Pick a Day: Leverage National Holidays for Smart Publicity
“On National Day Calendar, you will find the unique, fun and sometimes unusual designations of each calendar day.”
Check out the National Day Calendar website. There are lots of events that are well-known, some that are quirky, and I bet there is just the one that would be a perfect one for your book.
If that site doesn’t work for you, take a look at Days of the Year. This site has some of the same days listed and some that you may not have encountered on the National Day Calendar site.
According to Days of the Year, October is:
- National Pizza Month
- Fair Trade Month
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
So you can see, you can find a day, week or month that matches your genre.
Linking to Something Bigger is a Smart Publicity Strategy
I call it the “shopping mall” effect. When I go to a shopping mall, I’m usually there to buy something specific. But, have you noticed that on your way to your destination, something attracts you that you didn’t event know you wanted? The original purpose of your trip to the mall got you into buying range of something wonderful, but unknown to you before you saw it. Hitching your book to an event that is well-known allows you to get in front of a crowd of buyers who didn’t previously know about you. Its like the prompts on Amazon: “buyers who bought X also bought Y.” This is a brilliant way to get in front of the people you want to connect with. Go where there are crowds. Then, keep on providing fresh, quality content to gain a your own following.
Event the Big Guys Do It
If you are in a retail store, check out the seasonal displays throughout the year. You will find tie-ins to major holidays like: Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Passover, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, St. Patrick’s Day and more.
There are even entire months that have a focus:
February has become the month of Go Red for Women – created to increase awareness of the symptoms of heart attacks in women
September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (I am a survivor)
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (to remind women to get a mammogram to catch early signs of breast cancer). Ford Motor Company has an entire Warriors in Pink campaign. You can see more on their website built around this cause.
You too can use the power of a national holiday in your traditional and social media, just like the big guys. I love Halloween themed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup ad that has fang marks on the candy.
For ideas, I recommend that you visit the National Day Calendar website to find all kinds of events that you can use to leverage your visibility and grow your audience.
NATIONAL CLEAN YOUR VIRTUAL DESKTOP DAY
The third Monday in October is “NATIONAL CLEAN YOUR VIRTUAL DESKTOP DAY.” This unofficial holiday created by the Personal Computer Museum would be a natural partner in publicity for books about technology, clutter, computers, disaster planning, virtual assisting, how to avoid a computer meltdown, best practices for safe computing, going paperless, humor (why I can’t find anything on my computer), how-to guides on computing…, and for people who service personal computers.
I know my computer could use a bit of organizing and cleansing to keep it running at top speed. Here is the day for designated for this “techno” housekeeping task.
Make Up Your Own Day
If you don’t see a day that is a perfect fit for you, make up one of your own. My friend, Jeff Rubin, created National Punctuation Day (September 24th). As a result, Jeff has appeared on national television and radio, he has also been covered in newspapers and blogs . Visit the website for more details and ways to celebrate the day. You will also find humorous grammar tips, and information about “Punctuation Playtime Products” that help teach grammar to children. Contact Jeff at Jeff@NationalPunctuationDay.com
What is Happening on Your Birthday?
I looked up my birthday and found three listings:
- National Fig Newton Day
- National Nothing Day
- National Religious Freedom Day
My challenge to you is to create a post that ties all three of these celebrations together.