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Marketing Ideas Calendar for April, 2019
April 2019 Holidays
Use your imagination to put together fun and interesting marketing messages for your Social Media Posts, Emails, and In-Store Promotions
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Monthly Holidays
English Language Month
National Month of Hope
National Canine Fitness Month
National Internship Awareness Month
Distracted Driving Awareness Month
National Child Abuse Awareness Month
National Donate Life Awareness Month
National Cannabis Awareness Month
Month of the Military Child
International Guitar Month
Keep America Beautiful Month
Lawn and Garden Month
National Autism Awareness Month
National Couple Appreciation Month
National Decorating Month
National Fresh Celery Month
National Garden Month
National Humor Month
National Jazz Appreciation Month
National Soft Pretzel Month
National Soy Foods Month
National Straw Hat Month
National Parkinson’s Awareness Month
National Poetry Month
National Pecan Month
National Volunteer Month
National Welding Month
Occupational Therapy Month
Records and Information Management Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month
National Safe Digging Month
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Who’s Birthday is in April
4/3 Cat Cora, Iron Chef
4/19 Bryan Voltaggio, Chef and Competitor on Top Chef
4/28 Bobby Deen, Chef
Weekly Holidays
April 1 -7
National Window Safety Week
Paws International Pooper Scooper Week
April 7-13
National Library Week
National Student Employment Week
National Volunteers Week
April 14 – 20
Boys and Girls Club Week
Coin Week
April 21 – 28
Administrative Professionals Week
National Princess Week
Every Kid Healthy Week
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April Daily Holidays
4/1/2019 National One Cent Day / April Fools Day
4/2/2019 National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
4/3/2019 National Chocolate Mousse Day / National Walking Day
4/4/2019 National School Librarian Day / National Burrito Day
4/5/2019 National Deep Dish Pizza / National Caramel Day
4/6/2019 National Caramel Popcorn Day
4/7/2019 National Beer Day / National Coffee Cake Day
4/8/2019 National Empanada Day / National Zoo Lovers Day
4/9/2019 National Name Yourself Day
4/10/2019 National Siblings Day / National Cinnamon Crescent Day
4/11/2019 National Cheese Fondue Day
4/12/2019 National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day / National Day of Silence
4/13/2019 National Make Lunch Count Day / National Scrabble Day
4/14/2019 National Pecan Day / National Dolphin Day
4/15/2019 National Tax Day
4/16/2019 National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day / National Eggs Benedict Day
4/17/2019 National Ellis Island Family History Day
4/18/2019 National Animal Crackers Day / Get to Know Your Customers Day
4/19/2019 National Hanging Out Day / Good Friday
4/20/2019 National Cheddar Fries Day
4/21/2019 National Kindergarten Day / Easter
4/22/2019 National Earth Day / National Jelly Bean Day
4/23/2019 National Picnic Day
4/24/2019 National Administrative Professionals Day / National Pigs in a Blanket Day
4/25/2019 National Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day
4/26/2019 National Pretzel Day
4/27/2019 National Devil Dog Day
4/28/2019 National Superhero Day / National Blueberry Pie Day
4/29/2019 National Shrimp Scampi Day
4/30/2019 National Military Brats Day / National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day / National Oatmeal Cookie Day
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Marketing Ideas For Restaurants!
Do you own a restaurant? We send have a Restaurant-Specific Newsletter we send every month. To subscribe email me at Andrew@smallbusinessu.org. Leave your name, restaurant name, and mailing address.
4/2/2019 National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
Create a special dessert that resembles a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
4/4/2019 National School Librarian Day / National Burrito Day
Create a special “burrito”. It does not have to be Mexican, add your own flavor profile.
4/7/2019 National Beer Day
If you have a bar, have a special price on beer. Make an event of the day, by having Beer Tastings.
4/12/2019 National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day / National Day of Silence
Add a new item to the menu. Make the grilled cheese special by adding meat or veggies.
4/15/2019 National Tax Day
Give a “tax break”!
4/24/2019 National Administrative Professionals Day
Give a discount for office party trays.
4/25/2019 National Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day
Bring your son or daughter to lunch and get a free kids meal.
4/26/2019 National Pretzel Day
Use pretzels to create a new item – Fried Chicken with Pretzel Breading
4/28/2019 National Superhero Day
Dress as your favorite superhero, get a free Dessert or App
Marketing Ideas Calendar for November, 2018
Keep your marketing fresh and interesting. Find topics here to perk up your website, your next outbound email or social media post.
November 2018 Marketing Ideas Calendar
Monthly Holidays
Adopt a Senior Pet Month
Aviation History Month
Banana Pudding Lovers Month
Diabetic Eye Disease Month
Epilepsy Awareness Month
Family Stories Month
Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month
Historic Bridge Awareness Month
International Drum (Percussion) Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Movember
Military Family Appreciation Month
National Adoption Month
National Alzheimer’s Disease Month
National COPD Month
National Diabetes Month
National Family Caregivers Month
National Fun with Fondue Month
National Georgia Pecan Month
National Gratitude Month
National Home Care and Hospice Month
National Inspirational Role Models Month
National Long-term Care Awareness Month
National Family Literacy Month
National Novel Writing Month
National Peanut Butter Lovers Month
National Pepper Month
National Pomegranate Month
National Raisin Bread Month
National Roasting Month
National Scholarship Month
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Prematurity Awareness Month
PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month
Spinach and Squash Month
Sweet Potato Awareness Month
NoSHAVEmber (U.S. – Beard Month or Movember; Australia – Moustache Month)
Vegan Month
Worldwide Bereaved Siblings Month
Birthdays
11/6 Sally Field
11/7 Marie Curie
11/14 Prince Charles
11/20 Joe Biden
11/20 Robert F. Kennedy
11/22 Billie Jean King
11/30 Winston Churchill
11/30 Mark Twain
Weekly Holidays
Nov 4 – 10
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
Nov 12 – 19
World Kindness Week
Dear Santa Letter Week
International Fraud Awareness Week
National Nurse Practitioner Week
National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week
American Education Week
Nov 17-23
National Farm-City Week
Nov 20-24
Better Conversation Week
National Game and Puzzle Week
Nov 21 – 25
National Deal Week
Daily Holidays
11/1/2018 World Vegan Day / National Men Make Dinner Day (No BBQ Allowed)
11/2/2018 National Deviled Egg Day
11/3/2018 National Housewife’s Day
11/4/2018 Daylight Saving Time Ends – First Sunday in November
11/5/2018 National Love Your Red Hair Day
11/6/2018 National Nachos Day / Saxophone Day / Election Day
11/7/2018 National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
11/8/2018 National STEM/STEAM Day
11/9/2018 National Scrapple Day
11/10/2018 Marine Corps Birthday
11/11/2018 Veterans Day
11/12/2018 National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day
11/13/2018 World Kindness Day
11/14/2018 National Pickle Day / National Educational Support Professionals Day
11/15/2018 Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day / America Recycles Day / Great American Smokeout
11/16/2018 National Fast Food Day
11/17/2018 National Take a Hike Day / National Adoption Day
11/18/2018 Mickey Mouse Birthday
11/19/2018 National Play Monopoly Day
11/20/2018 Universal Children’s Day
11/21/2018 World Hello Day / National Stuffing Day / Tie One On Day
11/22/2018 Thanksgiving
11/23/2018 National Day of Listening / Black Friday / Buy Nothing Day
11/24/2018 Small Business Saturday
11/25/2018 Shopping Reminder Day
11/26/2018 Cyber Monday
11/27/2018 National Day of Giving
11/28/2018 National French Toast Day
11/29/2018 Electronic Greetings Day
11/30/2018 Stay Home Because You’re Well Day
Monthly Marketing Planner-December 2017
December Marketing Ideas Calendar
This resource is prepared each month FREE for subscribers. Serious topics, fun topics, unusual topics, and historical topics, all make for interesting and entertaining emails, promotions, social media post and blog posts. Want some help with putting these ideas to work for you? All you need to do is Ask Andrew, CLICK HERE.
Monthly Holidays
AIDS Awareness Month
Bingo’s Birthday Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month
National Human Rights Month
National Tie Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Operation Santa Paws (December 1-December 24)
Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Tomato and Winter Squash Month
Universal Human Rights Month
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Have questions about marketing your business online? CLICK HERE.
Famous December Birthdays
Dec 5 – Walt Disney
Dec 6 – Satoru Iwata, Former President and CEO of Nintendo
Dec 10 – Bobby Flay, American Chef
Dec 12 – Frank Sinatra, Singer and Actor
Dec 15 – J. Paul Getty, Businessman
Dec 20 – Dick Wolf, Television Producer
Dec 25 – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Dec 25 – Conrad Hilton, Hotelier
Dec 30 – LeBron James, NBA Star
Dec 31 – Donald Trump Jr.
December Weekly Holidays
Dec 3 – 9
National Handwashing Awareness Week, December 3-9
Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week
Dec 18 – 22
Cookie Exchange Week, December 18-22
Dec 17 – 23
Gluten-free Baking Week
Dec 12 – 20
Chanukah
Dec 26 – Jan 1
Kwanzaa
Have questions about marketing your business online? CLICK HERE.
December Daily Holidays
12/1/2017 World AIDS Day / Rosa Parks Day / National Pie Day
12/2/2017 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery / National Mutt Day
12/3/2017 International Day of Persons with Disabilities
12/4/2017 National Cookie Day
12/5/2017 Bathtub Party Day / International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
12/6/2017 St. Nicholas Day
12/7/2017 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
12/8/2017 National Brownie Day
12/9/2017 National Wreaths Across America Day
12/10/2017 Dewey Decimal System Day / Human Rights Day
12/11/2017 UNICEF Birthday
12/12/2017 Gingerbread House Day / Chanukah Begins
12/13/2017 National Cocoa Day
12/14/2017 National Bouillabaisse Day
12/15/2017 Bill of Rights Day / National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
12/16/2017 National Chocolate-covered Anything Day / Free Shipping Day
12/17/2017 Wright Brothers Day
12/18/2017 Answer the Telephone Like Buddy the Elf Day
12/19/2017 National Oatmeal Muffin Day
12/20/2017 National Sangria Day
12/21/2017 Winter Solstice / Crossword Puzzle Day
12/22/2017 National Date Nut Bread Day
12/23/2017 Festivus
12/24/2017 Christmas Eve / National Eggnog Day
12/25/2017 Christmas
12/26/2017 Box Day (Canada) / National Candy Cane Day
12/27/2017 National Fruitcake Day
12/28/2017 Pledge of Allegiance Day
12/29/2017 Tick Tock Day
12/30/2017 Bacon Day
12/31/2017 New Year’s Eve
Have questions about marketing your business online? CLICK HERE.
Optimize Online With Photos
We live in a very visual world today. People consume more pictures and videos now that we have all have pocket sized devices with which to take photos
and record video as well as consume it. Pictures capture attention which then lead us to read on for details.
Effectively Use of Photos: Advice According to Google
This blog post is specifically focusing on recommendations by Google to optimize your local business profile page ( at this point in time it is
called the Google My Business Page, formerly known as Google Places).
Google recommends adding photographs to your Google my business page.
They say specifically that businesses who post new photos have a better chance of their business showing up on the search more often.
If Google is flat-out telling you this is a smart strategy for getting your business more visibility online, I think you should take their advice.
In the video embedded in this post I show a business which I’m aware of and their Google profile image use old and serves only to confuse ho tential
customers. See below for a snippet of Google’s advice.
The business is in Allstate Insurance Agency office. They have taken space in this little shopping center in New Jersey. The photograph which is the
profile photograph for this page does not show the Allstate Insurance office because the photo was taken before the Allstate Insurance office took
over the space. Ideally someone should go out and take a fresh picture of this Shopping Center and post it on the Google my business page. When a
business takes control of their Google my business page they have the ability to add unlimited numbers of photos. I would also recommend to the owner
of this agency to take photographs of the inside. Maybe get some photos of some smile and smiling employees, the Allstate logo, a picture of the
receptionist desk, and maybe the franchise owner. The old image of the shopping center should be removed entirely and refreshed with the new photo.
Besides Google there are other places where a local business profile and be optimized with fresh photos. There’s Yelp and yellow pages and business
finder and plenty of others. You never know how somebody is going to discover your business For the First Time online. It’s a simple exercise anyone
can do and it’s worth an investment of a couple hours to find your online profiles and optimize the information and the photographs.
Online Marketing Tools and Tips
In this post I’m going to describe 4 tools that I use frequently to help me create content for my website. These actually capture my voice, video, and create written content all at the same time. Talking to the camera to describe or demonstrate products and services is a great way to reach potential customers and establish trust and expertise. It adds excellent website content at the same time.
Make sure you read the blog post below because it contains some extra content not included in the video.
Tips for Making Online Video Tutorials
I do a lot of video tutorials to talk about my products and services and also to give helpful information as I’m doing right now.
The video-capture software I use when I’m at my desk and talking into the webcam is called Zoom. You can check it out at Zoom.us. It’s GREAT and it’s free! (I imagine there are some extra bells and whistles you can pay for if you need them but so far, I’ve been loving the free version.) With Zoom, you can hold online group meetings or do what I do and simply capture myself speaking to my webcam.
Good Webcam Recommendation
Speaking of webcams I have an external webcam which I use called Logitech HD 720P. It works very well and even though I have a special lighting available, I don’t even use it because this webcam along with the natural lighting in my office, I fell, is sufficient. It’s only in the $30-$40 range and it’s better than the one that’s built into my laptop. It also has a very decent microphone.
Good Microphone Recommendation
Although my webcam has a decent microphone, I already have a high-quality external microphone to recommend, and that’s my next tool to talk about. It’s called the Blue Yeti. The Blue Yeti is a high quality desk top microphone which I learned about from studying other online marketing experts. It costs between $120-$150. It does make a significant difference when you have good quality audio to accompany your video.
I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of amateur videos on YouTube (most are, and that’s fine, so are mine) and sometimes the audio is awful and it’s terribly distracting. Audio quality is super important in video so if you’re going to use it to talk about your products and services as I do, decent audio quality is really important.
You don’t have to invest a lot of money to produce some really good quality information and deliver it with class online.
Free Voice to Text Technology
And the next tooltip I have for you is Voice-To-Text and it’s how I created the majority of this article. I just spoke into my Blue Yeti microphone while having a Google app called VoiceNote II Speech to Text.
Voice-to-text software used to be very expensive, but no more. This app is great. All you need to do is use Google Chrome web browser and it comes free with a bunch of other terrific apps. Just activate the app and start talking.
I plug in my high quality Blue Yeti microphone and I’m off to the races just talking to the mic on the topic of my choice and by the time I’m done I’ve got several hundred words worth of information. Then I copy and paste right into a blog post on my website.
How to Sell Products and Services on Video
You may not know this but I sell products on the internet all day everyday…for the last 14 years +. Besides the “gurus” I learn from, I don’t know anyone who does it better than me. My videos have been viewed over 1 million times.
Watch as I Demonstrate How I Use Video for Marketing My Website and Products.
Creating Video for Marketing is Cheap & Easy. You Can Do It! This morning I made a video to demonstrate a product that I sell in my wholesale company. I decided to use it also as a demonstration for you to see how simple video with virtually no production quality can make an impact in getting my company visible online. The amazing thing about YouTube videos is they don’t need to be commercial quality. In fact the less commercial they are the better (in most situations).
The following video was shot on an iphone. It’s not about perfection…it’s about being authentic and providing valuable information or ideas.
To create a video and get it “out there” used to cost thousands…maybe tens of thousands of dollars. Today, we all walk around with the technology in our pockets. The cell phone is excellent way to capture video which can help you market yourself and your business. Posting it on YouTube is FREE. You could be leveraging this “gift”. If you’re not, you should be.
I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m a YouTube sensation but my videos of accumulated have been viewed over 1 million times. Do you think this is help me sell some product? You bet it has. It’s made a magnificent difference in my business and my life.
How to Get Your Videos to be Viewed
“Build it and they will come” is a nice wish but it doesn’t work very well in the real word OR online. Even though it’s cheap & easy to create and post video on the web doesn’t mean anyone is going to see them. I have made a study of it. You can too. Start by taking 4 minutes to watch this demonstration and learn from it.
This video will remain online indefinitely and serve me and my company for years to come. Print ads, TV commercials and billboards are like dust in the wind in comparison.
I know many people who have attempted online video to promote themselves and their business and have failed. As the great business philosopher, Jim Rohn teaches, there are about a half dozen things which make 80% of the difference. In marketing with video, there are a few techniques which make the difference between your videos being seen, consumed, and valuable to your audience to the point where they will come closer to you and engage you in a business relationship.
Success in video is not a miracle nor is it a matter of getting a video to “go viral.” Learning how to leverage the power of video has made a massive impact on my business and I had zero experience or skills in the field.
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Want to learn how to create videos which serve you and your business in perpetuity? Reach out. It can be a game-changer for you.
Andrew Mazer
http://www.mazermarketing.com 1-866-799-2825
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Business to Business Sales & Advertising Tip
Business-to-business sales and advertising should be treated no differently than business-to-consumer. Why?
The products and services we sell to businesses as compared to consumers are not the
Always highlight and sell the benefits. people buy on emotion and justify with logic.
issue here. The issue is the common denominator: the decision maker. The decision makers in all matters of buying are people.
Effective presentations must use benefit-rich words in written copy and speech
Benefit-rich presentations, whether with the written word or spoken is the #1 most important emotional trigger to keep in mind when crafting and delivering a sales message. For B-to-B sales, the motivating factors generally revolve around generating more sales, increasing profit margins, or becoming more efficient.
Features are important but pale in comparison to the importance of benefits. Benefits touch the imagination, the emotions and create motivation.
Features vs. Benefits
Remember this when crafting a sales message: “Features tell, benefits SELL”. Resist a bullet list of features until you have brainstormed a list of benefits.
Here’s a good idea for how to find more benefits within the benefits of your product: list the benefits of your benefits! What’s that mean? Here’s an example: Instead of saying, “I sell search engine optimization services which helps websites become more visible to people who are looking for a business like yours.”, I should say, “I make your website better so more website visitors become customers.” That was a benefit-statement. “…and more customers from coming in for your website reduces your client acquisition costs to almost zero.” That’s the benefit of the benefit. “…and the money you will save on commissions will pay for your kids’ college tuition.” That’s the benefit of the benefit of the benefit!
Buyers are motivated by fear-avoiding danger is a benefit
Buyers for businesses are motivated by fear. Steering them away from danger is another benefit. It’s generally not the first point to leverage in your pitch but it can be. IBM, for example used this strategy effectively for many years back when they were the dominant player in computers and business equipment. “No one ever got fired for specifying IBM.”
This was an effective sales message back in the 1970’s, way before consumers were buying anything stamped with the IBM label. This is a clear example of how an advertising message was delivered on an emotional level to a buyer or purchasing department. In addition to delivering a message to job security, it also delivered another message: “Our price is higher but don’t let that bother you”.
Purchasing agents are people. Purchasing departments are made up of people. People are motivated by the same things: WIIFM, “What’s in it for me?” Approach all sales and marketing from the standpoint of emphasizing the benefits from every angle you possibly can in every sales.
Features tell-Benefits sell!