If you are a corporate refugee like me, you are all too familiar with the standard 7 – 9 holidays that you get during the year. However, did you know that there are literally thousands of holidays during the year that people celebrate? For example, did you know that September is “People Skills,” “Healthy Aging” and “Shameless Self Promotion Month?” October is “Eat Better Eat Together Month.” One of personal favorites is “Bubble Gum Day” in February!

What does this mean for business owners? Plenty!

There is a handy reference book in almost every library across the country called Chase’s Calendar of Events. This is the official reference source for national celebrations and various observances throughout the year. You can also subscribe online if you like at www.chases.com.

I like to encourage my clients to look through this reference guide and find a holiday or two that they can use to promote their businesses. For example, December is “National Identity Theft Month.” One of my clients sells identity theft protection, so she is currently developing a promotional program such as a direct mail campaign or perhaps even a party to celebrate! She will also develop a press release to let the media know how she is celebrating and how the public can benefit.

And then there is my colleague, Communication Coach Felecia Slattery, who celebrated “National Communication Month” in June by creating an online bonus extravaganza that increased her visibility by putting her business and her strategic partners in front of over 10,000 people in their target market in just that one month!

The ideas you can come up with are unlimited. Here a just a few other ideas for you to consider after you locate a holiday that relates to your business:

• Create a month-long celebration: a sale, a percentage off, an extra bonus for the month, etc.
• Hold a one-day celebration: an open house, free balloons, bring a friend and receive a gift, etc.
• Send out a press release about what you are doing to celebrate
• Partner with another business to create a joint celebration, thereby introducing your businesses to each other’s lists

If you write articles or even just publish an ezine, you can use different holidays as topics for an article. For example, April is “Stress Awareness Month.” For a fitness or nutrition expert or a life coach, this is gold!
Pick funky holidays to celebrate during the year and create client touch-points around them. For example:
For “National Ice-Cream Day” you can send your best clients and customers a $5 gift card to your favorite ice creamery and say, “Here’s the scoop… I appreciate your businesses!” (See if you can get the local ice creamery to split the cost w/ you for the advertising opportunity!)
For “Bubble Gum Day” – Send a pack or stick of gum and say “Chew on this” and make a special offer.

How you celebrate a holiday is only limited by your imagination! Have fun deciding which holiday or holidays to celebrate and creating your unique marketing program that “wows” your client and prospects.