Its the beginning of May, do you know what that means? That means this month is: Arthritics Awareness Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish-American Heritage Month, Motorcycle Safety Month, National Egg Month, and Tennis Month, just to name a very small few. The Holidays and Celebrations include: Mothers Day, Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby, Lupus Day, No Socks Day, Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you, a personal favorite of mine) and so on and so fourth. There are literally thousands of holiday/celebrations/observances to choose from, not just this month, but every month all year long.
Historians and anthropologists conclude that before the invention of the five-day workweek and weekends, the celebration of holidays, saints days, sabbath, and feast days were the only real occasions people got reprieves from work. We are enchanted by the idea of something outside the norm, a reprieve from the 9 to 5, and we will find any excuse to memorialize anything we can. In business, we can use this to our advantage. Holidays are enchanting, use that enchantment for added profit. Here are a few small simple ways to add a little celebration to your business.
Be Aware of the Holidays
If you own a an autoparts supply store, wouldn’t you want your customers to know that May is National Good Car Keeping Month? If you don’t know, chances are your customers don’t either. Keep yourself aware of holidays related to your business. There are very inexpensive books devoted only to tracking holidays, from the well known to the obscure. Invest in one. If not find a trustworthy website that does the same thing and keep yourself informed of the holidays that are related to your business.
What do people like more than holidays?
Discounts. Columbus Day wouldn’t be complete without a Columbus Day Sale. Celebration sales are a huge draw to consumers, so utilize that holiday by giving those sales that consumers love. But that’s not all…
Theme, Advertise, Advertise, Advertise
If I owned that autoparts store, I wouldn’t just have a sale for National Good Car Keeping Month, I would make it a big deal. Email blasts with tips on keeping your car in good shape. In store seminars on how to change engine oil, performing a tire change, and how to replace spark plugs by professionals. Give people a reason to come into your shop without just a sale, make it an event. Even a contest helps, like an in-store jeopardy-style competition or scavenger hunt. Publish a small pamphlet on car care, or make a new page for your website devoted to the holiday. People want to get excited, make it exciting. Advertise this celebration through your website, e-mails, and social networking so that you have enough people showing up for that scavenger hunt. Suddenly something as seemingly innocuous as National Good Car Care Month has become something greater, and with all those people attending your celebration, so have your profits.
Create Your Own Holiday
If you have trouble finding a Holiday tied to your business, then make it business specific. The ones that work best could be the anniversary of your opening, or your founder’s birthday. Then create events that celebrate your business specifically. They can be serious, or silly, but get creative. If you’re a sports bar and your team didn’t make it into the playoffs, you could have a “Not-So-Happy-Hour” to drown your sorrows, with drink specials 60% off and new platter or drink names tied to it. Set your business apart by the things you memorialize and customers will find you intriguing, which makes them come back for more.
Giving Back
You’ll notice that all months are _______ Awareness Month. Autism, Breast Cancer, and everything else. If there is a cause you care about, make those months count and help raise money for the charities that are important to you. For Education Awareness month, you could donate to a local Library, or programs that support education like The Breakthrough Collaborative, or the Overtown Youth Center. You can help make a difference, and those months are there to remind you of that.
Sadly there is a word of caution when dealing with charities, make sure they are legitimate and use their funds properly. In recent years a lot of charities have come out to be scams or less than trustworthy. Some examples include the Central Asia Institute and Kony 2012. If you give money to charity, make sure it is going to the right place by researching. But if you do that, in the end you can make a difference in the community, and that is worth celebrating.
