Marketing Inspiration For October 2021
“I just don’t know what to say” is one of the phrases I hear most frequently from clients and business owners when it comes to talking about their products and services on social media and online! We’ve all thought this, me included. In fact, that’s why I started writing a monthly article with year-round marketing ideas and inspiration. Here’s this month’s marketing inspiration for October 2021.
But before I get into it, I do want to emphasise that these ideas are a springboard for creativity; something to reference to when you’re stuck for ideas. What’s most important is that you choose the ideas which will resonate the most with your ideal customers and audience.
So, this October my focus will be on International Strategic Planning Month, National Work and Family Month (US), the Brilliant Breakfast (UK), International Customer Service Week and National Business Women’s Week (US) because these most closely align with my audience – passionate, purpose-led women who want to scale their businesses.
Showcase Autumn Products and Services
While September still has echoes of summer and November brings with it winter weather, October feels like the only truly autumnal month. This makes October the perfect time to showcase your autumn-themed products or services. In the case of my own clients, their fall inspired products include:
Interiors styling with blue pumpkins, white gourds, eucalyptus and pine cones.
Autumn scented candles of apple, quince and amber.
Autumn coloured bouquets of dahlias, hydrangeas, snowberries and eucalyptus.
Pecan Cupcakes with spiced vanilla frosting.
Mulled spiced cider with calvados and brown sugar.
Of course, 31st October is an important retail opportunity with half of British shoppers spending money on celebrating Halloween in normal times. But there are many other opportunities to connect with your business and audience which may resonate more with your customers. Below you’ll find October marketing ideas for month-long, promotions as well as other important weeks and dates.
Celebrate Halloween
In 2019, Brits spent £479 million on Halloween while Americans spent $878 billion. Typically, 40% of Britain’s spend money on Halloween while 68% of Americans do. So, even if your business doesn’t have a direct link to this event, it might be worth thinking about how your business could put on a Halloween-themed event or activity.
Read: Marketing Ideas For Your Small Business In 2021.
Awareness Events In October
The following could lend themselves to a month-long promotion that could include blog posts, sales, social media posts, contests and more.
International Strategic Planning Month – An opportunity to talk about how making a strategic plan will help you to achieve your business goals.
National Work and Family Month - Established in 2003 by a US Senate resolution, now, with people’s interest in hybrid working, is the perfect time to spotlight and remind employers about the business benefits of supporting programmes that focus on creating an effective work-life balance.
Financial Planning Month – With household savings increasing during the pandemic, this is an opportunity to spark conversations about how your customers can improve their financial health and make better money management decisions.
National Dyslexia Awareness Month – an opportunity to give attention to the issues that dyslexic people face on a daily basis.
National Bullying Prevention Month – This awareness cause is relevant to businesses whose target market is made up of parents of school-aged children.
Domestic Violence Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month – an opportunity to get involved with a local charitable organisation to support one or other of these causes.
Important Awareness Weeks In October
National Customer Service Week – This takes place during the first full week of October and offers marketing opportunities both internally and externally. You could even request feedback about your customer service, whether through a survey, a poll or conversation on social media.
The Brilliant Breakfast – The aim of this campaign is to inspire and invite everyone from all over the UK to get together for breakfast during the week of 11th to 17th October 2021 to raise money for The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative and change the lives of disadvantaged young women in the UK.
National Business Women’s Week - a time to acknowledge and applaud US female leaders in business by posting stories, and stats that encourage and empower women.
Important Awareness Days In October
1st October - International Day of Older Persons, International Coffee Day, World Vegetarian Day, World Smile Day and International Day of Nonviolence.
3rd October – London Marathon. This year, the London Marathon is aiming to inspire 500,000 children to run, jog, walk, or wheel 2.6 miles between Monday 27 September and Friday 22 October.
4th - World Habitat Day and World Animal Day
5th - World Teachers Day
10th - World Mental Health Day
11th - International Day of the Girl
12th - National Savings Day
15th - Global Handwashing Day
17th - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
21st - Get to Know Your Customers Day occurs on the third Thursday of the first month of every quarter, in October, January, April, and July.
24th – United Nations Day, a day in which the UN recognises their achievements and sets out their new aims for the year.
28th - National Make A Difference Day
30th - Checklist Day
31st - Daylight Saving Ends and at 1am the clocks move backwards one hour from standard time.
What to Pin In October
Pinterest is a powerful yet highly underrated platform when it comes to generating traffic for businesses and blogs alike. This is because people use Pinterest to search for tomorrow’s ideas making it a significant driver of organic traffic across many industries, particularly in the autumn.
The beauty of Pinterest is you can set up your company profile and website in order to generate more organic (and, if you wish, paid) traffic from Pinterest. If you’re not using Pinterest already, this article from Search Engine Journal will help you get started.
What’s important to remember in 2021 is that the emphasis on fresh content has grown through the past year and is now firmly established. Autumn is huge on Pinterest so be sure to pin your seasonal content weeks or even months ahead. Last year, these 11 categories, from most to least, were the most successful in October:
Holidays and Events, Food and Drink, DIY and Crafts, Kids and Parenting, Women’s Fashion, Education, Wedding, Home Decor, Travel, Hair and Beauty, Health and Fitness
Pinners searched for creative takes on Halloween with top trending searches including Halloween breakfast, haunted garage and even Halloween piñatas, You can find Pinterest’s Halloween guide here.
Looking Ahead
I’m not personally a fan of Black Friday, however for many businesses, including some of my clients, it’s an important time of the year. The work you put in now to building your social channels, including Pinterest, will serve as a runway for a successful Black Friday campaign and help set you up for a successful Christmas.
That’s why, if you do run Black Friday promotions, I highly recommend you spend this month reviewing the performance of your previous campaigns and using this information to help you put together a campaign which will help you to finish 2021 strong.
Final Thoughts
We all have times when we’re flat out of inspiration so I hope you’ve found these marketing ideas for October 2021 helpful. If you’re looking for inspiration for your August and September marketing campaigns, you’ll find ideas here and here.
I love to hear the creative ways you’re using these ideas and if you have suggestions for other readers. Do let us know in the comments box below.
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