Coming up with ideas for sales promotions and celebrations to feature in your emails can be a daunting task.
Luckily, every day is a holiday — literally.
Let’s talk about why you should create a holiday calendar and how to do it.
Why You Need An Email Marketing Calendar
Life is better when you have something to celebrate, right? Spice up your email marketing by tapping into this concept.
No matter what you want to celebrate, from National Beer Day (April 7th) to National Mustard Day (August 7th), there is probably a day for it!
The key to building a good holiday email marketing campaign is to pick holidays that are the most likely to lead to higher engagement from your audience. Choose holidays they want to celebrate or silly ones that will make them chuckle.
You should also only focus on holidays that relate to your business. While it may be cute for a grocery store to celebrate National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day (August 8th), that won’t fly for everyone.
Want to take it a step further? You can also incorporate SMS marketing into your celebration of any of the following holidays. Texts get straight to your preferred audience, usually right into their hands!
Let’s focus on some of the bigger holidays that you can really use to build out your holiday email marketing calendar.
January
New Year’s Day – January 1
Everyone loves a glorious New Year’s campaign! Many people use the new year as a time to incorporate new habits into their routines. Use this as an opportunity to push your products, explain why they need to incorporate them into their new routines and watch your sales increase!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
This holiday commemorates the life and work of Dr. King, a prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. Encourage your team to create content that reflects on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change.
Chinese New Year
This day celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. 2022 is the Year of the Rat and 2023 will be the Year of the Rabbit. Use this as a chance to explain the holiday and give your viewers a chance to uncover thier Chinese zodiac sign.
February
Groundhog Day – February 2
Why not have some fun with the world’s most famous rodent? Incorporate Groundhog’s Day into your marketing by offering a certain discount if he sees his shadow or free shipping or another deal if he doesn’t.
Here is an example of how to work Groundhog’s Day in your marketing campaign:
Valentine’s Day – February 14
If you’re like most companies in America, you’re probably already taking advantage of this one! Celebrate Valentine’s Day by positioning your product as the perfect gift. Or take a different path and use Valentine’s Day as a way to show love to your customers with special discounts for your email list.
Presidents’ Day – February 21
Smack in the middle of a long major holiday-less winter, Presidents’ Day has long been considered a great sales weekend. Use this holiday as an excuse for a great sale or a celebration of America.
Super Bowl Sunday
It’s no secret that the Super Bowl is one of the most watched annual sporting events in the world. Gear up for the event by getting creative. Are there Super Bowl inspired food dishes your brand can show off? Do you have merchandise that matches the color scheme of one of the competing teams? Think outside the box here.
March
Employee Appreciation Day
Show your team some love! Use your email marketing to reach out to your employees and offer friends and family coupons so they can treat the people they care about too.
St. Patrick’s Day – March 17
Another popular favorite, the “luck of the Irish” puns, seem to write themselves for sales on St. Patrick’s Day. Tell your audience how lucky they are to be on your email or SMS list by offering a special sale!
April
April Fool’s Day – April 1
It’s no joke. April Fool’s Day is a great day for a sale! You can also use this holiday as a way to drive engagement with funny puns or jokes in your marketing.
Easter
One of the more popular holidays, Easter is the perfect time to celebrate new life, the coming of spring, and lots of family time. Connect with your audience by wishing them a happy Easter or offering sales to help them stock their Easter baskets.
Earth Day
It’s time to celebrate Mother Earth! Today is a great day to tell your audience what your company is doing to reduce your carbon footprint. You can also feature special products that somehow tie back into protecting the environment or announce a large donation to an environmental-friendly charity.
Here is an example of how popular clothing store Aerie, celebrated Earth Day:
Aerie Eath Day Email Marketing Campaign
May
Cinco de Mayo – May 5
Cinco de Mayo is always a fun day full of bright colors, beautiful dancing, and lots and lots of delicious food. Highlight creative recipes of your products that are neon or vibrant.
Mother’s Day
What would the world be like without moms? Show your customers how thankful you are for hardworking moms with discounts, sales, and other campaigns focused on motherhood today. Consider holding a raffle or giveaway of some sort for all of the moms on your email list.
Armed Forces Day
Not as popular as some other military-related holidays, Armed Forces Day is still a great day to show your appreciation for those in our military. Offer special discounts just for military members and veterans or simply send out a note of thanks to all those who have served.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial start to summer. A lot of companies like to focus on all of the barbeques, parties, and beach days that come along with this day. You can also send out a solemn message of gratitude in remembrance of all of the soldiers we have lost.
June
Pride Month – Entire Month of June
This important month gives us the opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community while also raising awareness about the struggles they have fought in the past and the ones they still face today.
Use your email sequences to help spread the word about how important diversity and inclusion are in every aspect of our society. Your Pride Month marketing should focus on making members of the LGBTQ+ community feel safe, supported, and accepted by your company.
National Running Day – June 2
A worldwide celebration that encourages everyone to stay active and healthy. This day is great for health and wellness brands to target athletic consumers with inspirational content or special offers on shoes, apparel, and/or supplements.
Best Friends Day – June 8
Valentine’s Day is obviously a huge holiday for retail and ecommerce, but what about a day that focuses solely on your best friends? Use this day to encourage your customers to buy a gift, book a service, or share an experience with their best friend!
Juneteenth – June 19
Recently named a Federal Holiday, Juneteenth is a good day for your email marketing sequences to push a message of inclusion and freedom. Embracing diversity only makes us stronger — and that goes for businesses, too!
Here is a great example of our social media company, Later, incorporated education and celebration of Juneteenth into their marketing:
Father’s Day – Third Sunday of June
A tried-and-true staple, Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to show Dad how much you care. Your Father’s Day holiday email marketing campaign can feature things that would appeal to dads, like gift cards or experiences.
July
Independence Day – July 4
On July 4th, all of America is red, white, and blue. Companies across the country use this to promote everything from outdoor activities to appliances. Everyone loves a good July 4th campaign! In fact, one of WalletHub’s most successful content marketing campaigns to date started on July 4, 2017. It’s so successful that the company updates the infographic every single year.
National Ice Cream Day – July 18
Back in 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month and established the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. Use this in your marketing by tying in your favorite flavors, mention flavors that pair well with your product, or partner with an ice cream brand for a special promotion.
Amazon Prime Day
Okay, so this one isn’t an actual holiday, but… it should be.
Consumers across the globe look forward to Prime Day as the day to snag great deals on things they need, or things they don’t. Since so many people will be celebrating Prime Day, it’s a great idea to build it into your ecommerce holiday calendar. Use Prime Day to eliminate dead stock and drive business to your brand.
August
National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day – August 4
Who wouldn’t want to celebrate America’s most iconic cookie? While preparing your holiday email marketing, relate your product or service to cookies. You can show your appreciation for the food or offer a promotional opportunity involving a cookie or a brand of cookies.
International Beer Day – August 6
The market for beer lovers is huge and this holiday is a great time to target those customers. You can even target non-beer lovers but featuring delicious foods or fun activities that pair well with beer.
National Book Lovers Day – August 9
This holiday is observed to celebrate book lovers, obviously. But it can be about more than books. Apparel companies can feature items related to certain books or series. Restaurants can feature book-themed specials. The opportunities here are endless!
Here’s a cool way that Airbnb celebrated this special day on their Instagram page:
World Humanitarian Day – August 19
Established as a global campaign, this day is a thank you for people who commit their lives to help others around the world. When preparing your email marketing campaign, use this opportunity to thank a certain person or group, offer a special promotion with proceeds going to a certain charity, or simply use your email marketing campaign to raise awareness for humanitarian efforts.
September
National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month – 9/15-10/15
Use this month to focus on the initiatives of Hispanic-Latino Americans. Use your email marketing to tell their stories, feature their brands, or run promotions on their products.
Rosh Hashanah – 9/6
Use Rosh Hashanah like any other sacred holiday — to bring awareness and offer acceptance to your Jewish employees, customers, and brand supporters, rather than to push promotions or sales.
9/11 Remembrance Day/Patriots Day – 9/11
Use this day to honor those we lost and the families who were affected by 9/11.
Yom Kippur – 9/15
The same goes for Yom Kippur as you did for Rosh Hashanah. Use your company’s platform to focus on celebrating and honoring your Jewish employees and supporters.
First Day of Fall – 9/22
Celebrate the changing of the seasons! The first day of fall is the perfect opportunity to start promoting all things fall. Everything from pumpkins and baking to sweaters and flannel are up for grabs. Every brand can find something fall-related to promote through discounts or special offers.
October
National Italian-American Heritage Month – Entire Month of October
Intended to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Italian immigrants and their descendants living in the United States, companies can work this into their email marketing by telling their stories, raising awareness of their achievements, and promoting brands, products, and services made or performed by Italian Americans.
World Mental Health Day – 10/10
As we should, Americans are really starting to shine a light on mental health struggles. As a company, you can use this day to bring awareness to the cause, promote products or services that help fight mental health, or designate a portion of your profits to a mental health charity.
Here’s a good example of how Instagram promoted mental health awareness:
Indigenous People’s Day – 10/11
Indigenous People’s Day celebrates and honors Native American people. This is a great opportunity for your brand to raise awareness and show your commitment and support for diversity and inclusion. You can also use this day to tell Native American stories and promote Native American-made products.
Halloween – 10/31
No holiday email marketing campaign would be complete without Halloween! Thanks to the love of this holiday around the nation, you can use this holiday in your marketing efforts throughout the months of September and October. Focus on fun costumes, candy promotions, and party ideas and supplies.
November
National American-Indian Heritage Month – Entire Month of November
This is the perfect time to pick up your campaign from Indigenous People’s Day. Bring awareness to the many important contributions of our Native people. Promote their products and brands. Tell their stories.
Veterans’ Day – 11/11
Veterans’ Day is a day to remember our troops who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Celebrate this day with promotions and opportunities for military members and their families. You can also run a promotion where a portion of your proceeds will be donated to a military-related organization.
Thanksgiving – 11/25
Thanksgiving Day is an American staple. It is the time to come together as a family and celebrate the long year behind us. You can use this in your marketing campaigns to promote products and services that directly relate to bringing families together to celebrate and share a meal.
Black Friday – 11/26
Any good ecommerce holiday calendar is going to have Black Friday highlighted and circled in red. For years, Black Friday has been the biggest day for retailers and online shops alike.
Small Business Saturday – 11/27
If you are a small business, this day should be a part of your email marketing calendar. Developed as a way to bring business and attention to small businesses after big box stores clean up on Black Friday, this day is the day to focus on what your consumers can get from a small business that they may not be able to get from a large box store. Since there is more attention paid to small businesses on this day, your campaign should feature promotions, coupons, and other incentives for your customers to buy from you.
Cyber Monday – 11/29
If you’re putting together your holiday marketing calendar, don’t forget Cyber Monday! This day is the ecommerce equivalent of Black Friday and a day where many online businesses record a higher number of sales. Make sure some of those sales are your’s with a stellar holiday email marketing campaign.
Giving Tuesday – 11/30
Giving Tuesday is the day to give back. It’s a great day to run promotions where a percentage of sales will be donated to charity or to announce a large corporate donation to an organization.
Hanukkah
This eight-day celebration is a great time to celebrate your Jewish customers and employees. Since Hanukkah is a big gift-giving holiday, run email marketing campaigns promoting your products and offering incentives on things that can be given as gifts.
December
Christmas – 12/25
The Christmas season is obviously one of the biggest seasons for retailers. Some retailers start their holiday email marketing way back in the fall. Because it is celebrated by Christians and by non-religious groups alike, there is something for everyone during the holiday season.
Regardless of whether you want your holiday sales to incorporate your entire fourth quarter or if you want to focus on it for the month of December, it should be a cornerstone of your email marketing calendar.
Kwanzaa – 12/26
Nestled directly after the busy Christmas season, Kwanzaa is the annual celebration of African-American culture. While gifts are given during this seven day celebration, Kwanzaa is a good time for your brand to build support and bring awareness to African-American culture.
New Year’s Eve – 12/31
Who doesn’t love a fresh start?! New Year’s email marketing campaigns are the perfect opportunity to promote specials that target the “new year, new you” messaging.
There you have it. A complete holiday marketing calendar to help inspire ideas for you and the rest of your marketing team to put together incredible email marketing campaigns that build your brand awareness and increase your sales.
Wrapping It Up
Email marketing and ecommerce has enough challenges without us creating ones that we don’t need to. Keep your email marketing easy by relying on existing holidays to do the heavy lifting for you!
Here are the top three reasons why you should implement an email marketing calendar today:
- It connects something your audience is familiar with (a popular holiday) to your product.
- It gives your audience a great reason to engage with your brand.
- It makes your life easier! Use the holiday as a springboard for your campaign and you can say goodbye to the struggle of coming up with ideas.
If you’re struggling with how to position your brand to get the best out of your holiday email marketing, reach out to the expert email marketers at Ignite Visibility. Our team is one of the best in the industry. We will create a strategy that will increase your revenue and give your company the platform you’ve always wanted.
