15 Unusual Dates To Boost Customer Engagement

If you’re starved for ideas to engage your audience or for marketing campaigns around, why not look at unusual dates people observe around the world to boost customer engagement?

These dates are rooted in pop culture and are especially popular on social media. An enterprising e-commerce merchant can use these dates to:

• Add a quirky content angle for social media and community engagement

• Run fun promotions

• Craft a compelling narrative or subtly weave in your brand’s story around.

We’ve highlighted some of these unusual dates to boost customer engagement over the next 3 months for e-commerce merchants and included some suggestions on how you can use these to interact with your customers in unique ways.

Unusual Dates In May

• 4 May – Star Wars Day

Star Wars falls on May 4th as saying “may the fourth” sounds like “May the Force” – a shorter form of May the Force be with you, a popular phrase from the series. Star Wars brought retailers more than $32 billion in merchandise sales and is increasing by at least $1.5 billion per year. There’s bound to be many Star Wars fans amongst your customers. Publishing content linked to Star Wars in any form (or even related puns) is bound to resonate with your audience. Use #MayThe4thBeWithYou while posting on social media.

• 9 May – Lost Sock Memorial Day

As Esquire aptly puts it: “the sock is unique among fixtures of the daily wardrobe in that it’s made useless without its twin.”

Celebrate things that cannot work in a pair of things that mysteriously disappear (like hair ties or earrings for the ladies, gym gloves or cufflinks for men). Feature these products with some humor and well, take a moment on social media to commemorate all the lost socks in the world.

• 22 May – Buy a Musical Instrument Day

This day is all about playing music! If your brand is anyway linked to music, musical instruments or culture, this is a perfect opportunity to link a promotion or limited time offer. Use #BuyAMusicalInstrumentDay to post on social media.

• 24 May – Scavenger Hunt Day

For local businesses or brick-and-mortar stores, now is a perfect time to plan a scavenger hunt to engage your community! Use social media to link participants back to your online store. Feel free to experiment with exciting, unique ways to increase engagement across your social media channels.

Special mention: In Singapore? We’ll be speaking and exhibiting at LogiSYM Singapore, Asia’s biggest logistics and supply chain conference. Get your tickets here.

Unusual Dates In June

• 1 June – Say Something Nice Day

Naturally, this day is about promoting civility and fighting bullying. Why not lead by example by engaging your community with a question: “what’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?” Respond with empathy, reply to people who respond. Your audience will appreciate it.

• 8 June – Best Friends Day

Honor this day by celebrating the bond of friendship and community – think referral codes, bundle buys, gift coupons, etc. Brands have even launched campaigns linking their product to friendship.

• 12 June – Red Rose Day

As a celebration of love, romance and companionship, you could run a promotional campaign targeting couples. On the flip side, if you know that single people make up a significant chunk of your community, turn it into something fun poking fun at the celebration.

• 18 June – International Panic Day

Not a holiday in the traditional sense, this is a day for you to unwind, de-stress and let go. If your brand is linked to wellness, health or sports, this would be a perfect day to remind your audience not to panic. Be creative – even wine, chocolates or new clothes could help one unwind. Take some time to engage with your audience and add some inspirational quotes on your social media page.

• 27 June – Hellen Keller Day

A commemorative holiday to celebrate the birth of Hellen Keller, this is the day to celebrate human grit, perseverance, and hard work. Tweet something encouraging or celebrate people in your life, community (or even within your company) who have conquered hardships.

Special mention: We’ll also be speaking and exhibiting at the K5 Conference in Berlin on 4-5 June and the IRCE at McCormick in Chicago from 25-28 June. Attending any of these conferences? Give us a shout on Twitter @ParcelPerform.

Unusual Dates In July

• 1 July – International Joke Day

The perfect day to practice your joke-telling skills! If your brand leans towards a funny, quirky sense of humor, this is the perfect day to let your personality shine.

• 7 July – Tell the Truth Day

Celebrate authenticity this day. Maybe you can share a fact about your brand, a true story from your founders or recall your founder’s journey on social media.

• 12 July – Simplicity Day

This unofficial holiday celebrates the life and work of American philosopher and proponent of simple living, Henry David Thoreau. Perhaps you can adopt a minimalist aesthetic in your brand’s image for the week. Or if your brand is linked to the outdoors, you could also run a promotion here.

• 17 July – World Emoji Day

Created by Emojipedia founder Jeremy Burge in 2014, use the hashtag #WorldEmojiDay to join in the celebration on social media!

• 20 July – Space Exploration Day

As the anniversary of the first manned mission to the Moon, encourage people to learn more about space exploration or connect it to the determination of the human spirit.

Conclusion: Think out of the box to boost customer engagement

If you’re starved for ideas on how to engage your community, build your brand or come up with innovative concepts for marketing, why not look to these unofficial days? Choose those that are most related to your brand (either directly or metaphorically) and plan out your strategy.

For more ideas and key marketing dates for e-commerce, check out our comprehensive 2022 calendar for e-commerce holidays.

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