15 Ideas for Your February Marketing

Are you looking for last-minute marketing ideas for February? Take a look at the list below for inspiration. There’s still time to use them.

Some sound really fun like Tortilla Chip day and Margarita Day if you want to have a multi-promotional week use them together. Or if you want a healthy promotion go for Almond Day or Cook a Sweet Potato Day or Strawberry Day.

Reading over the list it seems like there is a day for any business and any target market. Go for it!

1. National Almond Day – February 16
2. National Chocolate Mint Day – February 19
3. National Cherry Pie Day – February 20
4. National Sticky Bun Day – February 21
5. National Cook a Sweet Potato Day – February 22
6. National Margarita Day – February 22
7. National Banana Bread Day – February 23
8. National Tortilla Chip Day – February 24
9. National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day – February 25
10. National Clam Chowder Day – February 25
11. National Pistachio Day – February 26
12. National Chocolate Cake Day – February 27
13. National Strawberry Day – February 27
14. National Kahlua Day – February 27
15. National Chocolate Soufflé Day – February 28

Which day worked for your promotion? I’d be curious to know if anyone uses Kahlua Day or Clam chowder Day.

Get Gooey Over Gumdrops!

February is about more than chocolate and hearts! Its also about National Gumdrop Day on the 15th! Want to do a marketing mailer with candy and not worry about chocolate melting everywhere? Use gumdrops!

Gumdrops are for more than gingerbread houses. Most of us have at least one memory of gumdrops….oh the marketing aspects of nostalgia. Time to make the most of your marketing mailers and promotions.

Ok, let’s talk about promotional topic tie-ins. Of course the obvious one would be candy stores promoting special gift baskets. Maybe for gift baskets you need to ship across the country or even overseas – sales benefit – gumdrops can travel without melting.

Toy stores can use gumdrops for a promotion sent to parents looking to buy their child a gift. Maybe even the promoting a sale of the Candy Land game.

I remember saving up my allowance so I could buy that board game. I loved staring at the board with all the candy houses and everything else made with candy! Playing the game was fun too. I still have a great love of candy.

Pet stores can send out mailers with gum drops using the headline: “Buy healthy, tasty, chewy treats for your pets and enjoy these gum drops on us.”

Hardware stores can get women customers in with a gumdrop mailer helping them find gifts for their DIY project loving spouses: “Buy your sweetie one of these specially priced items ands get your Honey-Do list done!

My favorite gum drop colors are the green, pink and red ones! What are yours? I’m sure you can think of other promotional ideas to use gumdrops in your mailers. Let me know which one’s you try!

5 Hot Blogs to Make Add Sizzle to Your Marketing!

Are you searching a few informative and topical blogs that are worth your time? With all the useless vanity blogs out there I thought I’d share blogs I’ve found valuable. I subscribe to several blogs but the following are my top 5 daily must reads:

1. Glazer Kennedy Insider’s Circle Blog – If you want outrageous advertising check it out. Dan Kennedy will never steer you wrong.

2. Sweeties Sweeps – If you want to promote your business using a Sweepstakes or Contest you’ll want to get mentioned on Sweeties Sweeps site. Thousands of people visit the sites mentioned as having a sweeps worth entering. New products are often launched with a sweepstakes or contest which also helps you find out what your competitors are doing to get new customers.

3. ProBlogger – Write a better blog with these tips on blogging. I’m working on the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog program myself.

4. Men With Pens – A web design and copywriting blog from Canada. Good stuff comes from Canada.

5. Chris Brogan – A blog about community and social media

Check them out and let me know what you think about them. Oh, remember to subscribe to my blog too! Did I miss any blogs you feel should make the list?

9 Lumpy Objects to Get Your Marketing Mailers Opened

Curiosity gets your mailers opened and read. Lumpy items create intense curiosity. I know I can’t wait to open mail that has a strange lumpiness to find out what treat is inside.

Be sure the lumpy item matches the theme of your marketing message. Don’t just randomly add an object that has nothing to do with your promotion. You’ll just confuse your prospects and they won’t be motivated to spend money just wonder about why you wasted yours mailing pointless junk.

Send one of the nine items listed below out in your next direct marketing mailer.
I’ve included sample headlines you can use for your promotional mailers.

1. Bank bag – “Here’s an idea you can take to the bank.”
2. Mini trash can – “Are you throwing away money by missing our sales?”
3. Large treasure chest – “You’ll find your treasure when you_____”
4. Pacifier – “Soothing all your aches____”
5. Self mailing message in a bottle –“Don’t get left stranded without your map…”
6. Boomerang – We want your business back…
7. Compass – Are you lost? Find you’re way back to us.
8. Amber pill bottle – We’ll cure what ails you.
9. Pair of Socks – Our Sale prices will knock your socks off!

Let me know if you mail out one of these items and your response rate.

I’m on Alltop!

Check out my badge to the right. Direct Marketing Rx’s Blog will be listed under Alltop Marketing! Pretty cool.

Does Your Sales Message Move Your Prospects to Action?

Are you getting a mediocre response to your sales and marketing media? With the right words you can move people to take action. Check out this 5 minute video on Youtube. It shows vividly the value of copy that reaches emotions instead of just stating the facts. (Have some tissues handy.)

Need help with copy that moves people to action? Check out www.directmarketingrx.com today.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world today? Promote Breast Cancer Awareness during October. Encourage employees, customers, friends and family to get screened for breast cancer. Have a special promotion to raise money for cancer research, education, screening and treatment.

The Susan G. Komen organization has Passionately Pink for the Cure. Have your employees and customers wear pink on a day you choose in October and make a personal donation of $5.00 or more to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You could have a specific dollar amount goal to donate and track progress on a poster for all your employees and customers to see.

Promote the event in your advertising and direct marketing and get customers coming in wearing pink. Send out a press release to local news outlets.

You’ll get a participation kit to help you plan your event when you register at Susan G. Komen for the cure. Check out the details here: Komen Donations

What’s the Best Big Fish Story You’ve ever Heard?

National Fishing and Hunting Day is September 27^th. Have some sort of hunting or fishing related sale or promotion. Send out themed mailers and get your customers in the door. Have them supply photos of their best catch and post them on a bulletin board. Offer a prize for customers with the best big fish or hunting story.

Send your clients who love to fish or hunt a complementary tackle box or hunting vest with your logo on it.

I have a friend that loves to go fishing on sunny days. She’s loves to talk about the fish she caught and later cooked for dinner. Hmmm…she’s never shared her catch with me!

Another friend went wild boar hunting and emailed me a photo of her with the huge scary looking beast she caught. She had him made into flavored sausages. I hope he tasted better than he looked. The boar was ugly!

That’s another idea – if you hunt send your best clients some sausages made from the game you bag – be sure to let them know you caught it. Maybe include a photo with it like my friend did.

Send me a copy of your promotional mailer with the fishing or hunting theme. Include the results and I’ll post them here.

Marketing Idea for White Chocolate Lovers!

September 22^nd is National White Chocolate Day. Send your customers a certificate for a box of white chocolates when the make a purchase online or visit your business.

Some people love white chocolate. My mother enjoys it but I’m a milk chocolate gal. I do like a rice crispy treat dipped in white chocolate on one end and milk chocolate on the other made at a local sweet shop. Yummy.

If you run a candy store have a special promotion to celebrate National White Chocolate Day. Post signs in your store windows to get customers coming in. Offer gift baskets filled with a variety of white chocolates and related items.

Yes I know white chocolate isn’t officially chocolate but it’s delicious and if your customers love it get them in your store with it.

Keep Romance Alive

Do you have a business that caters to romance? Then focus a direct marketing promotion around Love Note Day on September 26^th. Greeting card stores, lingerie, chocolate shops, beauty spas, massage therapists and even hotels can create a whole marketing campaign around Love Note Day.

Everyone loves getting a love note. Create a love note special contest…customers writing the most romantic love note win a gift to share with their loved one.

Or have people describe the situation where they got their most romantic love note and have other customers vote on which story is the best with the winner getting a prize.

Or send out your own mailer that looks like a love note explaining why you love your customers so much and offer a special discount for Love Note Day.

Let me know what kind of promotion you put into place for Love Note Day and the results.