ask your employees to share their selfies! #selfieday • Consider testing out a new marketing strategy in the last half of the year – research some options or talk to your marketing partner for ideas. • Celebrate National Best Friend’s Day on June 8 by running a buy-one-get-one or referral special so best friends can take advantage of your products or services. 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service through a video than text. SOURCE: HUBSPOT YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
June 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 NATIONAL NATIONAL CHEESE DAY DONUT DAY 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 NATIONAL BEST FRIENDS DAY 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 FLAG DAY JUNETEENTH 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 FATHER’S DAY #fathersday NATIONAL SELFIE NATIONAL TAKE YOUR & START OF SUMMER DAY HANDSHAKE DAY DOG TO WORK DAY (Summer Solstice) 27 28 29 30 BET AWARDS #betawards GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
July 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS JULY 4 INDEPENDENCE DAY Share a simple Happy July 4th post with THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST a nice graphic – or share pictures of how you’re celebrating and ask your audience to Print advertising is still a valuable marketing strategy for any local business – especially share theirs! #july4th when paired with digital marketing. You can create a unified brand message, increase awareness, and drive users to your business with print ads. JULY 15 NATIONAL GIVE SOMETHING AWAY DAY QUICK TIPS This is the perfect day for a Facebook • Try running a print ad for a special promotion for your business – make sure to use a or Instagram giveaway! Run a unique coupon code so you can track who found you from print. social media contest and choose a • Speaking of tracking your print ads, use a tracking number or tracking URL so you’re winner to give something away to. able to see visitors from your print ads. #givesomethingawayday • Opening a new location? Make sure to run a series of print ads in the local paper to get JULY 21 the word out. NATIONAL JUNK FOOD DAY Use the Poll feature on Facebook and MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS Twitter to ask your audience their favorite fast-food chain – or their favorite junk food • Run a special Fourth of July sale or promotion to get more people to visit your item! #nationaljunkfoodday business this month. • Closed on the Fourth of July or have adjusted hours? Make sure to update your hours on your website, your social media sites, and your local listings! • July is National Grilling Month – share your favorite recipes, grill safety tips, or the best grilling tools (and where to get them – locally!). 82% of US consumers trust print ads when it comes to making a purchase decision. SOURCE: STATISTA YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
July 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 WORLD UFO DAY 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 INDEPENDENCE DAY INTERNATIONAL WORLD NATIONAL PIÑA #4thofjuly KISSING DAY CHOCOLATE DAY COLADA DAY 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 7 ELEVEN DAY NATIONALFRENCH NATIONAL GIVE WORLD FRY DAY SOMETHING AWAY EMOJI DAY DAY 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL NATIONAL JUNK NATIONAL SELF CARE DAY & ICE CREAM DAY FOOD DAY HOT DOG DAY NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 GLOBAL DAY INTERNATIONAL OF PARENTS DAY OF FRIENDSHIP GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
August 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS AUG 4 NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DAY THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST Share your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe – or your favorite place Who’s got mail? With email marketing, the answer is your customers! Email marketing to buy them in your area and ask your can help you engage existing customers and reach new potential customers right in customers to share theirs! If you enjoy their inbox. any chocolate chip cookies today, make sure to share a picture to your social sites. #nationalchocolatechipcookieday QUICK TIPS • Use targeted email marketing to segment your audience and personalize your email AUG 15 messages to increase open rates. NATIONAL RELAXATION DAY • Make sure your subject line is catchy, straightforward, and enticing. Share your favorite tips for relaxing, a relaxation playlist, or a local business – like • Keep your email marketing messages short and sweet – leading with a deal or a spa – that helps you unwind. Spas – this promotion never hurts! is a great day for you to share testimonials from customers who you’ve helped relax or just an overview of what you offer. MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS #nationalrelaxationday • It’s back-to-school season! Run a back-to-school promotion to reach students and their parents. AUG 17 • It’s not too early to start thinking about your holiday marketing plan – outline NATIONAL NON-PROFIT DAY your specials and promotions now and let your marketing partner know what you’re Get out and volunteer at a local non-profit planning. and share pictures to your social sites. If you can’t make it out to volunteer, share • Everyone likes a good pen or tote bag – consider giving out promotional materials a round-up of your favorite non-profits. to your customers to stay top-of-mind. #nationalnonprofitday 73% of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email. SOURCE: HUBSPOT YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
August 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 START OF SIMPLIFY NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL END OF YOUR LIFE WEEK & CHOCOLATE CHIP BEER DAY SIMPLIFY YOUR NATIONAL COOKIE DAY LIFE WEEK & SISTER DAY PURPLE HEART DAY 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 INTERNATIONAL BOOK NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL CAT DAY LOVERS DAY LAZY DAY LEFT-HANDERS DAY 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 NATIONAL NATIONAL NATIONAL WORLD NATIONAL SENIOR RELAXATION DAY TELL A JOKE DAY NONPROFIT DAY PHOTOGRAPHY DAY RADIO DAY CITIZENS DAY 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY 29 30 31 GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
September 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS SEPT 6 LABOR DAY Wish your social media audience a Happy THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST Labor Day with a nice visual or share a round-up of local Labor Day events. A good online reputation is essential for a strong business. People trust online reviews as #laborday much as they trust personal recommendations from friends, so it’s important that they’re seeing only the best about your business online. SEPT 22 FIRST DAY OF FALL QUICK TIPS Share your favorite fall pastimes, any fall events you have coming up, or recipes for • Do a search for your business name on Google and see which review sites show up – your most-loved fall treats. #firstdayoffall make a note to regularly monitor these sites for new reviews if you’re not already. • Respond to all your reviews – negative and positive. Get our top tips for responding SEPT 25 to reviews here. NATIONAL ONE HIT WONDER DAY Share a YouTube video of your favorite one • Make an effort to get new reviews to build up your online reputation. Ask for reviews hit wonder and ask your audience to share from happy customers and train your team to do the same. theirs! #nationalonehitwonderday MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS • Take a minute to plan out or confirm your Q4 marketing goals so you’re prepared to end the year in a strong position. • Check in to see how customers feel about your business by sending out a survey asking for feedback. • September is a busy month for moving – re-introduce your business to locals and reach new community members by sending out a direct mail campaign with a special promotion. 93% of people say they are influenced by online reviews. SOURCE: THE DRUM YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
September 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 LABOR DAY & INTERNATIONAL START OF ROSH LITERACY DAY HASHANA & END OF ROSH HASHANA 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 GRANDPARENTS DAY YOM KIPPUR BEGINS YOM KIPPUR ENDS CONSTITUTION / START OF CITIZENSHIP DAY OKTOBERFEST 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 PATRIOT DAY INTERNATIONAL START OF FALL NATIONAL ONE DAY OF PEACE (Autumnal Equinox) HIT WONDER DAY 26 27 28 29 30 GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
October 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS OCT 1 WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY Share a recipe for your favorite vegetarian THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST dish or spotlight local restaurants in your area with vegetarian options. Do you have a way to answer questions, capture leads, and give helpful information right Make sure to tag them in your posts! on your website? Live chat gives you a way to do all that and more. #worldvegetarianday OCT 10 QUICK TIPS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY • Add live chat to your website. Share social posts from reputable mental • If you already have live chat – or after you start using it on your site – see if there are health resources to your social media any common questions you’re receiving and consider creating an FAQ page on your pages to raise awareness for this cause. site to address them. #worldmentalhealthday • Streamline a way to follow up with leads you’re receiving from live chat. OCT 31 HALLOWEEN MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS Share pictures of your employees dressed up for Halloween and anyone that visits in • Holiday shopping starts this month (we know, it seems early!) -- make sure your costume. Launch a poll to get to the bottom holiday marketing is locked and loaded and maybe even running already. of whether people actually like candy corn. • Do a quick search for your competitors – are they doing anything in their marketing #halloween you should try? Are they offering something you’re not? Think about how you can stand out from them either through positioning your business, ramping up your marketing, or changing up your product offerings. • Find a local trunk-or-treat your business can sponsor or participate in. 40% More than 40% of customers expect live chat on your website. SOURCE: FORRESTER YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
October 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY & WORLD SMILE DAY 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 MEAN NATIONAL WORLD GIRLS DAY TACO DAY TEACHERS’ DAY 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 COLUMBUS DAY, INDIGENOUS WORLD MENTAL PEOPLES’ DAY NATIONAL WORLD FOOD DAY HEALTH DAY & NATIONAL DESSERT DAY & BOSSES DAY COMING OUT DAY 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 NATIONAL PASTA DAY 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 NATIONAL NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY CHOCOLATE DAY 31 GOALS & PLANNING HALLOWEEN #happyhalloween YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
November 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS NOV 7 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS Remind your audience that the clock is THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST falling back one hour – and make sure to update them on any changes to your hours Did you know there’s a way to keep your business in front of people until they decide to if you have any. #daylightsavings convert into customers? With retargeting, once someone leaves your website, they’re targeted with ads for your business on sites across the web. NOV 25 THANKSGIVING QUICK TIPS Share what you’re thankful for when it comes to your customers and your • Retarget web visitors on social media with Facebook retargeting. employees. Make sure to share any • Use retargeting ads to entice users back to your site with a special offer. pictures of employee or team celebrations! #happythanksgiving • Test out different ad creative and optimize based on what’s working to drive the most visitors back to your site. NOV 27 SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS Promote your participation in Small Business Saturday on social! Share any • Do you have any seasonal products or services? Make sure to show them off this month. sales, special deals, or events you’re • Add your business to the Shop Small map and make a plan to participate in Small holding, and spotlight other local Business Saturday this month. businesses in your area. #smallbizsat • Check in with your employees to confirm when or if anyone is planning to take off for the upcoming holidays so your scheduling is streamlined. 70% People who see retargeted ads are 70% more likely to convert on your website. SOURCE: INVESP YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
November 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 ELECTION DAY 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS VETERANS DAY WORLD TIME ENDS #veteransday KINDNESS DAY 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 WORLD NATIONAL NATIONAL WORLD UNIVERSAL DIABETES DAY FAST FOOD DAY TAKE A HIKE DAY PHILOSOPHY DAY CHILDREN’S DAY 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 WORLD NATIONAL THANKSGIVING DAY BLACK FRIDAY SMALL BUSINESS TELEVISION DAY JUKEBOX DAY #happythanksgiving #blackfriday SATURDAY #smallbizsat 28 29 30 ADVENT BEGINS CYBER MONDAY GIVING TUESDAY & HANUKKAH #givingtuesday BEGINS GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
December 2021 SOCIAL CALENDAR IDEAS DEC 5 INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY December is a great month for THIS MONTH’S MARKETING MUST volunteering. Take part in this day by volunteering with your favorite It’s a great month to provide some helpful resources or educate your customers on your organization or sharing local volunteer unique brand story. How do you do that? Branded content! opportunities for your audience to take part in. #volunteerday QUICK TIPS DEC 17 • Think about the unique perspective, tips, or insight you can provide to your local UGLY SWEATER DAY audience. Have your team wear their ugliest holiday • Use branded content to educate your local audience on a common problem or answer a sweaters and share pictures on social common question your customers have – chances are, others have the same question! media. Consider giving a discount to any customers who come in wearing their best • Make sure you’re amplifying your branded content with a social media and display ad ugly sweater! #uglysweaterday campaign to increase awareness even more. DEC 31 MARKETING & PROMOTION IDEAS NEW YEAR’S EVE Share your New Year’s resolutions with • Create a holiday gift guide for your customers with your products and services as well your social media audience and ask them to as related products and services from local businesses. share theirs! #nye2021 • Take a minute to update your holiday hours on your listings, website, and your social media sites. This will go a long way for customers! • Finalize your marketing plan for 2022 – what’s worked well this year? What do you want to accomplish next year? 50% Branded content distributed through premium publishers (like USA TODAY NETWORK) see 50% higher brand lift. SOURCE: NIELSEN YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
December 2021 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 NATIONAL COOKIE DAY 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 INTERNATIONAL HANUKKAH ENDS PEARL HARBOR HUMANRIGHTS DAY VOLUNTEER DAY REMEMBRANCE 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 BILL OF RIGHTS DAY, WRIGHT NATIONAL BROTHERS DAY SUPER SATURDAY COCOA DAY & UGLY SWEATER DAY 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 START OF WINTER CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS DAY (Winter Solstice) #merrychristmas 26 27 28 29 30 31 NEW YEARS EVE #NYE GOALS & PLANNING YOUR ULTIMATE 2021 MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE
SO, ARE YOU READY to get started? We know that planning your year’s marketing can be daunting, but we’re here to help. LOCALiQ can provide the right marketing mix to help you reach the right people, in the right places, at the right time. We can take the guesswork out of it for you and help you reach your marketing goals this year and beyond. Contact us today to speak with one of our marketing experts. LET’S TALK LOCALiQ.com @LOCALiQ Instagram.com/LOCALiQ Facebook.com/LOCALiQ
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