As Dane Cook said a few years ago in reference to postseason baseball, "There is only one October!" For online marketers it means 31 days to really ramp up the campaigns and engage readers as the holiday shopping season approaches.
The weather is changing, the days are getting shorter and you might be running out of ideas to base your multi-channel marketing campaigns on.
For those of you needing a little creative inspiration, the SimplyCast crew pulled out the trusty calendar for October to see what special days are coming up and how you can base a campaign around it.
There is a lot more going on in October than turkey and candy, so sit back and check out our idea-inspiring list of real holidays, sporting events, pop culture moments and all-around silly days.
October 5th – World Teacher Day
nowledge is power and thanks to the many teachers over the years, we all have a lot of power. Keep this is mind for your customers. What knowledge can you teach them about your product or service that will enhance their user experience? You could create a list of autoresponders that offer daily tips for the full month. You could add links to your FAQ page or tutorial videos in your next email marketing campaign. You could even offer a discount for customers who write in to share a story about their favorite teacher. Whatever it is, focus on educating just like a teacher would.
October 9th – The First Two Way Telephone Communication
On this day in 1876, the first two-way telephone conversation was recorded. Man how time flies. We now use so many other forms of communication it is hard to keep track. Keep this campaign idea basic but with big rewards. Simply reach out to your customer list and ask for them to communicate back to you for a discount. Maybe ask for their Twitter user name or what form of communication they prefer to receive your messages on. It all started with one phone call. Let's never forget where we came from.
October 11th – Canadian Thanksgiving
First of all. The SimplyCast team will be at home eating turkey on this day. There now that we have that out of the way, on to the idea. Thanksgiving of course is all about giving thanks to those around us. We suggest going the customer appreciation route but on days like this you should go the extra mile. Show thanks by offering up a full spread of sales or special offers. This is the time of year when people start to focus on holiday shopping so put your best bird forward so-to-speak. Throw in things like free shipping and extended hours and before long customers will be gobbling up your inventory. Can you tell we have turkey on the brain? We also don't want to forget our American friends. Happy Columbus day to you.
October 18th – Alaska Day
Who knew the State of Alaska had it's own day! The only news we seem to hear about the Northern region is anything to due with Sarah Palin. The easiest way to create an online marketing campaign around this day is to give a discount to your Alaska customers. But that does not seem fair to everyone else does it? That is where you make the promotion valid for everyone in honour of Alaska's special day. You could also send trivia questions to clients via SimplyCast's sms marketing tool and give prizes for the quickest correct response.
October 24th – Mother-in-Law Day
Now we all know the stereo-typical thoughts of what a mother-in-law is but to be honest I have no complaints in that department. You could send out an email marketing campaign asking your readers to leave positive comments about their mother-in-laws on the company Twitter page or Facebook page in exchange for a coupon code. Let's turn the stereo-type around and have people thinking mother-in-laws are actually enjoyable and pleasant people (which they are).
October 31st – Hallowe'en
Finally, the day that October is best known for. Hallowe'en! The concepts should be endless on how to dress up an online campaign for this scary event. The one that comes to mind is a kind of trick or treat idea. If you are a retail store and looking to boost business, you could create a fax marketing campaign and send it to your list of clients offering a special treat for bringing in the fax photo that you sent them. For example send out various hallowe'en photos (pumpkin, witch etc.) to all the local offices and create a list of prizes, special deals or free stuff that people get in exchange for bringing in the fax with the photo on it. Not really a trick but it gets customers into the store where they may buy more than they planned on.
Other notable events
National Basketball Season starts – October 26th
Major League Baseball's World Series - October 27th
National Pizza Month
National Apple Month
now of a fun day on the calendar that we missed and think it would make a great idea for a campaign theme? Let us know on Twitter @simplycast.
