Why Do Social Media Holidays Matter?

Social media holidays are the latest trend in social marketing. These quirky holidays come each month and have their own purpose. Some holidays ask audiences to celebrate, educate, raise awareness, or in the case of National Margarita Day, raise a glass.  As a consumer, participating in social media holidays can be fun and engaging. As a business, social media holidays could bring those holiday consumers to your pages.

Here are four benefits of participating in Social Media Holidays.

1.   Extend Brand Awareness

These holidays are the perfect way to generate creative content and reach both an intended and unintended target audience. For example, Safer Internet Day was celebrated on February 5th with the hashtag #SID2019. This day is dedicated to raising awareness of safer internet use through education. It is the perfect opportunity for companies to target parents and align their business with the interests of that audience.

2.    Increase Engagement

Social media holidays present an excellent opportunity to enhance post engagement. Using the holiday’s hashtags increases engagements since hashtags could be trending, are easily accessible, and collect all the engagements together for others to see. A perfect example is #NationalRoastDay and Wendy’s use of it. Wendy’s aligned this holiday with their already snarky Twitter brand. The fast food chain has used this hashtag yearly to start a thread dedicated to making hilarious and insulting comments to its followers. Wendy’s sparked a viral campaign using this hashtag and campaigns like this have helped the company gain over 3 million twitter followers.

Moreover, social media holidays can be leveraged to boost engagement through discounts and promotions. For example, a local bar could use #NationalBeerDay on April 7th to promote a sale of beers through user-generated content. Encouraging followers to use the hashtag and share their favorite beer preferences in exchange for a discount can elevate brand awareness, interactions, and even drive sales.

3.    Promote Conversation

Noteworthy holidays regarding heavy conversation topics such as #StressAwarenessDay on April 16th and #NationalComingOutDay on October 11th are great ways to begin conversations on social media.

Last year, New York City Council members wore rainbow colored ribbons to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities. Council members posted photos of them wearing the ribbon followed by the hashtag #NationalComingOutDay to show their support.

4.    Showcase Brand Personality

By participating in these holidays, you can show a little of your brand personality to a wider audience. Plenty of quirky holiday’s means there are many opportunities to find one that fits. You can choose themes that align perfectly with your brand, or you can get creative and find inventive and creative ways to make others fit! Second Chance Rescue, a company that rescues animals and finds their forever homes, used the holiday #NationalComplimentDay to showcase all the furry friends that are available to adopt. Compliments and animals are just one content combination offered by social media holidays.

Check out some of the 2019 Social Media Holidays on Sprout Social to get started on your next social campaign.

Want to know more about using social media holidays for your business? Contact our social media team to find out more.

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