The 2024 Small Business Marketing Event Calendar is here! This isn’t like every other event calendar; not only is it our free guide to the dates you mustn’t miss, it also includes innovative ideas for creative marketing campaigns to capitalise on key days and events in 2024.

Small businesses must seize every opportunity to stand out as they navigate the coming year. Aside from the traditional holidays, our 2024 marketing calendar highlights key events, and offers ideas for unique business opportunities to boost growth and engagement.

We encourage you to think outside the box, from the often-overlooked Leap Day to the celebration of National Employee Appreciation Day, and offer hot tips for navigating yearly events like the Easter weekend.

Let this event calendar be your guide to innovative marketing strategies and business success as you plan for 2024!

January 30: Back to School

The return of school isn’t just a blessing for tired parents and a boon for after school programs. It provides an opportunity for many businesses to capitalise on school-related products and services. Clothing stores, shoe shops, electronics and stationery retailers can experience higher demand if they can attract attention. Consider offering special promotions, discounts and advertising campaigns designed to capture the attention of families preparing for the new school year.

February 10: Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year has significant effects on various business industries, particularly in the context of imports, exports and retail. Here's how each industry is impacted by the year of the dragon:

  1. Imports:

Supply Chain Disruptions: Chinese New Year is associated with a weeks-long nationwide holiday in China, during which many businesses shut down or operate at reduced capacity. This can lead to disruptions in the supply chain as manufacturing and production slow down. Importers can experience delays in receiving goods and may need to plan for these interruptions in their inventory management.

  1. Exports:

Export Opportunities: While there may be disruptions for importers, Chinese New Year presents opportunities for businesses exporting to Asia. The festive season is characterised by increased consumer spending and there may be higher demand for certain products, such as luxury goods, food items and gifts.

  1. Retail:

Gifts: Gifting plays a major role during this time, so businesses should consider red or dragon-themed packaging, promotions and marketing strategies that align with the festive spirit.

February 14: Valentine’s Day

A mainstay for couples everywhere, the holiday of love offers opportunities for a range of industries, like hospitality, retail and tourism. Couple discounts and Valentine’s Day bundles can be a great way to help increase sales.

February 29: Leap Day

Most businesses view a Leap Day as insignificant, providing little to no value other than another long day of work. What they may not realise is that a leap day provides your business with a unique opportunity: an extra day to sell more inventory, finish projects and grow your business. Don’t operate with a “business as usual” mindset. It’s time to get creative!

Here are some fun and unique marketing tips you can implement:

  1. Social media challenges and contests: Ask followers to incorporate the number "29" into their posts for a chance to win prizes.
  2. Offer promotions for anyone born on February 29: The chances of someone being born on a leap day are 1 in 1461! This could be a fun and creative initiative that brings in new clientele.
  3. Let your customers leap – literally! What could be a better way to hold your customers’ attention than having them physically leap? Run a social media campaign encouraging your customers to post photos of them jumping. Even better, make them leap over something that’s related to your business.

March 1: National Employee Appreciation Day

To succeed in the marketplace, you must first succeed at work. Every company's top priority should be to take care of its employees. If you look after your employees, they will look after you.

Use this day to express your appreciation to your employees for all their hard work. Buy them a gift, take them on a field trip, buy them lunch, or have a casual day. While this day is dedicated to expressing gratitude to your employees, it does not mean that it should end there. Always treat your employees with respect and regularly thank them for their work and efforts.  

March 29 – April 1: Easter Weekend

It’s important to capitalise on seasonal celebrations and Easter is no exception! Easter weekend can be made memorable with clever marketing. To increase sales in the days leading up to Easter, try to create a sense of urgency by promoting special and limited-time offers, emphasising "while stock lasts!"

Customers may grow tired of seeing the same repetitive promotions and advertising leading up to and during Easter, so make sure you distinguish your business by learning about your customers' interests and values, and cater to them in a unique way.

April 22: Earth Day

Eighty per cent of Australian consumers expect all businesses to be doing everything they can to support environmentally friendly practices, according to a survey created in cooperation by Nature and The Lab,  while 40 per cent say they would stop purchasing from brands that don’t.

Earth Day is an excellent time to let your customers and clients know about what your business is doing to minimise its carbon footprint and help the environment, as well as to share its long-term sustainability strategy.

You could also use this as an opportunity to get feedback from your customers on how they feel about your company's environmental impact and any changes they’d like you to make. They’ll love feeling able to contribute to your sustainability strategy, while you can benefit from their brainstorming!

May 12: Mother’s Day

Children young and old are looking for ways to spoil mum. Restaurants and cafes may create special menus or promotions to encourage families to dine out to and celebrate the day, while retailers can boost sales with free express shipping, gift bundles and family package deals.

June 30: End of Financial Year

The end of the financial year marks the deadline for financial reporting and tax filing, ensuring regulatory compliance. It also serves as a key period for budgeting, strategic planning, and goal-setting for the upcoming year.

Assessing financial performance against benchmarks helps identify areas for improvement and growth opportunities. External audits, asset depreciation reviews and inventory assessments are common practices during this time. Decisions about dividend declarations and employee bonuses are often tied to the financial results at the end of the financial year.

All of this is to say that the end of the financial year is a busy time for accounting, administration and forecasting. It’s also an opportunity to hold stocktake sales and encourage customers to make purchases or donations that are tax deductible.

July 26: Start of the Olympics

In 2024, the world will come together to celebrate the 30th Summer Olympic Games in Paris and Australians will bond over a collective pride in our incredible athletes.

Your company can get involved by organising community events or activities to commemorate the Olympics. This could include small-scale sporting events, viewing parties or themed gatherings at your place of business. During the Olympics, engage with local customers and create a sense of community around your brand.

It could also be an excellent time to promote fitness on your company's social media channels and remind customers of the importance of staying healthy, both mentally and physically.

September 1: Father’s Day

Father's Day represents a significant consumer spending occasion, as customers purchase gifts and engage in celebratory activities. Restaurants and cafes may create special menus or promotions to encourage families to dine out to celebrate the day, while businesses in sectors like electronics, sports and outdoor recreation can create marketing strategies to appeal to the interests and preferences of fathers.

October 10: World Mental Health Day

Here are three powerful and meaningful actions your company can take to address mental health:

  1. To raise awareness and reduce stigma, share mental health facts, resources and positive messages on your company's social media platforms.
  2. Implement a self-care or wellness day for employees. This could include a flexible work schedule, stress-relief breaks or online mental health workshops.
  3. Partner with local mental health organisations or charities, donating a percentage of sales or organising a fundraising event to support mental health initiatives in your community.

October 31: Halloween

Halloween is fast gaining popularity in Australia, generating a surge in consumer spending on costumes, decorations and themed products. Retailers and confectioners can capitalise on the holiday by creating Halloween-themed products to attract customers seeking festive goods, whilst restaurants and entertainment venues can host events to draw in patrons looking for Halloween-themed experiences.

Nov 29 and Dec 2: Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest retail sales events of the year, with many retailers beginning their promotions more than two weeks early.

Yet, while it offers an opportunity to increase your customer base and volume of sales, it is also extremely competitive, making it difficult to predict whether participating in the event will be profitable or not. Due to the sheer volume of demand, businesses can feel forced to offer outrageous discounts and promotions that are beyond their financial capabilities.

It’s important to understand your business’ limits. Before offering a discount, always consider whether you can afford to sell at the smaller margin – or even at a loss – and how many sales are required to break even.

That way you’ll be able to take advantage of the increased demand within your company’s financial limitations.

Dec 24 – January 1: Christmas and New Year Holidays

The holiday season is a significant time of year for small businesses in all industries. Christmas shopping, Boxing Day sales, summer vacations and New Year's Eve celebrations all collide into one crazy week.

For many people, the holiday season is overwhelming, leaving them feeling stressed and exhausted. To overcome these emotions, try to create a festive and joyous environment: decorate your store, office and online platform with seasonal elements. It not only improves the mood but also attracts customers, inspires employees and calms stressed-out business owners.

It also helps to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. Plan for interruptions in both staffing and supply, and ensure your cash flow relies on consistent and dependable revenue sources.

And remember, if you find yourself in need of fast cash, have a backup plan in place. Bizcap offers small business loans between $5K and $4M, that can be deposited into your account in as little as 3 hours.

If you need help accessing funds quickly, call us on 1300 922 223 or apply online – it takes less than 5 minutes.

To download Bizcap's 2024 Small Business Marketing Event Calendar click here, and start mapping out your own pans for the year!

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