Awareness Days - how to use them (and orangutans) in your social media marketing

Since being established to highlight charitable causes, awareness days have grown in popularity and now there are numerous dates - some with a serious, educational aim, and others are quite whimsical.

Awareness days can be a great engagement tool for your organisation. They can:

• help you to plan your social media activity.
• be an opportunity to support your favourite causes and share your values
• provide content for your blog or newsletter
• give a different perspective on a well-known subject
• get you coverage - awareness dates form the backbone of the editorial calendar of many publications
• bring you a new audience - be sure to use the associated hashtags to enable you to join in the conversation on social media.

Some awareness dates will be an obvious fit for your organisation, others allow you to be creative.

For example, August 19 is World Orangutan Day. The demand for soy and palm oil is destroying the rainforest where orangutans live. Cutting out soya leads to increased dairy sustainability. It's a great opportunity to promote local, sustainable alternatives.

Knowing which awareness dates are coming up is essential to planning your social media content. Even if you don't plan to use them, it's a good idea to be aware of the various dates coming up to avoid causing unintended offence on a particularly sombre observance. There are dedicated websites that share awareness dates (just be aware that some might have a U.S. focus):

Awarenessdates.com

Timeanddate.com

ProjectBritain.com

We include forthcoming awareness dates, rural events and major anniversaries in our monthly newsletter.

Once you've found a suitable awareness date, check out the official website for any promotional materials e.g. infographics, videos and the correct hashtag to use.

As long as you stay relevant and create engaging content, you can’t go too far wrong – and there really is an awareness day for everything!

Remember:

• Authenticity is key. Only participate in awareness days that genuinely align with your brand's values and mission.
• Research is crucial. Understand the purpose and audience of each day before crafting your message.
• Creativity is king. Go beyond the expected and find unique ways to engage your audience.
• Be mindful. Avoid trivialising serious awareness days with purely promotional content.

By strategically leveraging awareness days, you can build brand loyalty, strengthen your social impact, and create a win-win situation for your organisation and the causes you support.

Have a great week

Anna