Using International Days in your Content Calendar

What are International Days?

International Days were created to mark important milestones, events and holidays. They also recognise the value of topics like Black History and Mental Health, giving people the opportunity to celebrate achievements, share experiences or reflect on the past.

However, there is also a National Nose Picking Day (on 23^rd April, for those who are wondering). Do with that information what you will.

Why use them in your marketing communications?

Although some of these days are quite bizarre, there are many that are relatable to a wide variety of demographics, so using them in your content calendar can help you form a connection with your audience.

If you cater mostly to women, celebrate International Women’s Day with them. If your customers are all in the packaging industry, post something funny on Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day. If you sell sustainable clothing, highlight what you’re doing for the environment on Earth Day.

In addition, this can be a great opportunity to connect with your employees. Post about how fantastic your team are on Employee Appreciation Day or spend time highlighting your mental health initiatives on Happiness at Work Week.

The possibilities are endless! I could name hundreds of other great International Days that can be used as a great social series. Apprenticeship Week. Boss/Employee Exchange Day. Blue Monday. They are there to offer great discussion points whilst also filling a gap in your calendar. The best part? They come around every year.

How do you use them?

There are several ways you can play this.

• A post dedicated to the day, week, or month.

This can be a graphic, or a photograph of your team getting involved with the occasion, or a video, anything you want. For some of the more widely known days, there are often resources created by the organisers for you to use and help spread awareness.

• A small mention in an otherwise normal post.

Sometimes, it doesn’t need to be that flashy. If it’s World Chocolate Day for example, show off your delicious products and talk about how great they are, then just include ‘It’s World Chocolate Day!’ at the start or ‘#WorldChocolateDay’ at the end.

• Aligned to a wider campaign.

The right international day can provide the ideal springboard for launching a new product or service, or providing insight on the same subject across multiple channels – for example, we helped a client secure a series of radio interviews to coincide with National Recycling Week.

Which International Days should I use?

It’s very important when using these days in your calendar not to overwhelm your feed. Make sure you are using no more than three in a month and keep them relevant to you. Use sites such as UNESCO, Blend, and Awareness Days to find ones that are suitable for your company, and create your own calendar on Word or Excel.

Tip: Make sure to check which country they are recognised in when looking at International Days, as they may not apply to your location or are on a different date. (For example, Mother’s Day is celebrated on 10^th March in the UK but 12^th May in the US).

Then it’s down to you! Get creative, find unique hooks, and maximise your social media presence by participating in the celebration.

To learn more about our social media expertise and how we use International Days in our content calendars, contact us or read more on our services page.