In 2015, the number of people using social networks is set to hit a mammoth 1.96 billion1, making this the time to firmly take your social media marketing by the horns.
So, start the New Year as you mean to go on and circle these conversation-starting dates on your social media calendar:
Thursday 1st January 2015
Today is Copyright Law Day. It may seem like a dry subject, but without copyright law, we’d have to tirelessly defend our ideas and intellectual property. Shun piracy and celebrate the creative industries by personally thanking your favourite artists, writers and programmers on Twitter today – you may even receive some mutual appreciation!
Friday 2nd January 2015
Getting in shape is perhaps the most common New Year’s resolution, which is why Personal Trainer Awareness Day couldn’t come at a better time. If you work in the leisure industry, conduct a survey or analyse your membership system to decipher how much more likely people are to achieve their fitness goals if they work with a personal trainer. Powerful statistics are highly sharable and could help you acquire some serious reach.
Sunday 4th January 2015
World Braille Day celebrates the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the reading and writing system used by millions of blind and partially sighted individuals across the globe. As incredible as braille is, braille books must stay within the country they were produced in due to restrictive international copyright laws – this has meant that less than 10%2 of blind children in developing countries go to school because of a lack of teaching materials. The Marrakesh VIP Treaty aims to combat this, so write to your government today to encourage them to put the Treaty in to force, and then use your business to make a real difference to the world by asking your followers to do the same.
Monday 5th January 2015
It’s estimated that up to 12%3 of all bird species may be at risk of extinction within the next century. For Bird Day, help raise awareness of the plights faced by common and rare birds, from disease and environmental factors to illegal trade and welfare in captivity. Charitable campaigns proved to be very successful with social media last year, from the ALS #IceBucketChallenge to the #NoMakeupSelfie for Cancer Research, so you could really make a positive impact for birds if you focus on initiating something viral.
Tuesday 6th January 2015
Are you a hot chocolatier, a PJ designer or a teddy bear maker? Well, it’s Cuddle Up Day so run a competition on Facebook for your followers to win your cosy creations. Facebook contests get significantly higher engagement rates than regular posts, so it’s worth paying to boost that post too.
Thursday 8th January 2014
Why should the fun end just because we’re grown ups?! For Show & Tell at Work Day, invite your employees to share their hobbies and the things they’re proud of with the rest of the group – it’s an interesting way for colleagues to get to know each other better and provides a fun break from the regular work routine.
Saturday 10th January 2015
Whether you’re an energy supplier, a kitchen appliance manufacturer, or even an interior design company, help your followers reduce their bills by tweeting tips and hacks on Cut Your Energy Costs Day. Content marketing is all about providing content that is genuinely useful for your readers, so you’ll notice an increase in follows and retweets if you can deliver.
Monday 12th January 2015
It’s a scientific fact that clutter stifles one’s ability to concentrate, so increase productivity in the office by encouraging your workforce to de-clutter on Clear Off Your Desk Day. If you’re a B2B marketer, schedule a social media message to let your clients know about it too, as they may appreciate the business tip.
Saturday 17th January 2015
Is your business catered to children or their parents? For Kid Inventors’ Day, run a workshop to help unleash the wonderful imaginations that kids have – you could even run a competition wherein the winner gets to have their creation brought to life. Promote your event using social media for that all-powerful word of mouth advertising.
January 17th is usually the date that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. Do you run a sweet shop? Run some targeted adverts to let those with a sweet tooth know that you’re there for them on Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day.
Friday 23rd January 2015
In the digital age, we rarely put pen to paper anymore. Pay homage to this (almost) lost art by updating your status with a handwritten note on Handwriting Day, especially if you own a stationary company!
Saturday 24th January 2015
Do you run a restaurant or café? Well, it’s Peanut Butter Day so you better pull out your nuttiest recipes! When it comes to getting bums on seats, you need some good pictures to whet your potential customers’ appetites, so call in a professional photographer. Remember to upload images to your Instagram and Pinterest accounts at logical times too – so schedule anything savoury in time for lunch, leaving the sweeter treats to the afternoon or evening.
Sunday 25th January 2015
Opposite Day is a chance for you to inject a little personality in to the social media timeline. Do you usually tell your followers to click on a link because they’ll ‘love’ it? Today, tell them they’ll ‘hate’ it – seriously, you’ll be surprised at how far a little reverse psychology can take you.
Friday 30th January 2015
January is a long month, especially if you paid your staff before Christmas. As today is pay day and International Fun at Work Day, your workforce are going to be in the mood to let their hair down, so organise an office party to celebrate and watch staff morale soar!
1 Statista, 2015. Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2018 (in billions). [Online] Available at: http://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/.
2 Days of the Year, 2015. World Braille Day. [Online] Available at: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-braille-day/.
3 Days of the Year, 2015. Bird Day. [Online] Available at: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/bird-day/.
