2021 Planning - Including Full List of Holidays

Plan your known marketing campaigns

The first thing I recommend doing is using a calendar and going through each month, adding in any dates that might be important to your organization specifically. Maybe you want to make note of your organization’s annual gala, or your business’s annual community event.

Write these dates into the marketing calendar and highlight additional information you want to keep in mind for that month. Having all of your important dates in one place allows you to more effectively plan your email, social media, and other online marketing campaigns. 

 

It’s important to be aware of everything happening in a given month so that you can optimize the timing of your campaigns. Be sure to be mindful of days that might compete with your message. For example, you probably don’t want to send your first end-of-year fundraising email on Cyber Monday, when inboxes will be flooded with deals and promotions from businesses.

Find inspiration for new campaigns

Once you have all of your known marketing campaigns laid out in the holiday marketing calendar, see if any of the other holidays can inspire new campaigns.

Maybe your nonprofit can raise funds on International Women’s Day, or your business can structure a sale around National Cat Day. See what inspires you and don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

 

Get to planning!

 

Now that you know how to use the 2021 holiday marketing calendar, it’s time to start mapping out a successful year. Whether you’re trying to solicit donations, increase revenue, or grow your customer base, planning ahead will allow you to be strategic with your time and resources.

And after your campaigns, you’ll have a better idea of what strategies are working for you (and what aren’t). Use that information to inform your next set of campaigns and make online marketing work harder for you!

 

2021 marketing holidays by month

January 2021

January 1 – New Year’s Day

January 10 – Houseplant Appreciation Day

January 14 – National Dress Up Your Pet Day

January 18 – Martin Luther King Jr Day

January 24 – National Compliment Day

January 29 – National Puzzle Day

Monthly themes

• New year, a fresh start
• Building healthy habits
• National Mentoring Month

February 2021

February 2 – Groundhog Day

February 12 – Lunar New Year

February 14 – Valentines Day

February 15 – Singles Awareness Day

February 15 – Presidents’ Day

February 16 – Mardi Gras

February 17 – Ash Wednesday

February 25 – Purim begins at sundown

Monthly themes

• Black History Month

March 2021

March 8 — International Women’s Day

March 14 — Daylight Savings Begins at 2:00 a.m.

March 14 — Pi Day

March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day

March 19 — Let’s Laugh Day

March 29 — National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day

Monthly themes

• Women’s History Month

April 2021

April 1 — April Fool’s Day

April 2 — World Autism Awareness Day

April 4 — Easter

April 10 — Siblings Day

April 15 — Tax Day

April 20 — “420”, A day celebrating cannabis businesses and culture

April 22 — Earth Day

Monthly themes

• Autism Awareness Month

May 2021

May 4 — Star Wars Day — May the 4th be with you!

May 4 — Teachers’ Day

May 5 — Cinco de Mayo

May 9 — Mother’s Day

May 31 — Memorial Day

Monthly themes

• Jewish American Heritage Month
• Mental Health Awareness Month

June 2021

June 6 — Drive-In Movie Day

June 8 — Best Friends Day

June 14 — Flag Day

June 19 — Juneteenth Independence Day

June 20 — June Solstice / First Day of Summer

June 20 — Father’s Day

Monthly themes

• LGBTQ+ Pride Month

July 2021

July 1 — International Joke Day

July 4 — Independence Day

July 17 — World Emoji Day

July 19 — Ice Cream Day

July 22 — National Hot Dog Day

Monthly themes

• National Ice Cream Month

August 2021

August 7 — International Beer Day

August 9 — Book Lovers Day

August 13 — Friday the 13th

August 13 — Left-Handers Day

August 21 — Senior Citizen’s Day

August 30 — National Marshmallow Toasting Day

Monthly themes

• Black Business Month
• American Artists Appreciation Month

September 2021

September 6 — Labor Day

September 6 — Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown

September 12 — Grandparents Day

September 15 — Yom Kippur begins at sundown

September 21 — International Day of Peace

September 22 — September Equinox / First Day of Autumn

Monthly themes

• National Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month (runs from September 15 to October 15)

October 2021

October 11 — Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 29 — National Cat Day

October 31 — Halloween

Monthly themes

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month

November 2021

November 4 — Diwali

November 7 — Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 am

November 11 — Veterans Day

November 25 — Thanksgiving

November 26 — Black Friday

November 27 — Small Business Saturday

November 28 — Hanukkah begins

November 29 — Cyber Monday

November 30 — Giving Tuesday

Monthly themes

• “Movember” — Raising awareness for men’s health issues
• Height of holiday preparations and shopping

December 2021

December 21 — Winter Solstice (shortest day of the year)

December 24 — Christmas Eve

December 25 — Christmas Day

December 26 — Boxing Day

December 26 — Kwanzaa

December 31 — New Year’s Eve

Monthly themes

• Height of the holiday season
• End-of-year fundraising

 

Article provided by our partners at Constant Contact