The New Year is here and the Holidays are over, or are they? The winter holidays are probably the most popular of them all, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss all the other ones spread throughout the year! Even though the countdown to the Starbucks red cups release is over, it is still important to get a head start on your other holiday marketing efforts of the year. To help with email marketing planning efforts, we have put together a list of all the different U.S. days and dates that you can use to your email marketing advantage throughout the year along with some tips and ideas to help you craft emails.
January 1 – New Year’s Day
January 18 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 21 – Get to Know Your Customers Day – Third Thursday of Each Quarter
January 22 – Celebration of Life Day
January 24 – National Compliment Day
January 28 – National Have Fun At Work Day
Tip: Give your customers a great beginning of the New Year deal to help them start off the new year on a happy note.
February 4 – National Thank a Mailman Day
February 11 – National Make a Friend Day
February 12 – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
February 14 – Valentines Day
February 15 – Singles Awareness Day, Presidents Day
February 17 – National Random Acts of Kindness Day
Tip: February is the month of love. And, who doesn’t love getting some cash back? Sweeten emails by offering rebates.
March 4 – National Employee Appreciation Day – First Friday in March
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
March 20 – Spring Begins – Changes Annually March 20, 2016
March 27 – Easter – Changes Annually March 27, 2016
March 29 – National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day
Tip: Use March Madness to your advantage. This month, many people are going to be thinking about basketball. They will be more likely to open an email tied to that theme.
April 1 – April Fools Day
April 10 – National Siblings Day
April 14 – International Moment of Laughter Day
April 21 – Get to Know Your Customers Day – Third Thursday of Each Quarter
April 22 – Earth Day, Passover
April 29 – National Arbor Day – Last Friday in April
Tip: Use April Fools and Laughter as themes for your email campaigns. Use funny subject lines for your emails or give your customers with a surprise deal.
May 1 – National Loyalty Day
May 3 – National Teacher Appreciation Day – Tuesday of the First Full Week in May
May 4 – National Star Wars Day
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 8 – Mother’s Day – Second Sunday in May
May 30 – Memorial Day
Tip: May is about Mom. It’s hard to go wrong with a promotion that honors practically everyone’s most precious parent. A simple, heartfelt email announcing your desire to thank all the mothers who give you their business, along with a nice offer for Mom or anyone shopping for mom is a great way to celebrate this month.
June 3 – National Doughnut Day – First Friday in June
June 8 – Best Friends Day
June 11 – National Making Life Beautiful Day
June 14 – Flag Day
June 18 – National Splurge Day
June 21 – Summer Begins
June is all about Dad. Don’t forget about the grads, too! June is a great time to leverage creative ideas for summer email marketing.
July 1 – National Postal Worker Day,
July 4 – Independence Day (US)
July 11 – National Cheer Up The Lonely Day
July 15 – National Give Something Away Day
July 17 – National Ice Cream Day – Third Sunday in July
July 24 – National Parent’s Day – Fourth Sunday in July
Tip: Give your customers a deal they can be proud of. Use patriotic graphics and designs for your email campaign to fit the holiday spirit.
August 1 – National Girlfriends Day
August 7 – National Friendship Day – First Sunday in August
August 15 – National Relaxation Day
August 18 – National Mail Order Catalog Day
August 26 – National Dog Day
August 27 – National Just Because Day
Tip: Announce a special give-away in honor of National Dog Day. It can be as simple as free dog biscuits for every pet owner who visits your store that day, or as ambitious as a “most-beautiful dog” contest complete with first, second and third prizes.
September 5 – Labor Day
September 11 – Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, National Grandparent’s Day – Sunday after Labor Day
September 12 – National Day of Encouragement
September 18 – Wife Appreciation Day – Third Sunday in September
September 22 – First Day of Fall
September 28 – National Good Neighbor Day (Used to be on 4th Sunday)
Tip: Stage a back-to-school photo contest with creative and humorous categories, such as the “Worst First-Day Face,” or “Funniest First-Day-of-School Outfit.” Encourage email subscribers to send in their photographs for the competition, and post the winners on your social media pages.
October 5 – National Do Something Nice Day
October 10 – Columbus Day
October 15 – National Sweetest Day – Third Saturday in October
October 16 – Department Store Day
October 20 – Get to Know Your Customers Day – Third Thursday of Each Quarter (January, April, July, October)
October 31 – Halloween Day
Tip: Did you notice all the holiday items that went on sale in stores before Halloween was over last year? Why not make light of holiday creep with a “rushing the holidays” email that provides tips, advice, and incentives for early shoppers?
November 10 – National Forget-Me-Not Day
November 11 – Veterans Day
November 24 – Thanksgiving Day
November 25 – Black Friday
November 28 – Cyber Monday
November 29 – National Day of Giving
Tip: The beginning of November is Forget-Me-Not Day, so send your inactive subscribers a coupon or discount code to let them know that you haven’t forgotten about them, and hopefully they haven’t forgotten you either.
December 18 – Free Shipping Day
December 21 – Winter Solstice
December 22 – National Re-gifting Day
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 31 – New Years Eve
Tip: Don’t forget to wrap up the year with a simple email thanking your customers for their business throughout the year, rewarding them with a promotional item or discount.
