Article Presented by:
Tammy M. Ratcliff
Marketing your business can be as easy as looking at a 12-month calendar. There is some kind of holiday or sporting event during each month of the year. Even if the event has nothing to do with your field of expertise, you can still take advantage of it by using a little creativity. Below are some ideas to get you started.
January
There are two major holidays in the month of January--New Year's Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A brand new year is always a good time to advertise new products or to have a big sale on them. If you are in the debt consolidation industry, this is a great time to promote your services since many people go further in to debt over the holidays. Not all businesses recognize MLK, Jr. Day, but they should. This is a wonderful opportunity to show that you are an equal-opportunity company that recognizes the importance of honoring this civil rights leader. For sports enthusiasts, the Superbowl is right around the corner. Find a way to make connections between your business and this very popular event. Customers always like to do business with people whom they feel share a common interest.
February
Of course, the biggest event in February is Valentine's Day. Flower shops and candy makers are all over this holiday. There is no reason why a mortgage company couldn't put a little love into their marketing. It should be pretty easy for any company to come up with some clever advertising around this theme. This month also showcases Groundhog's Day and President's Day. Offer different discounts for customers based on what Punxsutawney Phil predicts or special prizes for anyone who can guess how old the Presidents would be.
March
This month is chocked full of reasons to celebrate. Daylight Savings Time (for those of us not living in Arizona), St. Patrick's Day, and the First Day of Spring are all good excuses to market your product. Springtime brings to mind flowers and shamrocks, so why not use this occasion to advertise the spring-like qualities your industry has to offer? March is also a huge month for college basketball. Use March Madness to lure basketball fans to your store or website with bracket contests or other basketball related scenarios.
April
April Fool's Day is probably the one holiday you should not use in your advertising. No one likes to be fooled when it come to their money. But if you decide to come up with a marketing idea for this holiday, make sure the "surprise" is a good one. April is also the month of Passover, Good Friday, and Easter. While these are technically religious holidays, there should be no harm in advertising products related to them, as long as they are handled respectfully.
May
May is another great party month. Even though Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican celebration, Americans are embracing it more and more each year. This is one holiday that people of any race can associate with, so get creative and use it to your advantage before your competition does. May also gives us Mother's Day and Memorial Day. Flowers tend to have a monopoly on these holidays as well, but times are changing rapidly. People today are looking for new ways to express their feelings. Perhaps your company has a unique idea they could use. Let them know about it! May is also the month for high school and college graduation ceremonies. This is another huge advertising opportunity even if you don't personally know a graduate.
June
The month of June leads us right into the First Day of Summer, Flag Day, and Father's Day. Besides honoring Dear 'Ole Dad, this is a great time of year to get patriotic. The Fourth of July is right around the corner so start thinking Red, White, and Blue. The last few years have put Americans through an emotional ringer. Let your customers know you are proud to be an American by offering free US flags with every purchase or by publishing online articles about the importance of supporting our troops. If there is any way at all to tie your company to patriotism, this is the perfect time to do so.
July
Since Independence Day comes at the beginning of July, advertising for this holiday should really begin in June. However, there is no reason you cannot continue a patriotic theme throughout July as well. Interestingly, there are a number of "bizarre" holidays in July that could be great to use for marketing purposes. For example, July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day, July 14th is National Nude Day, and July 22nd is National Ratcatcher's Day. How's that for a variety? Center a marketing idea around one of these holidays and you will not only educate the public, but possibly create a new tradition for your company.
August
Everyone knows that August is the month that the kids go back to school. Students and their parents are notorious for spending lots of money at the beginning of the school year, so use this opportunity offer discounts on everything from clothing to book bags to inexpensive furniture and household goods. Almost any company can create some kind of special deal for students or their parents this month.
September
Come up with some way to honor the workingman this month and you will be all set for Labor Day. If that doesn't work, there is always Grandparents' Day or the First Day of Autumn. Anytime there is a special day set-aside for a particular group of people, companies should try to promote it through their advertising. The recognized group will definitely appreciate your efforts, and may reward you with new business.
October
Baseball is said to be America's favorite pastime, so in October be prepared to do some World Series based marketing. Sporting goods stores are obviously going to promote their baseball products at this time, but other companies can get into the spirit too. For instance, a company that sells insurance could advertise travel insurance for fans that are going to the game. Halloween is also a great theme to market around. This holiday appeals to kids and parents alike so there are multitudes of ways to approach this scheme.
November
Once again it is Daylight Savings Time for almost all of the United States. Elections are held during this month, Veterans are honored, and turkeys are carved. This month is split between politics and thankfulness. This may be a prime time for showing genuine customer appreciation in some way.
December
The last month of the calendar brings the most celebrations of the year--Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years Eve. People are primed to spend money so make sure they know who you are and what you do or sell. Online article marketing is a very effective way to do this, but there are other options as well.
Final Thoughts...
If you use article marketing to promote your business, or if you use any kind of print media, do keep lead-times in mind.
If you are looking to get an article into a print magazine, most of those magazines run on a three- to six-month lead-time for content. What that means to you is that the publisher must approve your Thanksgiving article no later than August, in order to make the deadline for the November issue of the magazine.
If you are trying to use article marketing to promote your online business, lead-time is also a consideration to keep in mind. While some online publications will use your article within just a few days of having received it from you, most online publications run on a 30- to 90-day lead-time for the articles that they publish.
No matter how you choose to market your business, do not hesitate to make use of that calendar on your desk. It could be the best marketing tool you have ever used.
About the Author:
Tammy M. Ratcliff is a staff writer and editor for http://thePhantomWriters.com and http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com . The Phantom Writers specializes in writing and distributing reprint articles online. Links And Traffic uses original and interesting content to build search engine friendly text links to their client’s websites. If you would like to learn more about either program, call Bill Platt at 405-780-7745 between 9am-6pm CST, Monday through Friday.
