Who couldn’t use some help when it comes to developing and executing content strategy? When I stumble across a great idea, a new tool that holds promises of efficiencies or even simply read a new tip on how to effectively plan an editorial calendar, I get a little giddy.

All of us are overwhelmed with creating valuable and useful content and the sheer amount of information we are required to sort through to find the gold nugget is certainly overwhelming.  So, I decided to reach out to my friend Chad Fisher from Content Runner to see if he could offer some tips to the WomanCon audience on how to come up with a framework for effectively planning a content strategy and plan, no matter what type of business you have. What follows is Chad’s advice, specific to the ‘Days of the Year’.

Use the Days of the Year to Re-Invigorate Your Content Strategy

by Chad Fisher, Content Runner

A vibrant website requires dynamic content and creating that content is challenging. We’ve all been told to blog regularly, but what are you supposed to write about? Honing your website’s digital marketing strategy is a time consuming process that requires constant attention. One way to add some life to your content is to consider the days of the year and how you can incorporate the quirky and offbeat days throughout the year.

Here are my top 5 quirkiest days, and some ideas on how you can incorporate them into your content to spice up your brand:

1. Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day – January 11th When you are stranded on a deserted island you will be happy you know a bit of Morse code, specifically the universal code for help (SOS: … — …). But why stop there? On January 11th, it’s your obligation to learn your name in Morse code (here’s a quick way to do it). To take advantage of this day for your Brand, consider creating a fun little site to do the translation for your visitors, then they too can see their name like this: -.-. …. .- -.. / ..-. .. … ……-. Alternatively, get your audience involved by posting in Morse code!

2. Lost Sock Memorial Day – May 9th This day should be a national holiday! If you haven’t had a number of orphaned socks in your lifetime I contend that you’ve never done laundry. How perfect would this holiday be for a retailer? Gap, Target, JC Penney’s Nordstrom, any of them could send out one sock to their customers to commemorate May 9th. If you really want to solve this problem for good take this advice from Sean Morrow: “Solution: no socks! Live every day like you’re at the beach with a sock-free existence!”

3. Teddy Bear Picnic Day – July 10th Create the rules and hold a contest: most elaborate picnic with a teddy bear on July 10th is the winner. Have your Facebook fans submit images of their picnic and then vote on the winner. Second prize could go to the best dressed bear – what a great way to for your clothing brand to participate, make teddy bear clothes and create a branded picnic.

4. International Lefthanders Day – August 13th Did you know 15% of the world is left handed? Did you know that if a lefthander marries a lefthander there is a 50% chance their child will be left handed? Feel free to indulge in more left handed facts here. Next August 11th, steal a page from Ned Flanders and setup a left handed store. Start selling left handed only items and cater to the 15% of your customers that are habitually underserved!

5. Talk Like a Pirate Day – September 19th Is there a more popular modern day pirate than Captain Jack Sparrow? Channel your inner Johnny Depp and have people start every tweet with: “Ahoy me Hearties” and then finish the tweet with 120+ characters of what they love about your brand (spoken like a pirate). Post the top 10 pirate tweets on your site and give away prizes – everybody wins!

These were my favorite fun days of the year, feel free to go through the other 360 days and pick out the day(s) that work for your brand. There are even a few open days that have yet to be claimed, so consider making up your own day of the year! Let’s also not forget the serious days/months of the year.

Here are 3 well known women days/months that your brand can participate in:

Women Focused Days/Months
• International Woman’s Day – March 8th
• Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day – Feb. 20th
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month – October

Think creatively about using the days of the year to your advantage and you will have a leg up on your competition in 2014!

What are some of the more quirky days that you can leverage in your content strategy?