Let's Talk About December...
National Days, monthly Themes & Social Media Marketing opportunities
December is almost here, and with it- multiple opportunities to have more sales, and get social media engagement. In this post I hope to shed some light on the Christmas timeline, but also- some other things that happen in December, things to look forward to in December with the channel/Substack/Patreon, and some heads-up to start planning for the holidays ahead. (for print on demand, printables, digital downloads, and affiliate marketing - which will be based on if you’re affiliating a physical product, a printable one, or a service).
Let’s start with the biggest elephant in the room- Christmas:
Based on the platform you’re selling print on demand- you may or may not have missed out on Christmas. People order items they wanna receive before the 24th, which means that for independent shop owners- it’s crucial to note the “cut off” date for the last date to order before the item will arrive- after Christmas.
On marketplaces- cut off dates will vary… As for example, if I want to order something now from Teepublic I a seeing this message:
That means, that if I were to target a European audience on social media to promote my Teepublic store- I would have been doing marketing for NO REASON.
Printables, however, will have a VERY different cut off date, as their delivery is instant, and the buyer can just get the item right away (of course, they might need a few days to print it if they are using a print shop and not a home printer.)
Generaly speaking, This is a GREAT time for printables that are about Christmas-
Christmas cards, Christmas coloring pages, Christmas printable games & activities.
NOTE: Printable cards and wall art can be sold on Etsy, on your independent shops, but also on Zazzle, alongside their print on demand options!
But, everything is on sale now!
Yes, most websites still feature an awesome sale !
In the past few years I have used marketplaces’ discount during this time of year, for print on demand items, to promote items needed for the months ahead:
- Items relating to getting organized for 2024 such as planners, notepads & calendars
- Items targeting well being & improvement, as that’s the VIBE of January
- Items relating to Valentine’s day. (which could be marketed “snappily” to men saying something like “imagine sitting there under the tree in Christmas morning, relaxed, knowing you already got her something for Valentine’s…”
Cause that’s what we have coming our way:
New Year’s Eve
A whole new year
and of course- Valentine’s Day!
NOTE: There will be a Valentine’s Day design tutorial on Youtube in the first or second week of December, along with a Valentine’s Day graphics bundle on Meytribe, and Free Valentine’s Day graphics for tier 7$ on Patreon).
December is NOT just about Christmas…
Blunt statement, I know… But it’s true!
December has several themes of it’s own, with “national (US) awareness months” or international ones, happening in December.
These awareness months create a theme for products to sell, or even shine on social media and get more engagement to your accounts- without having a sale now.
Make sure to use the national/international awareness month hashtag on social media when posting for these holidays!
Here are some of the full-month “events” happening in December:
Operation Santa-Paws:
Celebrated from the 1st of December till the 24th, Operation SANTA Paws, is a heartwarming initiative that brings the spirit of giving to our furry friends. This campaign encourages individuals and communities to support animal shelters and rescue organizations during the holiday season.
If your social media accounts and niche revolves around animals, or revolves around you as a public figure/artist/blogger- you might wanna place this in the spotlight, encouraging people to donate to animal shelters!
FOOD?
December is also:
Quince & Watermelon Month, Root Vegetables & Exotic Fruit Month, Tomato & Winter Squash Month & National Pear Month.
You can use these themes to promote the sale of any art/design you have related to these “awareness” months in December, or even do a bit of cooking on your social media accounts- with these items (or share graphic posts of the nutritional values of them… again- if that is related to your niche).
Ties & Bingo
December is National Tie Month (Zazzle has ties!!), as well as the birthday month of Bingo (taking me back a few years when I was selling printable Christmas bingo sheets on Etsy…)
December National/International Days:
December is also when we celebrate a variety of national and international awareness days, and their hashtags, just at the right time, could get you a sale, or simply increase your social media engagement with that rightly-timed post!
Here are some of the ones I like:
December 1st - National Christmas Lights Day - share a photo of your Christmas lights (or, as an affiliate, share a link to Amazon Christmas lights listings that will arrive by the 25th).
December 4th - National Sock Day - share a photo of your cool socks! Wether you’re an artist, looking to draw people in, or if you’re selling socks on your print on demand shops! I already know what i will be promoting for this day… these socks:
December 8th - Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day- This day is probably one of my favorite days on social media, as it always has the most funny, or heartbreaking reels.
You can create a funny reel/tiktok/short about you being a time traveler, wether you came from the past, the future, or traveled there. This is also a great day to promote any Print on demand merch that relates to Time Travel.
December 9th - Christmas Card Day - if you’re selling digital downloads that people can use in their Christmas card crafts, or actual printable greeting cards for Christmas- this will be your day to shine!
December 20th - Games Day - Share your favorite games, or promote the sale of your printable game sheets!
December 29th - Tick Tock Day - No, not Tiktok… But tick-tock, as in- time is running out for the year, time to finish your tasks, time for planning, for goal setting, for summarising your year- what you’ve accomplished or haven’t.
Please let me know in the comments if you want me to make a Journaling Guide Video, along with tips for wrapping up 2023 & starting 2024- on Tick-Tock day.
Now for some Channel-stuff for December:
As I mentioned, there will be a Valentine’s Day tutorial, probably a deep-dive or two on tools I love to use, as well as more info on the platform I chose to use for my next project- that will be, as you guys have voted - with the December goals video.
(The December goals video will be on December 1st, at 7PM my time- Bulgaria, and will run as a live premier with a chat on the Youtube channel).
Patrons on Patreon already got a full 58 minutes tutorial on how to build a shop with my new platform, and in December will have the FULL how to make a Wordpress blog tutorial, and tips on choosing a business name.
Now, as for 2024… I do have something special planned… Something I have been working on for about 3 months now… and these little “email bursts” of days in the month or awareness months will take on a new form - the form of a video!
With these awareness days and months playing a larger role also with design tutorials and marketing tutorials.
Since this is a massive project for me, and a bit of a change, I’d love any input you may have on these types of “emails” that will soon be videos-
- Do you like having this information?
- Do you use these hashtags in social media or want to start using them?
- Do you want a full guide on how to use them no matter what you’re selling or promoting?
Srsly, any input would be appreciated!
NOTE: Due to DMs, Coupon code BFMEY for 50% OFF on everything on the Meytribe Shop was extended till the 5th of December.
With much love, this email has come to an end… and I will see you tomorrow- on the December Goals video!
Mey :)
(and Miso, in a photo from the freezing snow we now have outside…)
Just finished watching your December Goals video on YT. Loved it!
Then I checked out Fourthwall...
Loved the platform!
But in order to create a shop there you need to have lots of followers or subscribers....
I dont use Twitch, plan to start a YT channel shortly, but I am not sure how long will it take to get 500 subs. Who knows..
And I dont use X much.
I have 1300 followers on Medium. But I dont know if it is enough...
I am actually just started to use social media for business few months ago...
Do you have any suggestions?
Besides building YT channel?
Thank you in advance for your time. I think a lot of people might be interested in this subject.