Building That Marketing Calendar
- Tracy Scheckel
- Dec 2, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 11
This week, we’ll explore Patty’s marketing plan for January, focusing on strategies to drive sales and engagement. Campaigns targeting January success often need to begin one to two months in advance, depending on their complexity.
Patty's November and December are packed with holiday shoppers, but like most retail businesses, she plans to clear inventory in January to make room for the next season’s goods.
Leveraging National Local Quilt Shop Day
January 25th is National Local Quilt Shop Day—a perfect opportunity for Patty to promote her shop and consignors. Since she sells local fabric arts on consignment, Patty plans:
Charity Alignment: Donate a percentage of January quilt sales to a local nonprofit assisting with heating costs for those in need, blending cause-related marketing with community goodwill.
Interactive Event: Host a quilting bee on the 25th, where consignors can connect with the public, market their work, and drive foot traffic during an otherwise slow retail period.
Preparing for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day in February will bring another wave of activity, but Patty wants to encourage early shopping. She plans to offer her loyal customers a 15% discount on Valentine’s gifts and cards purchased before January 31st. This promotion rewards customer loyalty and ensures steady January sales.
Building Engagement with National Love Your Pet Day
National Love Your Pet Day on February 20 provides another creative opportunity. Starting in late January, Patty will:
Launch a social media campaign, encouraging followers to post pictures of their pets and share why they love them.
Offer in-store pet treats on February 20 to drive foot traffic and create a friendly, welcoming shopping experience.
Event Planning Promotions
Patty also wants to remind both corporate and private customers that successful spring and summer event planning begins now. Early outreach ensures her services remain top of mind for potential clients.
Organizing Marketing Efforts with a Calendar
To execute her plans efficiently, Patty needs a well-structured marketing calendar. While there are countless templates available, choosing a format that feels intuitive and practical is crucial. If a calendar isn’t user-friendly, it’s likely to be ignored.
I reviewed tools from platforms like HubSpot and designed a basic marketing calendar for Patty’s January activities. This calendar informed a preliminary content schedule for the first week of January.
Content Calendar Considerations
An effective content calendar should include:
Visuals or images linked to each post.
Copy-paste-ready verbiage for all social posts.
Links to relevant landing pages (e.g., inventory sales, quilting event details, event planning services).
Suggested posting times optimized for engagement based on industry best practices.
Basic January 2025 content marketing calendar.
Essential Website Pages for Patty’s Campaigns:
Inventory Sale Page: Details on promotions and discounted items.
Local Quilt Shop Day Page: Information about the quilting bee, including sign-ups for quilters and guests.
Event Planning Page: A hub for corporate and private event services with tailored sub-pages and a contact form.
By staying organized and leveraging a robust marketing calendar, Patty can maximize her outreach and revenue potential in January while setting the stage for February success.
I can and would be happy to help you get your 2025 marketing calendar together.
