I love a good awareness day. Not just because they are a fun way to flesh out a social media calendar – there’s one for nearly everything – but because I always pick up something I didn’t know every time I draft new awareness day content.
But I know they are not universally beloved. Some people dismiss them as a quick crutch if you’ve got nothing else to say. And I cannot deny that there is some truth in that. You can tell when they’ve been thrown in just because someone has run out of time, ideas, or interest.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. If you use them reasonably, awareness days are great for highlighting your brand and encouraging engagement. Just be sure that you:
- Choose days relevant to your business. Do I even have to explain that Zinfandel Day (November 17) absolutely belongs on a wine shop’s social media calendar but if you are, say, a B2B refuse removal firm it might not be such a good fit.
- Think beyond your products & services. Choose days that highlight company values, locations, teams, or staff members whose activities you want to support. The key to keeping this wider array of days relevant is ensuring they are used in a way that is consistent with your brand values and tone of voice.
- Once you’ve pulled your list of awareness days together, you give it a brutal edit. A good rule of thumb is this: if you can immediately see a way to tie an awareness day to something tangible, give it a go. If you have doubts or nothing solid occurs to you, even after staring at the name of the day for 15 minutes, ditch it.
Sure, clips of penguins pushing each other into the water are funny. But when World Penguin Day (April 25) rolls around, let it go unless you run a penguin grooming service or you wish to feature, for example, an existing relationship with a penguin conservation charity.
So go on – plump up your social media calendar with a handful of awareness days. They spark ideas, save time (you can get your whole list done in advance), and can give your brand personality a bit of fizz. Used in moderation, what’s not to love?