Did you know that today is Tell a Fairy Tale Day? And tomorrow is No Brainer Day, and Thursday is Public Sleeping Day…
As strange as these may sound, these are real names of what are called Trivial Holidays. Trivial Holidays have murky origins, but the fun they create makes it possible for them to stick around year after year.
You may have never heard of the majority of silly holidays like the ones mentioned above, but one that is nearly famous is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It began as a joke in 1995, but now it pops up on social media sites every September 19th as a weird, fun, and easy-to-celebrate holiday.
How can you use these in your marketing? Let’s take a look!
Choosing a Weird Holiday for Your Business
First, you’ll want to pick out which Trivial Holidays match up with your brand.
At the end of this blog, we'll include a free download of upcoming holidays for the next few months. Feel free to download it and use it for your own business!
You might notice that some of these holidays fall on the same day - which makes it even easier for you to figure out which ones you’ll want to celebrate! There are some that translate very well to your brand. For example, if you work in a dentistry office, then March 6th - Dentist’s Day - is perfect for you!
Other holidays may not be an exact match, but may still be relatable to your business. August 15th is Relaxation Day, which would work well for spas, salons, or yoga studios, while Taco Day on October 4th would be perfect for food trucks or restaurant owners. (But, let's be honest - everybody loves tacos no matter what industry you're in!)
How Your Business Celebrates Weird Holidays
Next, plan how to celebrate the Trivial Holiday.
Is this going to be a day you party with your employees, or will you invite customers to join the fun? Depending on your business, there are many different ways to go about celebrating a Trivial Holiday.
Perhaps on Chocolate Cupcake Day, October 18th, you’ll invite your employees to enjoy a box of them from a nearby bakery. Or, if you’re the bakery, maybe you’re offering a discount on 12 chocolate cupcakes as opposed to the full-priced half dozen.
From discounts and specials to simply making it a fun day at the office, there are many different ways to incorporate Trivial Holidays into your work life. But, while you have fun, you may be wondering - how will this fun stuff affect my business? How can it be useful in advertising?
Show Your Weird Holiday on Social Media
It's easy: Show off the fun you’re having!
Social media eats up images of employees enjoying themselves at work, especially when the celebration is different than the usual Federally-recognized holidays.
How funny it would be to check Instagram on July 2nd and see that a normally serious IT firm is celebrating World UFO Day with a photograph of their tin foil hat party! Or just simply a photo of your staff enjoying their tacos on Taco Day!
Placing photographs on social media and inviting outsiders to see your business’s fun side will make customers feel as though they have the inside scoop on your brand. It’ll also forge a connection - we laugh more with friends than anyone else, so feeling included is a great way to create more rapport with your customers.
Trivial Holidays also offer great incentive for discounted purchases, sale prices, and even in-store events. Food-related trivial holidays would work well in a restaurant setting, while the many nature-oriented holidays would be useful for outdoor services. And of course, these tie right back in with the previous idea - these sorts of things are also easy to spread through social media.
Some Tips for Trivial Holiday Celebrating
If you’re considering the use of Trivial Holidays in your marketing, here are some tips to do it the right way:
- Make sure that your employees are aware of what is going on. If everyone isn’t fully informed, they may not participate the right way.
- Check your schedule before settling on your Trivial Holiday. Don’t celebrate it if it falls on a day when your business is closed, or if it falls too close to other major events in the area. It’s best that your Trivial Holiday stands out as an interest point during an otherwise boring day.
- Keep it relevant! This is important. No one cares if your law office is celebrating Iced Tea Day, or if your cleaning service has an event on Read a Road Map Day.
What if you can’t find a Trivial Holiday that fits your company, but you love the idea? Then maybe you need to create your very own Trivial Holiday! We'll talking about that more soon... stay tuned!
