Kick off those stockings, wiggle your toes and let your footsies breathe free from dawn til dusk. As if you really needed any excuse for barefoot fun, May 8th is No Socks Day, a copyrighted invention from the folks at Wellcat.com. No, your boss won’t give you a day off from work, there’s not going to be a Main Street parade, and it’s also pretty likely you won’t find a greeting card in the Hallmark racks to commemorate this obscure occasion. Still, there’s something special about giving pause – and having cause – to indulge in your favorite things whether it’s an “official” holiday or not.
At http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays, you’ll find a full spectrum of monthly, weekly and daily incentives for unabashed mirth that color outside the lines of traditional calendar listings. As an author, business owner, or nonprofit, access to this list can give you a creative edge over your competition when organizing a fundraiser, introducing a new product, or planning a storewide sale. While everyone else is scrambling in February, for instance, to hype Valentine’s Day, you’ll be the one telling customers that it’s Canned Food Month, Kite Flying Day (February 8), Make a Friend Day (February 11) or Get a Different Name Day (February 13) – any one of which can be the centerpiece of your marketing campaign and extend to discounts and giveaways. (It’s also a fact of life that the media loves anything that offers a fresh, interactive and unexpected twist.)
Consider, for example:
- January 3 – Fruitcake Toss Day: They may as well be put to some good use. Hold an outdoor competition to see who can throw a fruitcake the farthest.
- April 8 – Draw a Picture of a Bird Day: It’s not just kid stuff. Display the entries and invite customers to vote on their favorites. The winning picture receives a bird-themed prize.
- June 6 – National Yo-Yo Day: Dispense free yo-yo’s to everyone who comes in. If they actually know how to perform nifty tricks with one, they get discount coupons.
- August 18 – Bad Poetry Day: Invite your clientele to submit their worst poems. Stage an evening onsite event with refreshments and recruit local actors to read the entries aloud.
- September 19 – Talk Like a Pirate Day: Anyone who says “Arghgh” at the point of sale gets a foil-wrapped chocolate doubloon and a discount coupon toward their next purchase.
What’s your best idea for a fictitious holiday to promote your product or services? Send it to me at authorhamlett@cs.com by June 1st and it will be featured – along with your bio and business link – in an upcoming issue of the Media Magnetism newsletter.
In the meantime, here’s the lineup of this month’s blogs by my guest contributors:
Is Grant Writing An Option For You – by La Quetta M. Shamblee, M.B.A.
Common Marketing Terms Defined – by Lillian Brummet
Put Your Company In the News with Free PR Strategies – by Rosalinda Sedacca, CCT
5 Simple Ways to Use Google+ To Your SEO Benefit – by Yasir Khan
Media Magnetism 
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