Social Media Holidays Your Small Business Can Celebrate

Celebrating social media holidays may seem silly but they can give your business a serious marketing boost. Thanks to the magic of the internet and the endless creativity of holiday-proclaimers, you never have to run out of special days to add to your promo calendar.

How can you use social media’s special days to build your brand and win new customers? Here are 12 months’ worth of examples. 

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January 2: Science Fiction Day

Jan. 2 isn’t just the birthday of celebrated sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov. It’s also #sciencefictionday, when fans around the globe (and maybe beyond, we’re just saying) talk about their favorite sci-fi shows, books, films and comics.

Who else loves Dredd (Pete Travis, 2012)?#ScienceFictionDay #NationalScienceFictionDay #FilmTwitter #RealButter #buttercast #KarlUrban pic.twitter.com/ezIyiesQ5L

— The Real Butter™ Buttercast 🍿📽️🗯️ (@RealButterShow) January 3, 2021

If you have a podcast, vlog or blog, you can use relevant holidays as tie-ins to start discussions with your followers, like this film podcast did for Science Fiction Day. Pick a holiday you know will appeal to your audience and get the conversation started!

February 23: Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

Dogs are so awesome that their snacks get a holiday, too—and that can be a treat for influencers and their sponsors. On Feb. 23, #dogbiscuitappreciationday gives dog lovers, artisanal bakers, pet boutiques and recipe hounds a chance to show off their favorite pet treats. 

This mer-dog is promoting a favorite product, using Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day as a tie-in. If you have sponsors, think about internet holidays that align with their brand and yours, and plan some irresistible content.

March: Issue a challenge

March 14: Pi Day

There’s so much to celebrate on 3/14: math, circles and yes, pie. There are so many ways to get in on this most delicious of internet holidays but combining Pi and pie on #piday is ideal. 

TikTok teacher Alexander B did this with an assignment few kids could resist – memorize the Pi Song and get to throw a pie at him. You might not want a face full of lemon meringue, but there’s probably a challenge your business can run for Pi Day or a similar holiday to get your audience’s competitive game on.

April 26: National Pretzel Day

This #NationalPretzelDay content shows how small businesses can serve up items from their books, patterns or other products. For example, you don’t need a pretzel business to latch on to this social media holiday – one sweet example from a pattern collection, coupled with a great photo, will do.

May: Tap into cultural phenomena

May 4: Star Wars Day

It’s a holiday so special it gets two hashtags: #starwarsday and #maythe4bewithyou. May 4 is a big day for video promos, fan art shares, and special greetings from actors in the franchise. 

Kid’s Yoda tee!! #MayThe4thBeWithYou #kidstees #yoda #crosstheteesboutique @crossed_tees pic.twitter.com/qvSngfu5oG

— Tees Crossed Boutique (@crossed_tees) January 29, 2021

“Big” social holidays like this are perfect for showcasing related merch like kids’ clothing. Be sure to make the tie-in clear and promote your posts heavily to keep them from getting lost in the crowd. 

June: Showcase your brand’s sense of humor

June 4: Hug Your Cat Day

June 4 is #hugyourcatday, a thing which you do at your own risk. Not every cat is a natural snuggler, so ErinsAnimals made a light and funny how-to video for their YouTube channel in honor of the big day.

The possibilities here are endless, as long as you’re game to have fun on camera in a way that aligns with your brand. Not ready to produce videos? Funny photos and jokes can also work—as long as they’re designed with your audience in mind.

July: Show off your team’s skills

July 18: National Ice Cream Day

At least one chain of local ice cream shops celebrates #nationalicecreamday in July by sharing videos of its employees’ mad scoop-tossing skills. 

Your crew may not be able to do a series of spins while loading up a waffle cone, but is there something else they’re awesome at? If so, shoot your video, tie it in to a social media holiday and share away.

August: Call in the dogs (or cats, or bunnies or llamas…)

August 26: National Dog Day

Call Aug. 26 National Dog Day, Dog Appreciation Day or International Dog Day—they all apply. Naturally, #nationaldogday is a perfect fit for any dog-related business: supplies, grooming, walking, training, pet-sitting, pet photography and veterinary care, for starters. 

But any dog-friendly business can have fun with National Dog Day by featuring their own pets, like this florist did in 2020. Have a different kind of pet? There are internet holidays for all kinds of animals that you can use in promotions. 

September 19: Talk Like a Pirate Day

Every Sept. 19, you’ll see a lot more “arrr” and “ahoy” in your social feeds than on most days—we’re assuming. That’s because #talklikeapirateday has been a thing on the internet for nearly 20 years, and people get into it. 

Win! It’s one of our favorite holidays! Today is Talk Like A Pirate Day. Comment on our #MrDells Products with your best Pirate Speak in the comments below and be entered to win our Hash Brown products. Like and retweet for extra entries.
*#TalkLikeAPirateDay #HashBrownPros pic.twitter.com/wG6GTyxGW8

— Mr. Dell’s (@MrDellsTweets) September 19, 2020

Talk Like a Pirate Day is a natural fit for promos of canvas sails, provisions for sea voyages, and parrots that are trained to perch on a shoulder and repeat salty language. But if you’re not selling any of those, you can still make a game out of your pirate day promo, like this snack brand did. Offer prizes for the best pirate talk and you’re ready to set sail. And of course, this applies for other holidays, too, because everyone loves giveaways.

October: Internet Day is a lay-up, so don’t miss it

October 29: Internet Day

Every Oct. 29, we have a special day when we can reflect on all that the internet has done for us, from the existence of Myspace to the dramatic saga of GameStop stocks. #InternetDay is the perfect hashtag for social media promotions by every kind of business because you can’t do social media without the internet. 

For example, farming might seem like a bit of a stretch for an #InternetDay tie-in, but this AgTech brand makes it work perfectly by highlighting the roles that digital tools and connectivity play in modern food production. Again, if you sell on the internet, this holiday is made for your promos.

November: Get nerdy 

November 23: Fibonacci Day

Fibonacci Day always falls on 11/23, which represents the first four numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. (Each digit from 2 on is the sum of the two digits before it.)

On November 23 we celebrate #FibonacciDay because the date 11/23 corresponds to the first numbers of the #FibonacciSequence – 1 1 2 3. Did you know that you can find the Fibonacci sequence in the pattern of seeds within a #sunflower? #Math is everywhere & it sure is beautiful🤩🌻 pic.twitter.com/HCXOrgJRqJ

— National Museum of Mathematics (@MoMath1) November 23, 2020

There are lots of opportunities for showing your followers something new, like pointing out where the Fibonacci sequence appears in nature, in art—Fibonacci’s number is similar to the Golden Ratio—and even in financial markets. You can do the same with other geeky holidays if they’re a good fit for your brand.

December: Drop the filters and pretty lighting 

December 18: National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

So much content on social media is crafted to be pretty, tasteful and appealing. But sometimes, the best promotions are tacky as heck. 

Exhibit A: National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, the third Friday of December each year. This special day gives everyone a chance to wear their favorite—or least favorite—holiday knitwear with pride. And it gives brands a chance to show they don’t always take themselves super seriously.

If you’ve got hideous holidaywear to sell, #uglysweaterday is the most wonderful time of the year. Other holidays you might use to offer imperfect or oddball promotions are Odd Socks Day, National Whiners Day and National Kazoo Day.

These are just a few of the dozens of odd and entertaining holidays you can use to connect with your audience and grow your business. This calendar has every holiday you’ve never heard of, from Ada Lovelace Day to Zipper Day. Check it out and start planning your new promotions.