You’re not one of those people who grumbles about stores rolling out their displays many weeks before a holiday or observance, are you?
I hope not!
You can’t afford to think like the average consumer.
If you have a book for sale, you are a business person. Take a lesson from the retailers and get your book noticed early and often.
Promote your business by creating a tie-in to holidays, observances, and events.
This is a smart move for two reasons:
- The popular holidays and observances already have high visibility because of pervasive ads and their many followers, devotees, Facebook fans and so on. In addition, you can get loads of ideas from the groups and websites that already promote them.
It’s no wonder that just before the Super Sunday businesses offer a “Big Game Special” or a gift basket retailer names a design “Extreme Tailgate Super Sunday Party”
Tip: If you decide to tie in to that big game on Super Sunday, however, don’t use the actual words “Super Bowl” in your promotion. Not only do you want to keep the focus on your brand, but you want avoid getting sacked by the NFL.
- The media is always looking for stories, especially that tie in to the news. This is where you can use newsjacking, the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story so you and your ideas get noticed. a term coined by David Meerman Scott,
Create a clever tie-in to lesser known or bizarre celebrations or newsworthy events.
In July 2011 when Los Angeleans learned that a 10-mile stretch of the busy 405 freeway would be shut down for 53 hours, they dubbed the expected traffic delay Carmageddon. Some businesses announced they’d be closed. Others got creative. Jet Blue Air, for example, launched an “Over-the-405” promotion offering special nonstop flights between nearby cities Long Beach and Burbank priced at just $4 each way, taxes and fees included.
Use holidays and special observances to promote your business.
Just as big events and news tie-ins can help you get media attention, pairing your business with month, week and special day observances can help uncover hidden profits.
When you find a way to share your knowledge, expertise, and skills to help your readers, subscribers, social media contacts and customers, you enrich your value and uncover potential profits you may otherwise have missed otherwise. These tie-ins are also great content for compelling press releases.
Here are a few ideas to get you rolling.
- Author Lynette Smith used World Gratitude Day, September 21st to urge her subscribers and readers to express their appreciation to another person in tangible, written form. She directed followers to her site, GoodWaysToWrite.com , for the best tools available.
- In preparation for Family Reunion Month in July, a marriage and family therapist could offer a workshop on mending fences or an event planner could offer tips on creating a successful reunion.
- Life coaches, self-help authors and spa owners could suggest ways customers can practice mindfulness during Spiritual Wellness Month in March or host meditation and weekend retreats.
- National Financial Literacy Month in April is a great time for financial planners, accountants, schools and financial institutions to offer workshops, checklists, and planning tools.
- You can even create an anti-holiday tie-in or call attention to the dark side of popular days such as when I remind my subscribers in February that Love Shouldn’t Hurt on Valentine’s Day or Any Other Day.
Discover these holidays and observances.
There are many sources listing these observances, some even quirky or a day in history. Here are a few sources to get you started.
http://www.celebratetoday.com/callinks.html
http://nationaldaycalendar.com/
http://www.holidayinsights.com/
http://www.brownielocks.com
Create your own day to promote your book or business.
Until the early 80’s in the USA only the President and Congress had the right to declare a day a holiday. But it was decided that Congress was spending too much time in approving and denying holidays, so the practice was abandoned. Now anyone can declare and publicize a holiday, recognition or awareness day. You are free to publicize and celebrate it.
How about creating your own celebration day. There is even an official day set aside for you to do just that. Chase’s Calendar of Events has listed March 26th as Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
Chase’s Calendar of Events is the authoritative guide to special occurrences, holidays, anniversaries, celebrity birthdates, religious observances, sporting events, and more from around the world. It was created in 1957 by two brothers, William D. Chase and Harrison V. Chase, to provide a comprehensive reference to calendar dates and observances. If you want your celebration listed in their directory, submit the required information. Get the details here
Even if you can’t get your day listed in Chase’s Calendar, you can register it http://nationaldaycalendar.com/register-a-national-days
You don’t have to get permission or wait to be listed in either of these directories before creating your day.
Promote your day.
Creating your day is just the start, however. You must get others involved, promote your day, and create buzz. You can garner publicity by creatively and assertively tying the day to your book, business or service like these companies did:
- When speaker Jacqueline Whitmore created National Cell Phone Courtesy Month she got recognition in USA Today when she sent out a press release.
- In 2007 Tropical Smoothie Cafe started National Flip Flop Day and thanked the first 500 customers wearing flip flops with a free smoothie. Part of the proceeds went to help Camp Sunshine, a camp for kids with life-threatening illnesses.
- In 2010 I declared my mother’s birthday, August 9th, Color Your Life Happy Day and invited my readers to share a photo showing them enjoying an activity that made them happy.
Go ahead and get busy piggybacking on holidays, observances, and newly created events or your own day. Just don’t forget to send out your press releases and announce it on social media.
Tell us in Speak Your Mind below which of these you’ve used to promote your book.
Thanks for reminding me of this wonderful idea, Flora. As a Life Coach the possibilities are endless and I seldom take advantage of news or holiday trends. I will be more alert to the next opportunity thanks to your post here.
Linda,
Thank YOU for stopping by to share your experience. I think most of us are so busy with our businesses that we seldom stop to add new features and techniques. Even though these ideas may help expand and enrich our businesses, they still take time to implement. Once we see the benefits, however, it easier to make them a regular part of our marketing plan.