If you’re on any social media platform, then you’ve seen how national dates are being to boost marketing for companies, big and small.
Have you witnessed the cuteness that ensued in the Vogue Offices when Grace Coddington ordered a litter of kittens from a local shelter to her office for #nationalcatday?
If you haven’t, you can check it out here, because Uber caught it all on film in this really smart, and catchy promotion that got cat lovers all over the world familiar with their ride-sharing service. If you were wondering what Uber and kittens have in common, you were 100% correct to assume: absolutely nothing. But Uber, one of the word’s leading “start-ups” of the the sharing generation, knows how to use marketing ploys to their advantage.
They know the secret of having a lifelong customer is to get them to make a single purchase. So peaking interest for a fun day like #nationalcatday with the promise of cute and cuddly kittens is an excellent way to get people to download their app and get comfortable with using their service. Once a customer purchases from you, their chances of returning to purchase is as high as 60-70%! That is not a negligible number. Although Uber likely have the best interests in mind of the local animal shelters that they are lending the kittens from for this day, this unconventional marketing ploy is sure to line their pockets a little bit more, regardless.
This video, in all it’s cute and cuddly glory, is going viral, which is more attention than another ad on it’s inexpensive (and potentially illegal?) cabbing service will ever get.
Using these #nationaldays like #nationalcoffeeday, #nationaldonutday get a lot of traction on social media sites like twitter and instagram, social media platforms with user bases in the hundreds of millions. Using hashtags on social media ensures your posts get more likes, but only up to two hashtags where the engagement starts to dip again, so it is key to use your tags wisely and choose something that is current and that people are searching for. Better yet, these days get users highly engaged, (5 Creative Ways to Engage With Your Target Audience) and create a great excuse to purchase something they might not have before. I recall for #internationalbeerday, making a trip to the liquor store and purchasing an array of exotic beers, just cause!
Looking for tips on how to use #NationalDays to your advantage?
Keep your eye on the type of dates that were trending last year, these will likely pop up again with even more interest as the use of these dates for marketing increases.
Keep an eye on celebrity birthdays, and anniversaries that your potential customers will be interested in.
Use tools like hashtagify.me to see what sorts of hashtags are trending, and how people use related hashtags in their own tweets. In the image below you can see that uberKITTENS has made it to the top tweets.
Don’t be afraid to offer something for free. #Nationalcoffeeday was a hit for coffee shops around the world, and there were even lists made and shared online of places where you could get free coffee. What better way to get free marketing for your business?
Stay on top of what’s next, if you’re one of the first to use a hashtag to promote your business, even better! You’ve become a social media trendsetter, and start a tradition for your online brand. Emily, from Perk Naturals, was one of the first to use the hashtag #nationalbathtub day, but it fit in perfectly as her scrubs are perfect to use in the tub.
Although Uber chose kittens to get their customers engaged, try to stick to something that is relevant to your niche. If you run a bakery, using hashtags for #nationaldonutday and #nationalcupcakeday are sure to get the right viewers on board with your promotion. But then again, who doesn’t like cupcakes?
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We want to know! What are your favorite national dates? How do you celebrate and promote them in your business?
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