Best Micro-Holidays for Social Media

Ever scroll through your feed and see a fun hashtag popping up to commemorate a cause or day or holiday and you thought to yourself, "Gee, I really could have applied that to my business. Wish I'd known about it sooner so I could have written something or taken a picture or made a graphic!"

Bonus: want a more detailed listing? You can access a download that outlines even more micro-holidays that you can use to create content for your social media networks, plus an online calendar that you can add to Outlook or Google!

Well now you have no more excuses! I've compiled a list of days, weeks, and months that you can simply celebrate, or you can use these to strategically create online content for your business - by doing so you will show that you are relevant and that you can showcase a bit of your brand personality. This list is by no means exhaustive and I'll admit to having a Canadian/North American bias. If you know of a day that you really think should be included, please let me know and I'll do my best to include it!

Note: Full credit to Shelby Andrews of Atlas Communications in Toronto for first using the term "micro-holidays" to describe these days!

Below I've highlighted some of my favourites that you may want to use during the year. If you'd like to get straight to the entire downloadable list, please scroll to the bottom.

January

2ND MONDAY - CLEAN OFF YOUR DESK DAY

#CleanOffYourDeskDay

This is a great opportunity for some behind the scenes photos if (like me!) your desk gradually turns into a mountain of random papers, business cards, containers, and dishes. Take some before and after shots of the cleaning process. Make sure that no sensitive documents (client info, internal documents, passwords, etc.) are on display before you start snapping.

15TH - NATIONAL HAT DAY

#NationalHatDay

If you sell clothing, this is a perfect chance for you to show off your merchandise. If you own a salon or are a stylist, maybe you want to encourage people to take off their hats by coming in for a trim. If you do anything else, this is your shot to show a little personality online! Take a picture with your favourite hat on, or encourage your employees to all wear their silliest hat. Have a shot of a client, partner, founder, or advisor with a hat on? Feature them on your blog or social media.

28TH - HAVE FUN AT WORK DAY

#HaveFunAtWorkDay

This should be everyday, right? But for this day specifically, plan something fun. Get your office together for a Dubsmash. Play silly games and document the laughter. Take yourself out of the office to a favourite location. Ask your followers to share their own efforts.

February

14TH - ORGAN DONOR DAY

#NationalDonorDay #OrganDonor

Yes, I know this also happens to be Valentine's Day, but organ donation is a cause that's near and dear to my heart (pun intended) as my husband waits for a heart transplant.

17TH - RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY

#RAKDay

Take this chance to do something as small as pay for someone else's coffee (could be an employee, client, or stranger!) all the way up to providing a product or service to someone who perhaps can't afford it at the moment but could really use it!

18TH - DRINK WINE DAY

#NationalDrinkWineDay

This doesn't really need an explanation, does it? Just be responsible and maybe keep the wine for after business hours :)

March

FIRST FRIDAY - EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY

#EmployeeAppreciationDay

If you have employees, this one is a no-brainer. If you don't have employees, you might want to show your appreciation to the employees of services that you use on a regular basis, like your favourite print shop, favourite barista, even your mail carrier!

8TH - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

#InternationalWomensDay #IWD

I am a woman entrepreneur whose client base is largely other woman entrepreneurs. As a result I like to celebrate my clients and colleagues who are making a difference. For you this could be customers, staff, influential women in your field or industry. In many cities you can usually find multiple events to attend and share online.

18TH - AWKWARD MOMENTS DAY

#akwardmoments

We've all had them. Now is your chance to poke some fun at yourself by showcasing that bad candid photo from a recent event, an email/text stream that was hilariously misunderstood, or just something you did in the office because you were stressed by a deadline or didn't get enough sleep. Just remember, it's not #BeAJerkDay so make sure that your awkward moment doesn't actually embarrass or hurt anyone else.

April

ALL MONTH - NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

#NationalPoetryMonth

Get out your favourite pen and notebook and jot down a poem - make it about your business, your products, your favourite customers. Be funny, be genuine, rhyme or don't rhyme - whatever you're comfortable with!

16TH - WEAR YOUR PAJAMAS TO WORK DAY

#WearPajamastoWorkDay

Whether you have an office and can get everyone on board, or you're a solopreneur this can be a fun activity that showcases your organization's personality through pictures and videos.

Last Wednesday - ADMIN PROFESSIONALS DAY

#AdminProfessionalsDay

Celebrate your administrators, admin consultants, and virtual assistants on this day! Showcase them on your social media channels to show your appreciation and talk about what they've contributed to your business.

May

4TH - STAR WARS DAY

#StarWarsDay #MayThe4thBeWithYou

A must for anyone with even the tiniest ounce of geek in their heart. From something as small as posting your favourite meme to cosplaying your favourite character - let's see it!

24TH - SCAVENGER HUNT DAY

#NationalScavengerHuntDay

This is a fun one that you can do with employees and have them film their hunt. Alternatively, you could put on a scavenger hunt for your customers in your store or get creative with an online scavenger hunt - make sure to end the hunt with a great prize for all of that effort!

31ST - SPEAK IN COMPLETE SENTENCES DAY

#SpeakInCompleteSentencesDay

For just the one day, no abbreviations, slang, or emojis on social media. This will be especially hard on Twitter (especially since the hashtag is sooooo long!) but I believe in you.

June

2ND - LEAVE THE OFFICE EARLY DAY

#LeaveTheOfficeEarlyDay

Instead of using this as an excuse to skip a couple hours of work, take the opportunity to do something meaningful for your family, friends, another organization, or the community with these extra hours and tell us all about it.

18TH - SPLURGE DAY

#SplurgeDay

Have you been saving up for that awesome business purchase? Or maybe you're going to reward your employees with a special treat? Today is the day - make sure to capture the excitement in pictures and videos.

22nd - TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY

#TakeYourDogToWorkDay

To be honest, every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day for me, but if you're not so lucky, today is the day to invite everyone's pooch into the office. Have people write up a cute bio of their dog and feature it (with a picture) on your social media accounts.

July

15TH - GIVE SOMETHING AWAY DAY

#NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay

This is the perfect opportunity to have a special, a giveaway, or a freebie. If you have products or services, hold a giveaway for the first 25 people in your door or your inbox. If you have digital products, provide a 100% discount on a low cost item for the day. If you provide knowledge-based services, give a free workshop or presentation.

17TH - WORLD EMOJI DAY

#WorldEmojiDay

This is a fun opportunity to engage with your audience. Ask them what their favourite emojis are. Write posts completely in emojis and ask people to figure out what they say.

3rd Thursday - GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS DAY

#GetToKnowYourCustomersDay

In reality, this should be every day, but this is a great chance to poll or survey your audience. Make it short and fun, but make sure that the things you are asking are relevant to your business - this is your shot at some direct market research! You may even want to give people who respond a chance to win a prize.

August

5TH - FRIENDSHIP DAY

#FriendshipDay

Your business may have a reason to celebrate friendship (restaurants, shopping, activities, games), but you can also use this day to tell a story about the friends who have helped your business, or the friends that you've made along the way.

16TH - TELL A JOKE DAY

#TellAJokeDay

Give your audience a chuckle throughout the day, or ask your followers to share their favourites. Worried about offending someone? Read this.

26TH - NATIONAL DOG DAY

#NationalDogDay

Even if your business has nothing to do with animals, it's likely they are important to a large section of your audience. Share your cutest dog photos and invite your audience to do the same.

September

6TH - READ A BOOK DAY

#ReadABookDay

What book are you reading right now? How does it relate to your business, your industry, or your audience? Tell us about it!

19TH - TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY

#TalkLikeAPirateDay

This one is just plain ol' fun. Write your posts entirely in pirate-speak. Even better, with the popularity of live video you might want to record something fun for your audience. Bonus points for dressing up.

30TH - INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY

#InternationalPodcastDay

If you have a podcast, this is a no brainer - celebrate it, share links to your most popular or most meaningful episodes. Just starting a podcast? This is the day to officially launch it! And if you are an avid listener, share your favourites with your audience so that they can benefit as well.

October

3RD - NATIONAL TECHIES DAY

#NationalTechiesDay

If you are in the technology industry, time to celebrate yourself! If you’re not, reach out and give a virtual hug to all of the techies that help support your business - IT & systems support, website administrators, trainers, help desk operators. They usually only hear from you when something is wrong so show a little love today!

2nd Wednesday - NATIONAL BRING YOUR TEDDY BEAR TO WORK DAY

#BringYourTeddyBearToWorkAndSchoolDay

This is a really cute chance to grab your teddy bear of choice and have it job shadow you for a day - at your desk, at the coffeemaker, during meetings, on your breaks, out and about. Don’t forget pictures and videos!

Third week - SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

#SBW2017

This is a great opportunity to showcase your business and the contributions you make to your community. Do some behind the scenes videos, bring back some #ThrowbackThursday posts to celebrate past accomplishments. Give shoutouts to other small businesses that you work with or that you support.

November

24TH - SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

#SmallBusinessSaturday

Only 30 sleeps until Christmas! Encourage people to come out to your store by posting fun content, running a contest, or having specials this day.

26TH - CYBER MONDAY

#CyberMonday

Basically, this is the online business version of #SmallBusinessSaturday and #BlackFriday, and all the same ideas apply - get them to your website or online shop, run engaging contests, and advertise special promotions.

27TH - GIVING TUESDAY

#GivingTuesday

After the overwhelming commercialism of the past 3 days, now is your chance to give back - it could be to your customers, your online audience, your community. Give something away for free, donate your time to a great cause.

December

8TH - PRETEND TO BE A TIME TRAVELER DAY

#PretendToBeATimeTravelerDay

This is your chance to go back in time in your business, your life, your community, or your industry - what did it look like a year ago? Five years ago? Would your business have even existed? What crazy changes have happened since then?

15TH - UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER DAY

#NationalUglySweaterDay

Time to pull out that ugly Christmas sweater, take some pictures, maybe make a fun video of you or your staff members singing your favourite holiday jingle.

23RD - FESTIVUS

#Festivus

If Christmas is just not your thing, maybe Festivus is what you need! Take to social media for the Airing of Grievances (nicely, of course!), Feats of Strength, and Festivus miracles. If you aren’t sure exactly what Festivus is or you aren’t a Seinfeld fan, you’ll probably need to read this.

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