Did you know that July 18th is National Ice Cream Day? If you didn’t know then we’re hoping that after this day, you’ll remember it as the weird holiday that changed your content marketing for the better. Let’s see why…
As any content marketer knows, content marketing is not easy, at all. That’s because constantly creating new, fresh, timely content on a consistent basis takes a lot of planning, research, effort, and of course time. Don’t forget to add to that the logistical acrobatics of brainstorming themes and plotting out a calendar’s-worth of concepts well in advance; and it’s no wonder that returning to the “well of ideas” and finding it “dry” (what a bummer for those times right?) is a common content marketing experience. But, 60% of marketers say producing engaging content is their number one content marketing challenge which is why we now love National Pancake Day. The reason this day is worth noting (other than the fact that pancakes are delicious, who doesn’t love a great pancake?) is that it represents just one of thousands upon thousands of unique daily, weekly, and month-long “holidays” that exist in the world—honestly, I’m sure it’s
more than 365 ways that can help inspire your content creation efforts when news is slow or you just can’t bring yourself to write another boring piece about the stages of marketing.
And that’s what makes National Ice Cream Day (and the many many weird holidays) so great. These seemingly irreverent events can provide a novel way to give all those well worn industry thought leadership themes a special spin.
Here a few ways to leverage your every day to make your content better:
- Celebrate your own awesomeness – because why not? You know the old saying, “write what you know.” But that’s because nobody can provide the specific nuance, or perspective into an experience like the people who’ve actually experienced it. You can capture that same magic by celebrating personal/ company goals, milestones, and achievements, and using that to translate it into authentic, human content.
Remember: customers don’t just want to buy from companies; they want to connect with the people and ideals behind the brands they support. You can give your customers some insight to what makes you tick, these lessons and events the help shape your view of work/life/culture can help set you apart from your competition and showcase the relatable face of your business. Embrace the seasons—all of them- every single one.
We like to associate seasons with major holidays, but there’s more to winter and summer than just Christmas and Independence Day (we didn’t forget you Labor Day ). While major seasonal holidays are often top of mind and represent great ways to incorporate timely themes into your content, it’s the actual seasons themselves that are universal. And don’t forget all the seasonal events that aren’t recognized as national holidays but still capture the hearts and attentions of American audiences: the Super Bowl, Black Friday, spring break—these things generate a ton of interest when they occur, and can provide your content with a timely, social media-friendly boost.
- Be inspired by the everyday, all the time Every day is a holiday— seriously. Whether it based on history itself, or someone just really wanted to celebrate (just google how mothers days was created) Even if the most relevant content for your industry travels along traditional themes, mining these culture-specific events can help to make those article topics we’ve seen a million of times more fresh, relatable, and engaging. Remember National Pancake Day? Leveraging this funny holiday can spin your “3 Tips For More Effective Marketing” article into something new and interesting like “3 Ways marketing can be effective – like your fave type of pancake.” I’m sure someone would want to know how marketing can be effective, and also how many types of pancakes there are as well. With a plethora of local, national, international, industry-specific, and organizational holidays and events at your disposal, there’s always something happening that you can draw inspiration from and use to make relevant, personal, and fun content. So when you’re running out of ideas and burned-out on research, never fear, just pay close attention to what’s going on in the world today (National Pancake Day!) and in the future —celebrating the everyday will help you drive your content marketing planning all year long.
