Ah, November. Summer is long gone, it feels like fall has only just begun, and yet winter vibes are is starting to trickle in—sort of like guests that arrive before your party starts and you're kind of annoyed because you're not quite ready. But I like the definition below:
So, in the name of new adventures and exciting risks, let's talk about some unique and simple ways to generate interest, build brand awareness, and attract more customers to your business this November. In this post, I'm going to provide you with
- November themes and awareness causes you can use as appealing focal points of your marketing promotions.
- Promotion, blog content, and social media ideas to celebrate the major November holidays.
- Simple and meaningful ways to connect with your audience through the lesser-known observances in November.
Coming up with marketing ideas can be a challenge, especially as you're running the day-to-day of your business (and preparing for the holiday mayhem). But this post will give you the inspiration and creative spark you need to find easy ways to connet with more customers this November.
Meaningful marketing ideas based on November themes and causes
Thanksgiving and gratitude (and perhaps Black Friday greed) are not the only themes of November. This crisp and cool month is home to a number of awareness causes:
We won't cover every single one in this post, but that doesn't mean you can't use them as a launchpad for your creative marketing efforts. Here are some awareness-based marketing ideas for your small business this November.
1. Raise lung cancer awareness
These ideas can also apply to peacreatic cancer, epilepsy, diabetes, and any other health conditions recognized in November. One of the best ways to show your support is to sign your team up for a fundraising activity—a walk, a farmer's market, a virtual race, etc. This gets you out in your local community which strengthens the roots of your business.
There are also ways to show support depending on your vertical. For example, caterers can show photos from fundraiser events:
Health-related businesses can share news articles, educational posts, or survivor stories:
Artists can showcase awareness-inspired work to show their support:
2. Honor military families
For Military Family Month, give a shoutout on social media to your employees and their families who were or are currently active in the military. You could also offer sales promotions and discounts off of products, services, and packages for military families, as shown with this ski lodge example below:
3. Celebrate entrepreneurship
For those in the business services vertical, run an educational series in honor of National Entrepreneurship Month— with webinars, online guides, or live Q&A sessions on Instagram or Facebook for those looking to start or grow their business.
If you are an entrepreneur yourself, share the story of how you came to be—including the hardships you faced and how you got through them. If it's compelling enough, pitch the story to your local newspaper as a way to get some PR while also inspiring your local community.
Even if your audience does not include entrepreneurs, you can still create content around entrepreneurial themes such as goal setting, persisting through challenges, leadership, being unafraid to fail, and the list goes on.
You could even interview an entrepreneur in your field or a related one. Many of the lessons in entrepreneurship can be applied to life in general, so your audience will come away with plenty of wisdom and inspiration. Exhibit A:
4. Support Movember
While June is men's health awareness month, Movember, or No-Shave November, is a movement where men grow out their mustache until the end of the month to raise awareness and donations for men’s health issues. Participants can sign up here. Some businesses run Movember competitions between employees or among customers. Movember is a fun way to host contests or, if you're into it, showcase your facial hair, for men’s health on social media. Get involved in the chatter on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Here are some ways to incorporate Movember into your social media content:
- Post a picture of your team members (or yourself!) sporting a Movember mustache.
- Participate in a Movember charity event and share photos to your account.
- Get a little contest going, or even an official giveaway.
- Donate a portion of your proceeds to the Movember Foundation
- Of course, don't forget to use the #movember hashtag
5. Update your Google Business Profile for November
This is important for any month of the year, but especially in November because of Small Business Saturday (which we'll get to later in this post).
Thanks to Google My Business, consumers can get the information they need to engage with your business directly on the SERP without even having to visit your website. This is why it’s crucial to have a complete and verified Google business listing.
By communicating your products, services, hours, and location to Google, Google can then know which searches to rank you for; and by keeping your profile and active (such as by updating it, collecting reviews, and answering FAQs), Google can feel more confident in ranking you higher and for more searches. Here are some things you can do to optimize your Google Business Profile for Small Business Saturday and November in general:
- Provide your Thanksgiving Hours.
- Upload pictures of any November- or Thankgiving-themed products or services.
- Create Google posts about Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or Small Business Saturday promotions,
- Ask and answer questions related to visiting your store, especially if you expect more traffic on Small Business Saturday.
6. Say farewell to daylight saving time (#fallback)
Daylight saving time ends in November. This means you get an extra hour of sleep one night (cool), more sunlight in the morning (nice), but also that dark and cold afternoons are ahead (womp). That said, acknowledge this the end of daylight saving time with a positive outlook—highlight the fall foliage in your social media posts; showcase bright, fall-colored products on your homepage; or aim for the warm and cozy vibes like this buiness below:
As many consumers are heading into cool weather and more time at home, promote products or services that will make their indoor experience meaningful.
On the other hand, perhaps you and your audience prefer to stay in denial and hang on to summer for as long as you possibly can. Is it too late for summer clearance sales? Yes—don't do that. But could you pull off an an outdoor product clearance sale? Surely.
Encourage your summer-loving customers to get something for next year—something to look forward to and carry them through the winter like Allmodern does below:
Of course, you can always do a simple #fallback post on social media, reminding your followers to turn the clocks back.
Alright, we've covered a handful of marketing ideas for month-long themes in November; now let's take a look at the major November holidays.
Effective and creative November holiday-based marketing ideas
The many observance days in November, but here are the main holidays:
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving
- Black Friday
- Small Business Saturday
- Cyber Monday
Shall we run through some easy marketing ideas you can try out in the midst of running your business?
7. Give thanks (duh)
Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate your family, friends, and of course, your customers. Take the time to express your appreciation and gratitude, and be specific! Let others know exactly what you are grateful for about them to show that they matter as individuals. This will also give your social media posts a truly genuine and heart-felt feel.
8. Give back to the community
As you give back to the community in any Thanksgiving charity runs, food drives, or fundraising events, encourage your customers, local audience, and social media followers to do the same.
9. Offer Thanksgiving specials and advice
Promote products and services at your business particularly useful for Thanksgiving, such as cooking classes for great Thanksgiving side dishes or an after-Thanksgiving bootcamp class. Your pet grooming or boarding business can write a blog post on Thanksgiving foods that can be toxic to pets. The opportunities here are endless, just be sure that your content is high-quality and preferrably, SEO-friendly.
10. Demonstrate respect on Veterans Day
Vereran’s Day occurs every November 11th, and on this day, schools may have off and many workplaces are closed. While this is often a time used for sales and promos, your priority should be that of thanking veterans for their hard work and sacrifice for our country. If you have a veteran who works for you or who lives in your community, showcase them on your blog or website. A simple “thank you” goes a long way and let’s customers know that you care about people, not just sales.
This doesn't mean you should abandon sales altogether. There are still great ways to promote your business in a way that supports US veterans. You could offer a discount to those who have served, donate a proceed of your November profits to veteran organizations, or even run a giveaway.
The company below hosted a free pop-up concert with a trio of vintage-inspired female singers in honor of Veterans Day. In addition to celebrating veterans, this event also supports National Aviation Month at the same (crushed it).
If your business is owned by a veteran, you can also add a badge to your Google Business Profile to let others know.
11. Run promotions on Black Friday
If you’re not running a promotion on Black Friday, you need to! People wait year-round for the incredible deals that await them the day after Thanksgiving, and this is a great opportunity to get your business on the map. Start promoting of your Black Friday deals at the beginning of the month so customers will be ready when the day arrives.
You could even create a Facebook event for your Black Friday specials, where you can post updates and reminders and where followers can invite their friends and add it to their calendars.
12. Promote your (and other) businesses on Small Business Saturday
What November marketing ideas post would be complete without a #SBS section? This is perhaps the best time of year to get your small business noticed, bring back dormant customers, and attract new ones.
Here's what you can do for SBS:
- Register your business register your business through the official American Express site
- Highlight your best products and most attractive sales promotions over email, social media, your website, and in-store signage.
- Check out these Small Business Saturday Promotion Ideas
- You may also want to do a partnership with another local business, create and share a gift guide, or host a sidewalk sale. Remember to thank your customers for their support, and remind them of the importance of shopping small!
At some point, however, take a break from self-promotion and lift up other small business owners who have given it their all to make their company a success and a staple in their community.
13. Take part in Cyber Monday
And the sales never end! Prep for Cyber Monday and choose a few promotions to run on this day. If you don’t have a website (something we should talk about, ehemm), you can still run a Cyber Monday promo using your social media accounts or even paid social strategies.
One idea is to run a raffle or offer a special deal to the first ten customers who directly message you on Facebook. Or, take another break from all the sales mayhem and post a video of what it’s like to be an Amazon employee on Cyber Monday…yikes.
Unique and relevant November observance day marketing strategies
Aside from the main holidays in November, there are tons of awesome observance days that make for great local marketing opportunities. Let's take a look.
14. Celebrate Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day occurs every November 19. On this day, post some compelling stats about female entrepreneurs or women in business to your Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn pages. If you are a female entrepreneur yourself, share some tips and tricks of your trade as with this awesome post below:
If you attend a female entrepreneurship event, post photos on LinkedIn and elsewhere, and even post reflections and insights throughout the day.
If you are not a female entrepreneur, you can certainly highlight one in your community or network. If you don't know one, find one!
15. Participate in World Kindness Day
As Mark Twain said, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Kindness is a universal language indeed. Participate by doing an act of kindness and encouraging your followers to the same. Your act of kindness could be in the real world such as by helping out a stranger in need or volunteering locally; or online via an Instagram giveaway or a posiitve quote from a famous philanthropist. World Kindness Day is celebrated each year on November 13th.
The company below chose to participate by beig kind to the earth:
Sherwin-Williams engaged their audience by asking which acts of kindness have impacted their careers and creating a video of the feedback:
16. Go the extra mile on Extra Mile Day
This observance day is perfect for small businesses which, unlike big businesses, can truly cater to individual customers. is all about taking that additional step to help others with something or even to accomplish one's own goals.
Challenge your Instagram followers to help their neighbor in need, to finish that book they’ve been reading, or even just to wake up one hour earlier. Going the extra mile is something we can all fit into our daily routine and is a great November holiday for connecting with your audience. Extra Mile Day is recognized annually on November 1st.
You also don't have to only go the extra mile for people; the environment will take some special treatment too!
17. Share your support for America Recycles Day
America Recycles Day is a great day for showing that your small business cares about the environment. Include some facts on your social media, share what steps your business is taking to improve the environment, or provide suggestions on your blog on how to recycle.
Other ideas for this important day include offering a discount on bulk-size items, promoting your sustainable products, raising awareness on social media about the importance of recycling, or participating in or even host a recycling drive.
You could also make a video instructing your followers how to recycle your products or items in general, like Coca Cola did in the example below:
Keep in mind also that a business conscious of the planet is likely to be conscious of its customers.
18. Embrace the outdoors with Take a Hike Day
This is a perfect day for feel-good quotes and to encourage people to get outside for a stroll in the great outdoors. Ask followers to share their nature photos and favorite spots to take a hike.
There are tons of ideas and examples in this post, but the best part is that it's just a tip of the iceberg in terms of November marketing strategies. Model off of the ones in this post or use them as a launchpad for your own spinoff ideas. The key is to stay true to your brand voice—that's what your customers want!
For other monthly themed marketing ideas, check out:
