Whether in business, education, or healthcare, my team and I spent much energy monitoring National observances throughout my career. The goal was to link designated National observances to a marketing theme that evolved into a marketing campaign. Some experts in marketing specialty possess keen eyes for marketing pitches, jingles, campaigns, blitzes, and beyond. As a professional marketer, this "how-to" marketing campaign series will assist business owners with zero marketing or business experience on "how to" internally devise marketing campaigns. Disclaimer: Before proceeding, because the specialty of marketing is multifaceted, it is essential to underscore that following the steps in this series by no means establishes one as a marketing expert. However, this series will alter your perspective on viewing everything as a possible marketing campaign. It's with that understanding that we can proceed.
First, let's define a marketing campaign in this series. While there are several definitions, a Marketing campaign is a course of action(s) that must be taken to promote or sell a product or service. Typically, the term campaign suggests a limited period based on your intended outcome. As a business owner, the cost to hire a firm specializing solely in marketing is a great value providing you have a designated marketing budget; however, as a new business owner, you can minimize the cost by adopting various steps in this series and attempt your first Marketing campaign. As a rule of thumb in business, one should consider what corporations are doing and mirror the approach on a small scale.
Now that we have established a couple of points, let's move ahead on how you as a leader can establish a Marketing campaign at a discounted price or free of charge.
Step 1
The first step is to know ahead of time what will be observed. This can be identified a year in advance, semi-annually, or quarterly at a minimum.
Step 2
The second step is to identify someone to monitor and update you and your team. The job of your Marketing Manager or the designee is to follow the national or global observances, link the observances to your mission and vision, and voila, you've just created a marketing campaign for the month. Without a designee monitoring, this will be a missed opportunity.
Step 3
The third step is to brainstorm with your team at least a month before your campaign. Be sure to ask the following questions using the same guide as journalists. Ask the 4Ws and 1H as your guide:
What needs to be marketed? As a leader, you have two options: the product or service that is undersold or the most popular. There are several reasons to go either way. It varies by business. As a leader, you must make that decision.
Why are you selecting this product or service, and why is the service or product undersold or most popular? Answering the whys bring clarity.
When will the marketing campaign be launched? Some businesses operate by fiscal year (July to June), others by the calendar year (Jan to Dec). Again, your operating budget will make a compelling argument for the launch date.
Where will it be launched, or in the 21st century, what platform will be used to launch your campaign? This includes social media and other platforms or promotion vehicles.
How will you create the Marketing campaign, in-house marketing campaign, or outsource this job? If you are still not confident, then pursue the steps in this series and be prepared to share with the consultant.
While the above questions are written in order of importance, the order is not etched in stone. If you are new to this concept, you might know a when and how before what and why. Be patient with the process. Ultimately, this series was established to assist you in the beginning stages of devising your Marketing campaign, which will cut down on your marketing costs.
As we draw close to the end of April 2022, the below National US observances will be used as an example in this series. Data can be found by simply googling. It's also a good idea to search for observances for the duration of 2022. For the month of April 2022, they include:
April 1: April Fools' Day, International Fun at Workday, National Walk to Workday* (first Friday)
April 2: World Autism Awareness Day, International Children's Book Day*, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, National Ferret Day
April 3: National Find a Rainbow Day, World Party Day, National Geologists Day* (first Sunday), International Carrot Cake Day
April 4: National Hug a Newsperson Day, School Librarians' Day
April 5: National Deep-Dish Pizza Day, National Dandelion Day, Read a Road Map Day, National Library Workers Day*
April 6: National Siamese Cat Day, National Student-Athlete Day, National Walking Day* (first Wednesday), National Bookmobile Day*
April 7: National Beer Day, World Health Day, International Beaver Day, National No Housework Day, National Burrito Day* (first Thursday)
April 8: National Empanada Day, Draw a Picture of a Bird Day, Zoo Lovers Day, Day of Silence* (second Friday)
April 9: National Winston Churchill Day, National Name Yourself Day
April 10: National Hug Your Dog Day, National Siblings Day, Golfer's Day, National Farm Animals Day
April 11: National Pet Day, National Submarine Day
April 12: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, National Licorice Day, International Day of Human Space Flight, International Be Kind to Lawyers Day*
April 13: National Make Lunch Count Day, National Scrabble Day, International Plant Appreciation Day, National Peach Cobbler Day
April 14: International Moment of Laughter Day, Look Up at the Sky Day, National Dolphin Day
April 15: National Laundry Day, Titanic Remembrance Day, World Art Day
April 16: National Stress Awareness Day, Save the Elephant Day, Husband Appreciation Day* (third Saturday)
April 17: National Cheeseball Day, International Bat Appreciation Day, National Haiku Poetry Day
April 18: National Velociraptor Awareness Day, National Columnists Day, Patriots Day* (third Monday)
April 19: Wear Pajamas to Workday, National Garlic Day
April 20: Chinese Language Day, National Look-Alike Day, Volunteer Recognition Day
April 21: National Bulldogs are Beautiful Day, National Kindergarten Day, National D.A.R.E. Day (Drug Abuse Resistance Education, second Thursday), National High Five Day*
April 22: Earth Day, National Jelly Bean Day, Girl Scout Leader Day
April 23: National Picnic Day, World Book and Copyright Day, National Lover's Day, National Take a Chance Day
April 24: World Laboratory Day
April 25: National DNA Day, National Hug a Plumber Day, National Telephone Day, World Malaria Day, World Penguin Day, National Zucchini Bread Day, National Hairstylist Appreciation Day*
April 26: National Pretzel Day
April 27: National Prime Rib Day, Morse Code Day, Babe Ruth Day, National Tell a Story Day, Administrative Professionals' Day*, International Guide Dog Day* (last Wednesday)
April 28: National Superhero Day, National Kiss Your Mate Day, Annual Teach Children to Save Day* (varies in April), Take Your Daughter and Son to Work Day* (fourth Thursday)
April 29: International Dance Day, International Shrimp Scampi Day, National Zipper Day, National Arbor Day* (last Friday)
April 30: International Jazz Day, National Honesty Day, National Raisin Day, National Mahjong Day
Any observances can be categorized by industry, teams for larger groups, or if you have the time, be creative by considering all of them. One creative concept will emanate. Tomorrow, we will begin to illustrate how you can turn 1 or 30 national observances into a daily, weekly, or monthly Marketing campaign on your own. If you still decide to hire a consultant, completing the first few steps should reduce the overall marketing cost. You can provide the findings to the consultant. In return, the consultant will be hired to adopt your information and create a Marketing campaign.
This series is a game-changer for small businesses, so stay tuned for the entire series. For your free 30min virtual assessment, please register or email us at workclimate@cprllcservices.com.
Warm Regards,
CeeCee
Managing Partner
CPR LLC
Comments