2017 Calendar of Important events for your Marketing Plans

The New Year has just begun so now is the perfect time to get started and include all those projects for the coming year in the 2017 marketing calendar. Surely one of your new year´s resolutions this year is to see your business grow and hit all of your targets.

To give you a helping hand, here are a few dates in the marketing calendar that you should keep in mind when preparing for 2017. It is also the perfect way to keep you up to date with the most important events to come this year so you won´t be caught unaware!

You know that a good plan is essential to achieving successful campaigns, so if you want your 2017 to be as productive as possible we strongly recommend that you begin putting together the actions you want to start developing in the next few months. A good marketer should always be well prepared throughout the year so they aren’t caught off guard by any special dates, which can drive purchases and be the perfect opportunity to increase sales.

A 2017 marketing calendar is one of the best tools that you can have at your disposal because planning well will allow you to reduce costs as well as prepare for all eventualities, in case something goes wrong. Below we have put together a list of the most important dates of the year that you should pay attention to if you are serious about increasing your sales.

2017 Marketing Calendar

1.- January

• January 1^st: New Year’s Day
• January 16^th: National Religious Freedom Day: An unofficial US holiday to celebrate religious freedom.
• January 16^th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:  A day that commemorates the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
• January 22^nd: National Hugging Day: An unofficial US holiday for giving hugs.
• January 23^rd: Community Manager Appreciation Day: To recognize and celebrate the efforts of community managers around the world.
• January 28^th: Chinese New Year: Celebrated by Chinese communities worldwide, it is the first day of the Chinese calendar.
• January 28^th: Data Protection Day: Raising awareness for data protection and promote good data privacy practices.
• January 29^th: Pro Bowl: The All-Star game of the NFL.

2.- February

• February 2^nd: Groundhog Day: A fun holiday based on the legend that a groundhog comes out and predicts whether winter will come to an end or continue for another 6 weeks.
• February 4^th: World Cancer Day: Commemorated worldwide in order to raise awareness and promote research.
• February 5^th : Superbowl LI Sunday: The final of NFL Championship and the most watched TV event of the year.
• February 13^th: World Radio Day:  A day celebrating radio that provides education, information, and freedom of expression.
• February 14^th: Valentine’s Day:  A day for celebrating love.
• February 20^th: President’s Day: A day that honors the work of presidents & celebrates George Washington.
• February 20^th: World Day of Social Justice:  Promoting an end to poverty.
• February 26^th: The Oscars: Annual Film awards ceremony.
• February 28^th: Shrove Tuesday/ Pancake Day: The last day of feasting before Lent.

3.- March

• March 4^th: World Wildlife Day: Raising awareness for endangered species and plants.
• March 8^th: International Women’s Day: Celebrating the achievements of women throughout history.
• March 14^th: National Pi Day: An unofficial US holiday to celebrate Pi 3.14.
• March 17^th: St Patrick’s Day:  Festive holiday commemorating Ireland’s patron saint and one of the biggest celebrations in the world.
• March 17^th: World Sleep Day: Raising awareness of important issues related to sleep.
• March 20^th: International Day of Happiness: A day that recognizes and promotes the pursuit of happiness.
• March 20^th: First Day of Spring:  Spring equinox where the length of the day and the night are the same.
• March 21^st : World Poetry Day: Celebrating poets and poetry.
• March 22^nd: World Water Day: Raising awareness for the importance and need for water.
• March 27^th : World Theatre Day: Celebrating Theatre.

4.- April

• April 1st: April Fools Day: A day for practical jokes in may countries all over the world.
• April 2nd: World Autism Awareness Day: A day to raise awareness for people with autism, especially children.
• April 4^th: Baseball Opening Day: Start of the Baseball season.
• April 7^th: World Health Day: A day to promote global health.
• April 14^th to 23^rd: Coachella: Annual music Festival.
• April 14^th: Good Friday:  A global Christian holiday commemorating the death of Jesus Christ.
• April 16^th: Easter: A global Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
• April 19^th: World Bicycle Day: A day to celebrate the bicycle.
• April 22^nd: Earth Day: A worldwide holiday for raising awareness & appreciation for the environment.
• April 23^rd: World Book and Copyright Day: A worldwide celebration of books and reading.
• April 25^th: World Malaria Day:  Raising worldwide awareness for malaria treatment efforts.
• April 30^th: International Jazz Day: A day to recognize and appreciate the contributions of jazz.

5.- May

• May 3rd: World Press Freedom Day:  A global holiday that focuses on the importance of freedom of press as a basic human right
• May 4^th: Star Wars Day: An Unofficial cultural holiday celebrating Star Wars – “May the Fourth” sounds like “May the force be with you.”
• May 5th: Cinco de May: A Mexican holiday celebrated in both Mexico & the US for defeating the French army
• May 5^th: National Day of Prayer: A US holiday to call on people of different faiths to pray for the nation
• May 14^th: Mother’s Day – global day to show appreciation to mothers and mother figures (Changes annually, always the 2nd Sunday of May)
• May 15^th: International Day of Families:  A day to recognize the importance of family
• May 29^th: Memorial Day: A holiday commemorating the lives of those who have died in military service
• May 31^st: World No Tobacco Day: Observed worldwide to encourage the abstinence of tobacco consumption

6.- June

•  June 2^nd: National Donut Day: An Unofficial US holiday celebrating donuts
• June 5^th: World Environment Day: Raising awareness for the environment
• June 8^th: World Oceans Day: Raising awareness for the importance of oceans
• June 14^th: Flag Day: A US holiday commemorating the US flag
• June 18^th: Father’s Day: Celebrated worldwide to show appreciation to fathers and father figures
• June 20^th: First Day of Summer:  The longest day of the year
• June 22^nd: Global Smurf Day: Fans celebrate the cartoon

7.- July

• July 4^th: Independence Day: A US holiday celebrating the declaration of independence from Great Britain
• July 20^th to 23^rd: Comic-con: Annual multi genre entertainment and comic convention
• July 23^rd: Parents Day: A day for recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the raising of children
• July 29^th: Lasagne Day: A day for appreciating Lasagne

8.- August

• August 1^st to 31^st: Back to school Sales: Month long back to school sales
• August 7^th: International Day of Friendship:  A day for celebrating friendships
• August 12^th: International Youth Day: A holiday to both celebrate & promote the efforts of youth in society
• August 12^th: Vinyl Record Day: Celebrating the music and cover art of the vinyl record
• August 19^th: World Humanitarian Day: A day honoring humanitarian work
• August 21^st: Senior Citizens Day: A day to recognize the importance of supporting old people
• August 27^th: International Cosplay Day: Celebrating Japanese Pop Culture
• August 29^th: 116^th US Open Golf: Annual golf championship

9.- September

• September 4^th: Labor Day: A US holiday celebrating the contributions of labor associations
• September 11^th: Patriot Day: To remember and honor those people injured or killed during the terrorist attack of September 11
• September 5^th: International Bacon Day: An Unofficial day celebrating the love of bacon
• September 8^th: International Literacy Day: Raising awareness for literacy issues
• September 15^th: International Democracy Day: A day to promote Democracy
• September 16^th to October 3^rd:Oktoberfest: Worlds largest Annual Beer festival in Munich, Germany with over 5 million visitors
• September 19^th: International Talk Like a Pirate Day: An unofficial day to have fun talking like a pirate
• September 21^st: International Day of Peace: A day for all people to come together for peace
• September 22^nd: First Day of Fall:  The autumn equinox, where the length of the day and the night are almost the same
• September 27^th: World Tourism Day: Raising awareness for the importance of tourism in the international community

10.- October

• October 1^st: International Coffee Day: A day to promote and celebrate coffee
• October 4^th: World Animal Day: Supports good conditions for endangered species and celebrates all animals
• October 5^th: World Teacher’s Day: Celebrating and commemorating the role of teachers
• October 9^th: Columbus Day:  A day commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus
• October 16^th: World Food Day: Raising awareness about the issues of food supply & distribution
• October 29^th: World Internet Day: Celebrating the first Internet transmission
• October 31^st: Halloween: A worldwide holiday celebrated with costumes and horror themes.

11.- November

• November 2^nd: All Soul’s Day / Day of the Dead: A festive Mexican holiday honoring the dead
• November 5^th: New York Marathon: Largest marathon in the world
• November 11^th: Veterans Day: A US holiday honoring all those who have served in the military
• November 20^th: Universal Children’s Day: Raising awareness and improving children’s welfare
• November 21^st: World Television Day: A day that recognizes the important role of television
• November 23^rd: Thanksgiving: A US holiday for showing gratitude
• November 24^th: Black Friday – US day where business offer the largest sales of the year
• November 25^th: Small Business Saturday: A day to promote shopping at small businesses
• November 27^th: Cyber Monday: A US day where online stores offer sales
• November 28^th: Giving Tuesday: A US day promoting donating & volunteering to charitable causes

12.- December

• December 1^st: World Aids Day: A day to raise awareness for people with HIV/AIDS
• December 10^th: Human Rights Day:  A day to raise awareness for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• December 12^th: Green Monday:
• December 12^th to 20^th: Hanukkah: Celebrating the Jewish eight-day wintertime “ festival of lights”
• December 16^th: Free shipping Day: A one-day event held annually with free shipping and guaranteed delivery before Christmas
• December 21^st: First Day of Winter: The shortest day of the year
• December 24^th: Christmas Eve: The day before Christmas and last day to buy presents
• December 25^th: Christmas: A worldwide Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and also a worldwide holiday for giving gifts
• December 26^th to January 1^st: Kwanzaa: An African American festival held to celebrate their cultural heritage and traditional values
• December 31^st: New Year’s Eve

4 steps to adjust your 2017 Marketing Calendar

The above dates are important when putting together and building a digital marketing strategy but it is also important that you take into account the following aspects in order to create a 2017 Marketing calendar adapted to the needs of your brand as well as your users.

1.- Everything depends on your Industry

Depending on which industry you work in, there may be certain times of the year when your sales peak or your sales may be seasonal. The calendar that we have put together is very generic so it is up to you to decide which of the dates are best for you when launching your digital campaigns and which are not.

2.- Plan your actions

Once you have chosen the dates that suit you best, its time to start planning all of the marketing and sales actions that need to be done. It can be difficult to launch campaigns on dates that are close together. Therefore we recommend trying not to have more that two key dates per month as its better for you to have fewer actions and be in control of them than to have loads.

3.- Setting a budget

The main objective of marketing campaigns is not only to increase sales but also to make profits. Any actions that you do will have a cost and so it is highly recommended that you try to fix these costs before you start, so as to avoid any unwanted surprises.

4.- Measuring and analyzing the results

At the end of the day, you need to know whether your plans have been successful or if not, why they have failed. You can only improve what you can measure. Therefore it is vitally important that you decide not only the dates but also the metrics that you are going to use when analyzing the results.

Many brands are really pushing their marketing channels and using the right tools to achieve their objectives. So it’s a good idea to get started and plan for the year ahead as soon as possible that way you will be able to develop the right strategies that you can analyze.

These are just a few of the basic guidelines that you can use to start putting together your digital marketing strategies for the coming year. Remember though, a 2017 marketing calendar is just one more string to your bow that should work hand in hand with other professional marketing tools.

Are you ready to work on all of your digital channels from one platform? Try MDirector today and get the most out of your 2017 marketing calendar.