2024 Marketing Calendar
January
- Out with the old, in with the new! Highlight your new product lines for 2024.
- Now is time to start gearing up for Valentine's Day! Mid-January is the perfect time to start decorating and stocking up for this loving holiday. It's not just a lovers holiday anymore - parents buy for the kiddos, besties buy for each other...think cousin, aunt, mom & dad, etc. ~ celebrate all the special people in your life! Click here to check out our Valentine's related products.
Jan – National Hobby Month
- Prepare for the month by purchasing charms for as many hobbies as possible, from fishing to cooking to bird watching! Find all our hobby and sports charms here.
- Encourage employees and customers to participate in their favorite hobby, or even pick up a new one.
Jan 1st - New Year's Day
- New year, new products. This slow month is great for refocusing your marketing and pushing your new items.
- Ask your customers! Now is a great time to engage with them and see what products they are looking for and how you can improve their shopping experience. Connect with them on social media and compile all the feedback to make this year, YOUR YEAR.
- People consider the New Year a time to change, inspire, and grow. Many make resolutions that will motivate them to be better and do more in the upcoming year. Have an “Inspiring quotes contest” or a “share your resolution contest” to engage and motivate customers.
Jan 9th – Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
- Show your appreciation by offering a discount to those in law enforcement. Browse our law enforcement charms here.
Jan 14th – National Dress Up Your Pet Day
- Post furry friends to social media accounts dressed in their cutest ensembles.
- Encourage customers to shop with their pets and have tasty treats at the counter - offer a discount if their fur-friend is dressed up.
- Check out our dazzling doggie and fancy feline charms.
Jan 15th – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Recognize and appreciate the strides King made and how far we have come, while also recognizing the change still needed.
- Donate to organizations working for racial justice.
Jan 19th – National Popcorn Day
- Pop fresh popcorn and offer it to customers while they browse the store.
- Offer a promotion by giving customers a free popcorn charm to customers whose purchase exceeds a certain amount. Find our cute popcorn charm here.
- Fill a jar with kernels or popped corn and play Guess How Many? where the customer who guesses the correct amount or is the closest will receive a discount or freebie on their next purchase.
Jan 24th – National Compliment Day
- Create a positive environment by encouraging employees to write “warm fuzzies” about their fellow co-workers. Even the smallest of compliments can make someone’s day.
Jan 29th – National Puzzle Day
- Have a large puzzle on a table in your store (with a sign letting customers know this is National Game and Puzzle week). Have your employees complete the edges, and then any customer after that who adds a piece will get a discount. Get creative with your promotions!
- Shop our puzzle and game items here.
February
- Love is in the air! Order your Valentine's gifts on the 1st to receive them by Valentine's Day. Click here to check out our Valentine's related products.
- It's also American Heart Month, a perfect time to order our heartbeat jewels here.
- Prepare for a celebration and stock up on festive Mardi Gras jewels. Click here to see our selection.
Feb - Black History Month
- Celebrate Black History Month by participating in social conversation and/or events.
Feb – National Library Lover’s Month
- Have a month-long promotion, where a customer can present their local library card to receive a discount. Make a social post about this promotion and have signs in your store.
- Host a book donation drop or trade at your store to encourage more reading in your community. Book trade locations are popping up everywhere - creating one in your store will encourage people to come in to get a book and shop in the store!
- Check out our adorable book charms.
Feb - National Cancer Prevention Month
- Promote awareness about cancer prevention and healthy lifestyle choices in your community with educational tweets/statuses. Follow @HHSGov and use #CancerPrevention on Twitter.
- World Cancer Day is Tuesday, February 4th. Offer discounts to customers wearing a purple ribbon. Use hashtag #WeCanICan and #WorldCancerDay on social media channels and visit http://www.worldcancerday.org for more information on what you can do to reduce the global impact of cancer.
- Encourage employees to make healthier lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of cancer. Set out fresh food and healthy snack options at all team gatherings.
- Early detection saves lives! Awareness campaigns and workplace health and well-being initiatives are significant in raising awareness.
Feb - American Heart Month
- Consider a social media post for American Heart Month combined with Valentine's post: “The perfect gift this Valentine’s Day is the gift of heart health." Or "Don't forget, it's ALSO American Heart Month."
- Offer customers a discount for wearing red and mentioning the promotion at checkout.
- Display heart-related and red-themed items in a creative merchandising table at your storefront. If you do not have a brick-and-mortar store, you can post images of the related items on your social accounts with calls to action.
Feb 3rd - National Wear Red Day
- To do your part in raising awareness for this nationally designated heart health day, you can post on social media to offer a discount to customers who wear red in your store and mention the promotion at checkout.
Feb 12th - Superbowl Sunday
- Join the social media conversation and connect to sports fans everywhere! Engage with them on social media by asking which team they are supporting. Use #Superbowl2024 to get the conversation going.
- Turn the score into a deal! Use the difference between the two teams' scores as a price reduction number. Ex: If one of the teams scores 7 and the other scores 14, take 7% off all merchandise for the rest of the day or the next day. Promote through social media and email.
- If you're open during the game, serve snacks and drinks.
- Get some fans off the couch during halftime with a giveaway or a discount that’s only available during halftime.
- Shop our football charms here!
Feb 10th - Chinese New Year
- The United States is home to the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of China. Don't miss out on the celebration! You can honor Chinese culture and Chinese New Year traditions by decorating in reds and golds.
- Provide gifts to valued partners and customers of Chinese heritage.
Feb 13th - Mardi Gras
- Have a "FAT" sale for Fat Tuesday. Team up with other merchants around you to throw a bash: play jazz music, offer free festive beads with purchase, or set out snacks and beverages to draw potential customers in. If you do not have a brick-and-mortar store, promote the sale with a festive and colorful email campaign or social media post.
- Are you located near a parade route or Mardi Gras event? Promote your location, near or far, on social media accounts.
- Shop Mardi Gras colored and themed jewels here!
Feb 14th - Valentine's Day
- Create a Valentine's themed storefront merchandise table with great Valentine's gift options.
- Offer a special discount for the special day.
- Host a "Share the Love" promotion through your social media outlets: Ask customers to share sweet or romantic stories or images with a specific hashtag (preferably including your business name). Pick the best post to win a prize or discount. Don't forget to give them a shout out!
- Host a Valentine's Day event with sweets and even sweeter deals for everyone! Don't forget to send a promotional email or create a stand-out social media post at least a week in advance.
March
- Spring break for schools is typically mid-March. You can check your local schools for the exact dates and be sure to cater to student customers' needs this month.
- Stock up your store for the Spring months! We have new arrivals and Spring products here.
- You'll have plenty-o'-luck with our St. Patrick's Day themed items! Stock up now to receive them in time.
- Check out all of our Mother’s Day and Graduation gift ideas in our latest catalog, full of new products and old!
Mar - Autism Awareness Month
- The national symbol for Autism Awareness is the puzzle piece, which is meant to reflect the complexity of Autism and represents the diversity of the individuals affected by it since every puzzle piece is different in some way. Shop our Awareness item here.
- Participate in online or local events and activities to promote awareness for Autism and inclusion for all individuals affected by it.
Mar - National Nutrition Month
- Have healthy snacks for sale or for free at your register counter. Include these healthy snacks in employee meetings or in your break room.
- Have a "Show Us Your Produce" promotion if you are located near a grocery store. If someone brings their bag of produce to make a purchase, offer them a discount. Hold the promotion all month by keeping a sign up next to your register and informing your customers through social media platforms or mailing lists.
Mar - American Red Cross Month
- The American Red Cross runs blood drives, provides aid, and emotional support for victims of disaster and relief. If you would like to support communities in rebuilding and fundraising, click to see how you can participate in our I'm A Star donation program.
Mar 3rd - Employee Appreciation Day
- Show your employees just how much you care by having an employee party with food, drinks, and/or incentives. While this national day is dedicated to celebrating employees, the best practice is to honor hard work and loyalty year-round.
- Offer employees a “Stay Home with Pay” voucher. This gives them the option to take a well-deserved wellness day.
- Put together a “Stress Kit” for all employees. This could include stress balls, neck pillows, tea for the office, water bottles for desk, relaxing music playlists, etc.
Mar 8th - International Women's Day
- Participate in social conversation by using the 2024 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge. “A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day...” - InternationalWomen'sDay.com
- Offer discounts or incentives to employees and customers to purchase gifts for the women in their lives.
- Visit www.internationalwomensday.com to learn more about participating in your community.
- Launch an email marketing campaign that celebrates women. Make it pink themed and invest in a giveaway.
- Sponsor a social awareness campaign that targets women (ex. Breast cancer awareness)
- Shop all pink items here.
March 10th – 95th Academy Awards
- Contests are a great way to build your brand while helping boost social media engagement. Hold a movie trivia contest with fun prizes or have a social poll where customers can vote on what movies they think will win. Make it interactive and offer worthwhile incentives.
Mar 10th - 16th - National Girl Scout Week
- Visit www.girlscouts.org to get information on your local Girl Scout community and to see how you can participate.
- If you have a Girl Scout selling cookies near or at your brick-and-mortar store, make sure to communicate this with your customers via email, social outlets, or a simple store sign with the dates and times they will be present.
Mar 17th - Apr 8th - March Madness
- Shop basketball charms here.
- Ask customers to wear the jersey of their favorite college basketball team in store for a discount during March Madness.
- Create a merchandise display for any college-related or sports-related items.
Mar 17th - St. Patrick's Day
- Integrate green into your storefront merchandising and suggest unique St. Patrick’s Day gift ideas.
- Make a social media post with an image of your St. Patrick’s display or individual items that relate.
- Offer a discount to customers wearing St. Patrick's Day-themed clothes.
- Have a social media contest: “Post a St. Patrick's Day inspired picture on Instagram using #(retailers name)StPatricks. The winner with the most likes can come in and claim their “pot of gold” (gift).
- Shop our St. Patrick’s Day Items.
- Don’t forget to wear green! Shop our green colored items here.
Mar 19th - First Day of Spring (Spring Equinox)
- Create Spring related social content and in-store displays. Check out some Spring items here!
- Pick the slowest day of the week to hold a “Spring Cleaning Sale” – heavily discount your slowest moving items or items that you want to close the SKU number out.
- Have a Spring Cleaning party where employees can come after hours and clean your brick-and-mortar location. Provide incentives or overtime pay.
Mar 29th - Good Friday
- Shop crosses here.
Mar 31st - Easter
- Host an Easter Egg or scavenger hunt! This could be in store, or you can cross-promote your brand by partnering with other small businesses in your community and gain access to a new market. Partner with businesses you admire and respect. Provide drinks or snacks to people who participate.
- Check out our Easter items here.
April
- Stock up your store for the summer months to come! Check out summer items, from toe rings to turquoise, here.
- Bridal season is in full swing! Find beautiful gift options for newlyweds and wedding parties including bridesmaids and groomsmen in our Bridal Catalog. Take advantage of this peak season with promotional bridal events. Shop our bridal selection here.
- Don't wait too long to order book charms to arrive in time for National Library Week.
- HOP on into Easter seamlessly. Our jewelry is perfect for Easter egg hunts and gifts, so take a look at our Easter-themed jewelry here, and order now to receive in time!
- Earth Day is at the end of the month. Inspire your customers with Eco-friendly products. Shop our Earth Day items here.
- Everything is in full bloom! Check out our current Catalogs, full of new products and must-have classics.
Apr 1st - April Fool's Day
- Think of a creative/ironic hoax related to your business to tweet out. Get your employees involved too. Some other business examples: Burger King said they were working on a burger that is “more left-hand friendly.” Everybody loves a good laugh!
Apr 7th – 13th - National Library Week
- Have a week-long promotion, where a customer can present their local library card to receive a discount. Make a social post about this promotion and have signs in your store.
- Host a book donation drop or trade at your store to encourage more reading in your community.
- Check out our adorable book charms!
Apr 15th - Tax Day
- Remind employees to get their taxes filed on time.
Apr 21st - 27th - National Volunteer Week
- Choose a charity to get involved with and get customers and employees involved too! Offer a discount or gift for customers who volunteer a certain amount of time or donate a certain amount of money.
Apr 22nd - Earth Day
- Have reusable bag promotions to entice greener living. Get retailers in your community to participate and everyone can order the same bags to sell (or give away).
- Host an outdoor photo contest via Instagram.
- Collect recyclables at your store and offer discount incentives to people who participate.
May
- It's graduation month! Set up a merchandise/display table with gift options for new graduates. Shop our All Occasions Gift Catalog here!
- Prom season is upon us. Offer graduates and prom attendees special deals this month and promote relevant merchandise. Shop our collection here!
- Don't forget about Teacher Appreciation Week- make sure to have gifts that would be great for teachers. Check out our teacher-related products here.
- Our jewelry is perfect for Mother's Day, shop our collection here.
- Commemorate those who fought for our country this month for Memorial Day- shop our patriotic products here. They are perfect to display at your register all month long.
- Things are starting to get hot! Check out our Summer Catalog, full of new and old products.
May - National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
- Have a promotion: wear your team jersey in store for a small discount.
- Encourage employees to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle.
May 5th - Cinco de Mayo
- Capitalize on this billion-dollar spending holiday in the U.S. Have festive music, let employees participate, and decorate your store. Host a large sale event, where customers can eat, drink, shop and immerse themselves in the Mexican-American holiday.
May 6th - 10th - Teacher Appreciation Week
- Host a special event and invite children into your store to pick gifts for their teachers. Create an incentive or have a discount if someone brings their child and mentions the promotion. Don’t forget to share through social channels. Include special gift wrapping if it fits in your budget.
- Create a merchandise table (or stock near the register) with gift options for teachers.
- Offer discounts to teachers and administrative staff.
- Check out our teacher appreciation items here.
May 12th - Mother's Day
- Let your customers know at least a week ahead of time that you’re stocked up for Mother's Day. Send a tweet or pull out that mailing list. List specific items that would make for great gifts to take the guess work out for them.
- Make the shopping experience hassle-free by offering gift wrapping.
- Create a “Mother’s Day” specific hashtag on Twitter. Ask consumers to share any pictures of their moms, sweet thoughts, or Mother’s Day related posts. Whether there is an incentive or not, the posts will create nostalgia and your brand will be associated with love.
- Explore our custom engraving and drop shipping services! Your customer can choose an engraving and have the gift shipped directly to their mother. Find out more about our services here.
- Our “mama bear” necklaces are the perfect gift for all mothers or mothers to be!
May 12th - 18th - National Women's Health Week
- Create a gift basket with health-related items, coupons for services (get other retailers involved), or event tickets (sports games/health related). For each purchase this week, the consumer gets their name entered in the drawing to win the basket. Draw them at the end of the week. Don’t forget to post on social media and email your customers letting them know about the promotion beforehand.
- Sponsor a social awareness campaign that targets women (ex: breast cancer awareness).
May 27th - Memorial Day
- Have a promotional event where customers can say a code word at the register (ex: America or Flag) and will receive a secret exclusive discount on their purchase.
- Have a Memorial Day sale - Decorate in Red, White, and Blue.
- Consider offering veterans and military members discounts year-round.
- Hold a raffle (prize could be tickets to a local football game or Memorial Day event) anyone who has a military ID can present their card and enter the raffle.
- Check out some of our Memorial Day related items here.
June
- Shop ahead of time for Father’s Day items here!
- School is officially out for the summer, which means students are ready to shop. Consider having a running 10% discount for students during the summer.
Jun - National Candy Month
- Create a social post and email offering a “sweet deal” for new customers.
- Print your business's logo or name on M&M’s and have them at the register. Or just have a bowl of candy all month long for customers and their children with a sign that reads “Happy National Candy Month.”
Jun 5th - World Environment Day
- Advertise your Earth Day promotion and giveaway on biodegradable paper and postcards that you can PLANT!
- Consider selling reusable bags instead of paper or plastic bags in your store. Customers will relate your brand to the eco-conscious movement.
- Sponsor an “Adopt-a-Highway” area in your community to keep roads clean and litter-free. Click here for more information.
- Explain ways that you reduce, reuse, or recycle in your store, consumers favoring environmentally conscious brands.
- Create a recycling/reuse program, where customers can bring in items and get a discount towards a future purchase.
Jun 8th - National Best Friends' Day
- Celebrate this day by carrying these best friend charms! These charms can be broken apart and gifted to your BFF!
Jun 16th - Father's Day
- Have a small sale on these items with a unique display table.
- Post on all social channels that you carry men's items and create a list of items that would make great Father's Day gifts.
- Shop our Men's Collection.
Jun 10th - 16th - International Men's Health Week
- Promote Men’s items if your store carries them. Create a merchandise display.
- Shop our Men's Collection.
Jun 20th - First Day of Summer (Summer Solstice)
- Have a summer sidewalk sale (if weather permits). Keep it summer themed and make a large sign.
- Make a social post with list of “Summer Must Haves” and create a resort/vacation display in store.
- Summer is typically slower for most retail businesses. Pick the slowest day of the week, and have a one day only sale to draw customers in.
- Anklets are a great summer item to carry – check out our selection here!
- Shop our Summer Collection here.
Jun 21st - National Flip Flop Day
- Stock up on flip flop charms, and encourage customers to accessorize with as many anklets and toe rings as their heart's desire!
July
- Beat the heat this summer! These ice cream trinkets will be great to have for National Ice Cream day this month.
- Run a “Christmas in July” promotion/sale: re-create the joyful feeling of Christmas with a playful nod (example a sand snowman on the beach, or Santa with shades and swim trunks).
Jul - National Culinary Arts Month
Jul - National Independent Retailer Month
- Use the hashtag #IndependentRetailerMonth on any social media posts, to bring awareness to stores in your area.
- Partner with other independent businesses in your community to gain new exposure and customers.
- Engage your business on Foursquare. Allow customers to "check-in" to your store and offer exclusive, exciting freebies and discounts.
Jul - National Parks and Recreation Month
- Hold a trunk show with some best-selling items in your favorite local park – offer a discount while bringing awareness to the importance of parks and rec in our communities.
- Show your support on social media, use #PlayOnJuly.
Jul 1st - Canada Day
- To our customers in Canada, enjoy the celebration! Shop our Canada charm, Item #74038.
Jul 4th - Independence Day
- This is the biggest national holiday of the summer season. Independence Day sales are huge opportunities for retailers to get products moving. Pair up slow-moving items with related products and re-package as a special buy with a discount. Don’t forget to promote it on all social media channels and email to customers.
- Shop USA charms here.
- Participate or sponsor community events such as parades, firework shows, and fairs to demonstrate that your business is aligned with fundamental American values.
- Give away inexpensive stick flags with every purchase.
Jul 11th - All American Pet Photo Day
- Hold a competition where customers send in pictures of their pets to win a gift certificate and a gift basket for their furry friend.
Jul 21st - National Ice Cream Day
- Have an Ice Cream Party! Who doesn't love a cold scoop on a summer day. Shop ice cream charms here.
Jul 28th - National Parent's Day
- Make your business space kid friendly by offering an area with a table stocked with books or coloring so that children will be occupied while their parents shop.
- We have the perfect jewelry gifts for parents or parents to be. Shop here!
August
- It's back to school month! Have a back-to-school sale or offer a discount to any student that can provide a student ID.
- Shop our back-to-school items here!
- Give back to your community by giving away small school supplies such as rulers or crayons with purchase over a specified dollar amount.
- Don’t forget to look up back-to-school tax-free weekend item lists and dates for your specific state. Click here for more information.
Aug 1st - World Wide Web Day
- This global celebration dedicated to web browsing has become a means of interaction, transaction, and communication. Get online! Post on social accounts and offer a percentage discount for online orders only. Use #WorldWideWebDay to share your promotion.
Aug 4th - National Friendship Day
- “Refer a Friend”- Have a month-long promotional event where if a customer refers another customer to you, they get a discount. This can be a week-long promotion.
- Bolo bracelets are the perfect matching friendship gifts! Shop here.
- Shop friendship related jewels here.
- Get in contact with your friends for a chat or visit. Post on social media using #NationalFriendshipDay to encourage others to join.
- Host an after-hours gathering for friends so they can be the first to see new arrivals or offer them an overall store discount.
Aug 12th - International Youth Day
- Discount all children’s items and gifts. Promote the sale a week beforehand.
- For more information on how to get involved click here.
- Volunteer your time to a youth charity or non-profit organization in your community and keep information on how your customers can get involved at your cashiers stand or post on social media outlets.
- Shop our junior's jewelry collection here.
Aug 19th - World Photo Day
- Celebrate a passion for photography in your community. Create a specific hashtag with your retail name and have an Instagram challenge with incentives for “best picture” featuring a product from your store.
- Don’t be hesitant to invest in a good photographer/product photography for your store. Well shot and edited product images for your online store and promotions are the first things customers see and retain. They will make all the difference.
- For official information click here.
Aug 26th - Women's Equality Day
- Host a “Ladies Night Out” for your women customers and female small business owners in your community. Supply cold beverages and cross promotional discounts with any retailers in your community who would also like to participate.
- Women make an average of 20% less than men in the United States. Offer a 20% discount for women (and men) and use hashtag #20PercentCounts or #WomensEqualityDay on social accounts today.
- Highlight female employees on social media.
Aug 26th - National Dog Appreciation Day
- Have water bowls set outside year-round if you are in an area people frequent with their pets. Customers will really appreciate it and so will the doggies!
- If your store is pet friendly, let customers bring their dogs in for a small discount or a dog treat with purchase.
- Shop all dog related items here.
- Host a cutest dog contest through Instagram. Ask followers to post pictures of their dogs and tag 3 people in the image to generate more traffic. Pick a winner with the best picture to receive a free item shipped. Use a hashtag with your store name in it so the postings are easily trackable.
- Promote #AdoptDontShop through your social media channels.
September
- Hispanic Heritage Month is Sep 15th- Oct 15th and is meant to honor culture and contributions of Latino Americans. You can participate in community festivals, exhibits, and events to align your business with multi-cultural mindfulness and respect.
Sep 6th - National Food Bank Day
- Encourage customers to volunteer or donate to your local food bank. Food banks take nonperishable food items and cash donations every day. Check their needs list for the fresh items they are seeking.
Sep 2nd - Labor Day
- Get ready beforehand for end of the season beach getaways, cookouts, and road trips! Create a merchandise table for easy purchases.
- If you are open, have a sale and market early! Take advantage of the warmer weather and consider having a pitcher of tea or lemonade for customers to cool off.
- Don’t forget that Labor Day is about all the workers who contribute to this country, so find a special way to celebrate and reward your employees for their hard work. After the holiday you can leave small personalized promotional gifts on their desk or at their workstation.
- This also marks the end of summer – begin fall specials or have a summer clearance sale.
- Participate in community events.
Sep 8th - National Grandparent's Day
- Send a heartfelt hand-written card to your customers who are grandparents.
- Have in-store promotions that cater to both grandchildren and grandparents.
- Host a social media contest: Ask your followers/customers to share a photo of their grandparents. Pick a winner with the most heartfelt post and offer to mail them a free gift- preferably something family-related or that their grandparents will be able to use.
- Shop #1 Grandma Charm.
Sep 11th - Patriot Day
- Offer a discount for law enforcement and military if you don’t already.
- Get involved with a veteran’s charity.
- Use #PatriotDay or #DayOfServiceAndRemembrance to post on social media and show your business’s support.
- Fly a flag outside of your brick-and-mortar location/s.
- Shop our patriotic items here.
Sep 12th - National School Picture Day
- Customers can stand out in their school pictures by sporting dramatic and eye-catching statement earrings. Shop our earrings here!
Sep 21st - Responsible Dog Ownership Day
- Encourage customers to shop with their fur-babies.
- For more information on responsible dog ownership visit www.akc.org. Use #ResponsibleDogOwnershipDay to post on social media.
Sep 21st - International Day of Peace
- "Minute of Silence/Moment of Peace – In 1984, in commemoration of the annual International Day of Peace and in solidarity with the United Nations, the NGO Pathways to Peace inaugurated the Minute of Silence at 12:00 Noon in each time zone, resulting in a “Peace Wave” around the world. Individuals, organizations, communities and nations are invited to participate in this shared and practical act of peacebuilding on September 21st." For more information and to see how you can get involved, click here.
- Shop our peace related items here.
- Use #PeaceDay to post on social media.
Sep 21st - First Day of Autumn (Autumnal Equinox)
- Start solidifying a holiday marketing plan NOW!
- Call attention to fall related merchandise through visual display and promotion.
- Participate in community Fall fairs or events.
- Have a photo-shoot with your fall items to create new seasonal content for your website, advertisements, and social accounts. Re-merchandise your store.
Sep 22nd - American Business Women's Day
- This is a day to reflect and praise women’s contributions in the workforce - a great day to something special for your female employees.
- Align your business with social causes that support women’s equality.
- Partner with other non-competing female owned small businesses in your community to offer a package promotion.
- Give a speech or volunteer for a career day at a local high school.
Sep 30th - International Daughter's Day
- Show daughters around the world how much they are loved and appreciated - Shop our daughter charms here.
- Hold a promotion where customers who come in to shop with their daughters get a special discount.
October
Oct - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Send out an e-card to your mailing list to remind them to have frequent check-ups.
- Offer a percentage off to customers who wear pink or a pink ribbon and mention the promotion at the register. Don't forget to push across all social media channels to let the public know about the month-long promotion.
- Ask your social media family to join the conversation. Make a Facebook post and encourage women to share their stories on breast cancer. Donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for every comment.
- Use #BCAstrength and tag @BCAcampaign in any social posts. Click here to learn more.
- Shop our breast cancer items here.
Oct - National Book Month
- Have a promotion: If a customer brings a new or used book to donate, they get a percentage off their purchase. At the end of the month, you can take the books and donate them to an organization or second-hand bookstore in their community.
- Recommend a book on social media, use #NationalBookMonth to get the conversation going.
- Check out our cute book charms here.
Oct - Women's Small Business Month
- Offer a discount to women who own small businesses in your community.
- Partner with other female small business owners to host a cross promotional event celebrating women in business.
- Find local female business owners; ask if you can advertise in their store (bulletin or at counter) in exchange for letting them advertise in your store.
- Apply for awards – Most associations and groups present numerous award opportunities for females (and males) in the workforce. List any awards received on your website, LinkedIn Profile, or even print them on your business cards.
Oct - Photographer Appreciation Month
- Do you have a "go to" marketing photographer? Make sure you let them know they are appreciated by offering a gift or gift card! Make sure to credit them if you use their images on Instagram.
Oct 7th - National Consignment Day
- Encourage customers to purchase merchandise second hand and spice up their new look with some new jewelry.
- Offer a discount to those who are purchasing merchandise second hand.
Oct 14th - Indigenous People’s Day
- Encourage shoppers to learn more about Indigenous People’s Day and support Native American retailers.
- Team up with a Native American retailer and offer a cross promotion.
- Leverage contra-seasonal marketing: Not everyone has this day off, so even if you are closed, don’t abandon online marketing efforts. Smart companies continue their campaigns to reach all potential customers.
Oct 16th - National Boss Day
- Have team building exercises for bosses/managers and employees. Use #BossDay to post on social media.
Oct 23rd - 31st - National Red Ribbon Week (Drug Prevention)
- Offer a discount to customers wearing a red ribbon who mention it at the register.
- Have drug prevention material and brochures at your checkout counter.
Oct 29th - National Cat Day
- Check out our cat related items here.
- This day was founded to help the public recognize cats that need rescuing in their communities. Share information on your social accounts about cat adoption information. Use #NationalCatDay.
Oct 31st - Halloween
- Have a raffle to win tickets to a local Halloween related event. A purchase equals an entry in the drawing or buy a raffle ticket for a dollar.
- Make trick-or-treat bags for children and send out an email or social post to let families know to come in with their children, shop, and get their trick-or-treat bags while supplies last.
- Have an employee and/or customer costume contest- winner gets a prize or discount.
- Decorate your store front and merchandise display tables to really get in the spirit!
- Offer special deals on jewelry or items that customers can use for costumes.
- Shop our Halloween collection here.
November
- Create a store-front sign to let customers know your holiday season dates and hours.
- Create Holiday merchandise display tables and consider decorations and festive music to get people in the shopping and giving spirit.
- Have a complimentary, or charge for, a giftwrapping station for Nov. and Dec.
- Create Fall/Winter Window displays to draw customers in.
- This is the season of gift-giving! Run promotions based around gift ideas for others.
Nov 11th - Veteran's Day
- Offer military veterans who visit your store a gift card to a restaurant to enjoy a free meal for the evening. Reach out to local restaurants for participation.
- Get involved in any Veteran's Day events in your community.
- Have a Veteran's Day sale and donate a percentage of your sales to a veteran's charity. Or if you have a specific product, promote it, and donate a certain amount when anyone buys it.
- Align your business with a veteran owned business. See how you can be of help to each other and in your community.
- Shop Veteran’s Day related items here.
Nov 15th - America Recycles Day
- Stock up on our recycle charm, Item #73702! Keep the item at your register this month to promote preserving America through recycling.
- Have recycling cans in your brick-and-mortar store. Educate neighbors, friends, and colleagues on this importance of recycling – especially by a business that goes through a lot of recyclable materials!
- To order banners, pencils, or other promotional materials, click here.
Nov 24th - 30th - National Game and Puzzle Week
- Have a large puzzle on a table in your store (with a sign letting customers know this is National Game and Puzzle week). Have your employees complete the edges, and then any customer after that who adds a piece will get a discount. Get creative with your promotions!
- Shop our games & puzzle items here.
Nov 28th - Thanksgiving Day
- Ask your followers what they are thankful for on social media channels. Pick a Tweet or comment at random and offer to mail that person a gift.
- Host a Thanksgiving potluck or small gathering with your employees.
- Have a thanksgiving basket giveaway with some of your favorite items and best-sellers. A contest is the easiest way to collect email addresses and other useful data from customers.
- A great way to say “thank you” to your customers is to host a contest with a grocery store gift card prize. Market it as thanksgiving dinner on you!
- If you plan to give to a charity this holiday season, try to get your customers involved and ask them to nominate charities that they would like to see get donations. Get the conversation going on all social media channels.
- Shop our thanksgiving items here.
- Try to tie in some recipes or food related posts on your blog or through social accounts. Everyone loves food! Check out our example here.
Nov 29th - Black Friday
- Get creative with promotions. Try using Woobox. This tool will allow you to have sweepstakes, contests, and marketing campaigns and is super easy to use!
- Offer a free mystery gift when customers spend a certain amount in your store.
- Send your loyal/VIP customers exclusive information with offers/discounts.
- Try to stand out from other marketing ideas this weekend as it is the biggest shopping day of the year.
- Don’t forget to let your customers know your store hours for the holiday season.
Nov 30th - Small Business Saturday
- "Use the hashtag #ShopSmall and/or #SmallBiz Sat on any Tweets you write about Small Business Saturday, so they’ll appear on the main Small Business Saturday Twitter feed."
- Consider longer store hours and door busting deals!
- Partner with other small businesses in your community to gain new exposure and customers.
- Engage your business on Foursquare. Allow customers to "check-in" to your store for exciting freebies and discounts.
Dec 2nd - Cyber Monday
- Freshen up web content and products before any promotional push. Make sure you are ready and stocked for the online orders if you have a site.
- Extend all promotional and marketing ideas through your website. Offer free shipping or email special interest gift guides to your mailing list.
- Push promotions through social media using #CyberMonday.
Dec 3rd - National Day of Giving
- Set up a collection for non-perishable food at work and deliver the collection to a local food pantry.
- Donate gift cards to a local shelter.
- Collect new toys and donate them to children spending the holidays in the hospital.
December
- HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Don't forget to include everybody this month and spread the joy/love!
- Exhibit at holiday shows. See if local craft fairs or gift shows accept commercial vendors and, if so, rent a booth.
- Send physical hand-written holiday cards to customers. They will appreciate the thoughtfulness.
- If you are a brick-and-mortar retailer, offer more seating in your store or outside for this busy season.
- Have a "Gift Card Promotion." For every $50.00 a customer purchases in gift cards, give a $10.00 Gift Card for free. This will promote continued spending in your store even after the holiday season is over.
- Shop our Christmas items here!
Dec 15th – 21st
- According to Fortunly, “More than 60% of Americans buy their gifts a week before Christmas,” and “More than 60% of US consumers prefer to buy their holiday gifts online.” Allocate a larger marketing budget during this time.
Dec 25th – Jan 2nd - Hanukkah
- Although Hanukkah doesn’t typically top the crazy buying season that Christmas represents, it is still a great time for social media promotions such as giveaways, contests, sales, BOGO offers, etc.
- Hold an exclusive sale. It goes without saying that deep discounts and freebies get the attention of holiday shoppers but it’s more effective to make sales fun and uniquely engaging for your customers. For example, you might offer an additional discount to anyone who brings in a menorah.
- Purchase our Hanukkah charms, Item #73173 and Item #74455.
Dec 21st - First Day of Winter (Winter Solstice)
- Have a hot coffee or hot chocolate table in your brick-and-mortar store so customers can stay warm while shopping.
- For many small businesses, after the holidays, winter is a slow time of year. This is a great time to start planning your marketing ideas for all the other seasons. Look through sales data and identify trends to come up with ideas to build on that success.
- Set out a table near the front of your store (or promote through your website) the best gift ideas.
Dec 24th - Christmas Eve
- Host an ugly Christmas sweater party and offer Christmas cookies and other goodies to your customers
- Consider closing your store early so your employees can spend time with their loved ones.
Dec 25th - Christmas Day
Dec 26th- Jan 1st - Kwanzaa
Dec 31st - New Year's Eve
- Highlight items that would be great for New Year's Party outfits through visual merchandising, displays, or unique party-perfect marketing imagery.
- Have an inspiring quote context or ask people to share their resolutions via social media. Select a winner with the most inspiring quote or creative resolution and send them a gift card to your store.
Year-round - Marketing Ideas and Best Practices
- Create business cards or office supplies such as calendars, pens, or post-its with your business name and company logo. Hand them out to customers with a purchase or leave them at other local small businesses (with permission).
- Join a trade association or organization related to your business.
- Create custom letterheads and fax coversheets with your logo.
- Be present on ALL social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blog, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Twitter.
- Include positive customer testimonials on your website.
- Create free T-shirts with your business name and logo for your staff, friends, and family.
- Have a professional voice mail system to catch after-hours phone calls. This should state business hours, website, and location.
- If it fits within your marketing budget, host a booth at a trade show or expo attended by your target market. This is a very effective way to get new customers.
- Donate your product or volunteer your time to a charity or auction for a good cause.
- If you don’t already have a “loyalty” or “VIP” program, create one. Ex: A punch card that gets a punch every $10 someone spends, and when they reach 10 punches, they get a percentage off their next purchase.
- Send hand-written thank you notes to people with large purchases, special customers, or just around the holiday season.
- ALWAYS reach out to non-competing businesses in your community to cross promote.
- Hold monthly staff meetings to see where your business is succeeding and where there is room for improvement.
- Have a referral program- offer discounts or deals to customers who refer other people to your store.