There’s a day for everything isn’t there! We just had Valentine’s Day, then International Women’s Day, and I’m writing this expecting a stream of posts about St Patrick’s day! There are other things that happen over the year, too – hug a plumber day, talk like a pirate day and many, many more. Some of these give you an amazing opportunity to market your business on social media (some not so much), but how can you leverage these occasions?

How to choose which national day to celebrate your business using social media

I’m like a broken record when it comes to discussing how we should not be jumping on bandwagons and how we should all only be celebrating the holidays and events that are aligned with our businesses and the people within them. However, I also think that the level of importance of the day matters too. St. Paddy’s day is the inspiration for this article, so let’s use that as an example.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on a global scale in many countries where English is the first language (and in others, too, of course!). It represents Irish culture, traditions, and heritage and is used as an opportunity by many to simply have fun! As a business owner or marketer, this one day presents several opportunities to use social media marketing to create affinity and essentially celebrate alongside your audience.

Social media marketing is an essential element of any marketing strategy. One of the key benefits is the ability to reach larger audiences and engage with them in a personal and meaningful way. Using something like St. Patrick’s Day to connect with your audience and show some brand personality is most definitely a positive – when used in an intentional way!

How to market your brand on a national day

Here are five ways you can use social media to market your brand using a national day as a vehicle.

1. Create specific graphics, videos, or blogs that carry the theme of the National day. (Again, no bandwagonitis here – Make sure your content is relevant to your brand and your audience.)
2. Using relevant hashtags can help your content reach a larger audience – so research the best ones to use and make sure you use them! As an example, thinking of St. Patrick’s Day specifically, I’d look to use #StPatricksDay or #LuckOfTheIrish.
3. Use the theme of the day to create a competition or giveaway to increase audience and develop brand awareness. Make sure the prize is relevant to both the day itself and what you have to offer!
4. Limited-time offers can work to promote your product or service – and can help increase sales in product businesses. Just remember to keep things relevant and in line with what you’re celebrating.
5. Look to share UGC (user-generated content). I don’t talk about this even nearly enough – but it’s a fantastic way to show your audience that you care about them and that you’re present and listening to them. Again, to use St Paddy’s day, you can ask people to share how they’re celebrating it. They can comment on your post, sharing how they’re doing it, and you can post again using the best responses!

St. Patrick’s Day is a great opportunity to connect with your audience, and it’s one of many that could be right for your business to use! Go take a look and see what the next most relevant national day will be for you, and consider how you can leverage it for your brand and your audience. Make a plan and be ready to celebrate it!