Apologies…I’m posting this rather late in the year…but better late than never! I’ve posted a version of this article in the past…but have missed it out for a couple of years.
And that’s kind of a shame. Because…one of the highest payoff activities in marketing is to prepare a marketing calendar. And it’s never too early…or late…to map out a calendar for the coming year 2021.
As well as this article to give you ideas…
…here’s a great post from copywriter Ray Edwards…
“How To Create A One-Page Marketing Plan”.
It’s taken from one of Ray’s regular podcasts, so you can listen along if you wish. Well worth the listen, in fact.
Now, this was originally published w-a-a-a-y back in 2012. So it talks about creating a marketing plan for 2013. However…the principles are pretty much timeless and apply equally to 2021…indeed ANY year.
Here’s the outline of what to do…
(1) First, consider why you need a marketing plan at all. It’s really quite simple…no plan, no real destination.
(2) Focus on coming up with the “minimum effective dose” or a “bare bones” plan. In this case, start with a simple one promotion a month plan.
(3) Get a calendar, and a list of holidays taking place in 2021. Select one holiday or event a month and plan a promotion around that.
As mentioned, well worth listening to what Ray himself has to say in the podcast (it’s not long).
In passing, included in that article is a GREAT resource for event-driven marketers…
…a comprehensive calendar of events!
Even better, there’s a specific calendar for every major country, so you can create your own list of events that are relevant to your local area!
With that said, let’s get down to business with a core calendar that can be used pretty much anywhere for the coming year 2021.
January – New Year
February – Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year (February 12 – “Year Of The Ox”)
March – St Patrick’s Day
April – April Fools Day (1), Easter (2-5)
June – Mid Year (mid-summer northern hemisphere, mid-winter southern hemisphere)
October – Halloween
November – Thanksgiving / “Black Friday” / “Cyber Monday”
NOTE: Thanksgiving is primarily a US holiday (Canada has its own Thanksgiving a month earlier) but “Black Friday” has become a fairly universal event in recent years.
December – Christmas
To fill out the schedule…
…two fairly universal events are…
Mother’s Day – March 14 (UK), May 9 (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand)
Father’s Day – June 20 (UK, Canada, USA), September 5 (Australia, New Zealand)
Remember as well the solstices (June 21 and December 21) and the equinoxes (March 20 and September 22). Those dates are on UTC so check for your specific location.
In the USA…
April 15 – Tax Day
July 4 – Independence Day
September – “Back to School”
November 25 – Thanksgiving
In Canada…
July 1 – Canada Day
October 11 – Thanksgiving
In the UK…
April 5 – End of Financial Year
November 5 – Guy Fawkes (Bonfire) Night
November 8 – Remembrance Sunday
As well as St Patrick’s Day, there are the Saints Days for the other countries of the UK – March 1 (St David’s Day), April 23 (St George’s Day) and November 30 (St Andrew’s Day)
In Australia…
January 26 – Australia Day
April 25 – ANZAC Day
June 30 – End Of Financial Year
November 2 – Melbourne Cup
That should be more than enough for you to put together your own sales-boosting, profit-producing marketing calendar for 2021. If you need further inspiration, check out my monthly “Looking Ahead – Marketing Calendar” feature.
Here’s to your success in 2021!