Sometimes the most fun, the most memorable, and the most viral-able (is that a word?) ideas for your content calendar are the ones that are silly and carefree.
Take, for instance, Wendy’s made-up holiday #NationalRoastDay on February 11. Or consider how 7-Eleven made July 11th Free Slurpee Day.
Even silly content calendar ideas can create a buzz around your business and become a source of shareable content that does one of the most important things you can do in marketing.
Make your company memorable.
With that in mind, here are some silly and not so silly ideas to add to your 2022 marketing content calendar. (I took most of them from the website Time and Date.)
Winter Content Calendar Ideas:
Jan. 20 – Penguin Awareness Day
Who doesn’t love a cute bird that looks like he’s wearing a tuxedo all the time? Whether you simply send out a picture or start a social media debate about the best penguin movie of all time. It’s sure to be a fun and interactive post.
Jan. 22 – Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day
There’s a reason why cats are so meme-able. They always look like they’re judging you and questioning your every move. Make this an interactive social media post.
Maybe a “caption this photo” or reply with your best sassy cat photo.
Jan. 24 – Compliment Day
Share the love. Whether you’re complimenting your followers or simply asking people to share their successes, today is a great day to show support and build a community of inclusiveness and kindness.
Feb. 13 – Super Bowl Sunday
Okay, it’s not a holiday, per se, but Super Bowl Sunday offers up some great social media content. Whether you’re asking fans to pick the winning team, checking in on the Super Bowl Halftime Show, or getting the low down on the best appetizers, Super Bowl Sunday has plenty to offer.
Feb. 14 – Library Lovers Day
Forget Valentine’s Day. Make Library Lovers Day a thing. Ask people for their best book recommendations or create a blog post with your favorites.
Share the love of reading.
Feb. 17 – Random Act of Kindness Day
Random Act of Kindness Day is a beautiful way to drive sales. Consider a random act of kindness to your customers. Whether it’s a free gift, a discount, or something more, offer a random act of kindness that may also help your bottom line.
March 1 – Plan a Solo Vacation Day
What’s your dream vacation? Where do you go to get away from it all?
Plan a Solo Vacation Day can be an excellent way to get people to interact with your social media team. When it comes to vacations, everyone has a dream and an opinion, and they’re happy to share it.
March 14 – Pi Day
Pi Day becomes a little more mainstream every year, so get in on the action.
Use social media to ask followers their favorite pie filling or simply pose a silly trivia question about the number Pi.
Much of social media is about interacting with your followers, and Pi Day offers you the perfect opportunity to do just that.
March 20 – World Story Telling Day
Why not use today to share your company’s story with the world? How did you come into being? Was it a planned idea or a sudden stroke of genius? Did you fill a need of someone that you love?
Every business has a story and today is a perfect day to brag about your business and tell your story.
March 23 – Puppy Day
Who can say no to puppies and pictures of puppies?
Spring Content Calendar Ideas
April 1 – Fun at Work Day
Forget April Fool’s Day and make it Fun at Work Day.
Do something fun for your employees, or take a moment to do something fun for yourself. Lighten the mood and keep everyone happy.
Happy workers mean a more productive office.
April 14 – International Moment of Laughter Day
They say laughter is the best medicine, so give your social media followers a good laugh.
Tell a joke. Tell a funny story. Show a cute meme.
Add some levity to a person’s day, and they’ll remember you and your business.
April 28 – Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
Sharing the work part of our lives with the ones we love is essential, so make this an event for the entire office.
Allow employees to bring their kids to work and understand that a lot of work may not get done ahead of time. Set up fun things for the kids to do. Create learning experiences. Share the joy of the office with your employees and their families.
If your employees are willing, days like these also make great social media posts.
May 1 – Batman Day
Celebrate the Caped Crusader on May 1 and spark a heated debate on social media. Who’s the better Batman? Adam West? Michael Keaton? Christian Bale? Those other guys? Everyone has an opinion.
May 4 – Star Wars Day
May the 4th be with you. There are so many directions to go with Star Wars Day. Whether it’s tweeting out famous quotes or allowing your employees to wear their Star Wars paraphernalia, there’s a lot of social media opportunity surrounding May 4.
May 20 – Pizza Party Day
Spread some goodwill at the office with Pizza Party Day, or ask your social media followers their favorite toppings.
May 24 – Scavenger Hunt Day
If you’re a local business with local customers, why not create social media fun for everyone?
Create a scavenger hunt for your followers. Find some prizes and hide them in your city. Ask your followers to tweet or post when they’ve found the prize.
Even the smallest gift can get people excited.
June 1 – Say Something Nice Day
A nice word can go a long way.
Post a heartwarming quote or share some words of wisdom. Say Something Nice Day is a great way to make your followers on social media feel good about themselves and maybe give them that boost of confidence that they’ve been needing.
June 15 – Nature Photography Day
Take some time to enjoy the beauty of the world around you. Share an image of local nature on your social media and encourage others to do the same.
June 26 – Chocolate Pudding Day
Um…because chocolate pudding is delicious.
Toss a few Snack Packs in the fridge for everyone to enjoy. It’s a tasty treat that won’t break the bank, and it’s a great picture to share on social media.
Summer Content Calendar Ideas
July 1 – International Joke Day
What do you call two monkeys sharing an Amazon account? Prime-mates.
Why do ducks have tail feathers? To cover their buttquacks.
Dust off your silliest dad jokes and share some laughs on International Joke Day.
July 15 – Gummi Worm Day
Share Gummi Worms or include some in all of the orders that your company fills for the day. Get creative.
July 17 – Emoji Day
Share a message in Emoji code or ask your followers to post emojis of how their day is going.
July 27 – Take Your Pants for a Walk Day
Let’s keep this G-Rated and assume this means that you take a walk outside. Find a nice local hiking trail or stroll a lovely street near the office. Share a pretty picture and encourage your social media followers to take a stroll themselves.
Aug. 14 – Creamsicle Day
Creamsicles for the entire office, not a bad deal.
Aug. 24 – Pluto Demoted Day
On this day, Pluto was no longer a planet. Amazingly, that move made Pluto even more beloved than before. Use today to show your love for the dwarf planet.
Or create a blog post that talks about overcoming setbacks.
Aug. 31 – Eat Outside Day
Treat the team to a picnic or eat outside yourself. Share your photos on social media and encourage your followers to do the same.
Sept. 6 – Fight Procrastination Day
Check off those lingering items on your to-do list and encourage others to do the same. Show off how you and your team are battling procrastination, and you may inspire others to follow suit.
Sept. 17 – National Cleanup Day
Get the office together and spend a Saturday cleaning up your local neighborhood. Sometimes it’s about what you do for your community and the planet instead of what you do for your business.
Sept. 19 – International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Talk Like a Pirate Day is always one of my personal favorites. If you own a store, consider giving customers a discount if they show up in pirate regalia or talk like a pirate. You can have a lot of fun on a day like this.
Sept. 28 – Ask a Stupid Question Day
They say there are no stupid questions. Why not open up your social media and invite people to ask questions about you or your business.
No matter how small or stupid the question, make an effort to answer it.
Fall Content Calendar Ideas
Oct. 7 – World Smile Day
Smiles are infectious. So, get people to share their smiles on World Smile Day or give them something to smile about.
Oct. 17 – National Clean Out Your Virtual Desktop Day
No better way to get someone to do something than to give them a designated day to do it. Make National Clean Out Your Virtual Desktop Day a company holiday and help make your employees more productive in the process.
Oct. 18 – Chocolate Cupcake Day
Maybe pair National Clean Out Your Virtual Desktop Day with Chocolate Cupcake Day. Every employee that succeeds in desktop cleanup receives a chocolate cupcake as a reward.
Plus, maybe you’ll start a new trend on social media in the process.
Nov. 3 – Sandwich Day
Whether you’re sharing sandwiches in the office or asking people what their favorite sandwich filling is on social media, Sandwich Day is a great way to get people involved and engaged.
Another social media option: everyone thinks they know the right way to build a sandwich; why not put them to the test?
Nov. 8 – Tongue Twister Day
“She sells seashells by the seashore.”
“Four fine fresh fish for you.”
“A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.”
Have some fun with Tongue Twister Day, whether you’re challenging the people in your office or on social media.
Nov. 13 – World Kindness Day
Do something kind for your employees or your best customers. Someday, that out-of-the-blue kindness will be returned to you tenfold.
Nov. 17 – Take a Hike Day
Encourage your employees to get outdoors and then encourage them to share the adventure on social media.
Take a Hike Day not only inspires company wellness, but it creates shareable social media content.
Nov. 25 – Buy Nothing Day
Buy Nothing Day might seem a little counterintuitive for a business looking to make money. However, maybe it’s the best way to let your customers and your employees know that you’re also looking out for them.
Buy Nothing Day conveniently falls around Thanksgiving. If you give your employees an extra day off and then brag about it, it might inspire other companies to do the same and let customers know that you’re about more than the bottom line.
Nov. 29 – Electronic Greeting Card Day
Instead of your usual holiday email push, why not send an electronic greeting card to your mailing list? No strings attached. Just let them know that you’re thinking about them and appreciate them.
Dec. 7 – Letter Writing Day
Every year, Santa Claus receives tens of thousands of letters from boys and girls around the country. Someone has to help him write the replies.
Make Letter Writing Day a company holiday and encourage the people in your office to help Santa with his replies. The USPS is always looking for volunteers.
If you’re feeling extra generous, why not send a little gift with each reply? It may help you and your employees get into the holiday spirit.
Dec. 12 – Gingerbread House Day
Instead of a holiday party, why not have a Gingerbread House Day at work? Or add Gingerbread House decorating to the holiday plan?
Dec. 16 – Ugly Sweater Day
Another great theme for a holiday party, Ugly Sweater Day.
Conclusion
While some of these meaningless holidays are simply social media fun, many of them can be transformed into office fun or other themed content such as blog posts or videos for your content calendar.
Sometimes all you need is an idea, and your imagination can run wild.
For some more great ideas of how to fill out the rest of your content calendar, check out this previous post.
Happy new year!
Written by Erika Towne