October, it’s a time for warmer temperatures and the promise that Spring brings, and new social media post topics! To help you get started on filling out your social media calendar, we’ve pulled together some holidays for you to use and to help get your content trending. 

We believe one of the best ways to build a connection with current and prospective customers is by posting content worth sharing, which is why we’ve handpicked some concepts that you can use to fit your business on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, emails and other marketing channels. Use these ideas as a jumping off point to add a few new things to your content calendar this October. 

Our October 2019 Social Media post ideas are perfect for the small business owner struggling with what to share today. Whether it’s International Coffee Day (we need a lot of that around the Connec+ offices!) or the now infamous, Halloween, every day has something to celebrate online. 

Now, some of these holidays might be simply too silly for your brand to engage with (and we certainly don't suggest sharing content on social media and then tacking on a completely irrelevant hashtag for the sake of traffic - that's just plain annoying). But others might not be. You could be missing valuable opportunities to take advantage of trending topics with fun and relevant "holiday" content on social media. 

From food to politics to animals and everything in between, there is a plethora of observance days worldwide during which marketers can share content relevant to their industries, get involved in a movement, or simply generate more awareness. Why not use season holiday and observance days on your stories, just don’t forget the hashtag! 

So, a reminder why holiday and observance days are so important.  A Sprout Social customer survey discovered when brands share irrelevant information, 41% of people tend to unfollow the company on social. This insight is important to any organisation’s bottom line, especially since 57% of consumers are more likely to purchase something from a brand they follow and 75% have made a purchase because of social. Now, let’s drive into the ideas for the coming month so you can participate in worldwide conversations.  

October is a very active month for content ideas and people are getting busy in the lead up to Christmas (like the decorations showing up, yes, we have mentioned the ‘c’ word). So, that also means people are going to need a distraction and ways to get through their to-do lists. Here are ten quick tips to focus on for the month of October: 

1. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (All of October) #PinkRibbonNZ #PinkForADay
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. In the past few years, thousands of businesses have gotten involved in promoting awareness through the colour pink. Here’s how you can, too:

• Think Pink! This colour is strongly associated with breast cancer awareness. Integrating this into signage, products, or posts associates you with supporting breast cancer awareness. You can even organize a day for your team to wear pink and post a picture on social media.
• Honour survivors by sharing the stories of the incredible women who have beaten breast cancer.

2. Do Something Nice Day (October 5^th) #benice #niceisthenewblack
Not that you need an excuse to celebrate Do Something Nice Day, but here are some ideas:

• Contribute to a cause in the community (volunteer or donate).
• Showcase how you currently give back to the community.
• Do something nice for your employees or coworkers – whether it’s buying lunch or sharing a comment of praise.
• Do something nice for your social media community, such as a special discount or giveaway.

3. World Teacher’s Day (October 5^th) #WorldTeachersDay
Teachers are among the most influential people in our lives. Try these ideas to celebrate their impact:

• Encourage your community to share a story about a teacher who has impacted their lives.
• Share a touching story about a teacher and celebrate their impact on the classroom or the community.
• Teach your community something new by sharing a guide or how-to.
• Give a shout out to your favourite modern-day teacher, whether it’s an industry influencer or author.

4. Halloween (October 31^st)#Halloween, #HappyHalloween, #HalloweenIsComing #HalloweenFun
Try out some of these tricks and treats to celebrate this fun holiday:

• Trick your audience with a joke or scary fact, or treat them with giveaways or specials.
• Showcase the best costumes in your office or from your community.
• Provide DIY ideas for people having Halloween parties.
• Share some fun facts about Halloween, the history of the holiday, statistics, etc.
• Call to action: Ask your followers what their favorite scary movie is, or what they plan to dress up as on Halloween.

Halloween, of course, is the big October holiday people celebrate across the world. Get into the Halloween spirit with safety tips, costume tricks, and ideas for tasty treats.

5. Is your audience swamped at workas companies reach the final quarters of their fiscal year? They may need a break but not have enough time to take one. Suggest some techniques your audience can stay refreshed during the busy times of the year:

• Time management blogs and posts.
• Tools your use to manage your time more effectively.
• Templates and To-Do-Lists to download to help your audience plan both business and personal activities.

6. As the weather gets warmer, you’ll be thinking salads not soups. Give your audience a range of great recipes to make the most of the warmer days and longer sunshine hours. In America, October is National Bake and Decorate Month. Does someone in your team have a delicious recipe or dessert idea? Share it with your followers and ask them for their favourites.
7. Did you know October is also Financial Planning Month? That gives you an excellent opportunity to provide your audience with some of the great money-saving ideas.

8. Mental Health Awareness Week is from the 23^rd - 29^{th  -} October. The 2019 theme is Explore your way to wellbeing – Whāia te ara hauora, Whitiora. The week is an opportunity for you to explore the experiences, actions, relationships and surroundings that make you feel good and uplift your wellbeing. Find out more on the Mental Health Awareness website.

9. Motivate your audience or share quotes to get engagement up though Motivational Monday posts.

10. Start Trivia Tuesdays. Here’s a relevant post idea: Question: What is the zodiac sign for the majority of October? Answer: Libra, which is the sign from those born between September 23^rd and October 23^rd.

October is full of all sorts of other unique holidays and observances to celebrate, including the following:

Seasonal Days 

1:     International Day of Older Persons #UNDOP

         International Coffee Day #InternationalCoffeeDay

         World Vegetarian Day #WorldVegetarianDay

2:     International Day of Nonviolence #InternationalDayOfNonviolence

         Name Your Car Day #whatsyourcarcalled

3:     National Techies Day #TechiesDay

4:     World Animal Day #WorldAnimalDay

         National Taco Day #NationalTacoDay

5:     World Teachers Day #WorldTeachersDay

         Do Something Nice Day #benice #niceisthenewblack

6:     World Smile Day #WorldSmileDay

         Mad Hatter Day #madasahatter

7:     World Habitat Day #WorldHabitatDay

10:   World Mental Health Day #WorldMentalHeathDay

11:   International Day of the Girl #DayOfTheGirl

11:   Pink Ribbon Street Appeal #PinkRibbon

12:   World Sight Day #WorldSightDay

12:   Pink Ribbon Street Appeal #PinkRibbon

13:   National Train Your Brain Day #TrainYourBrainDay

14:   National Dessert Day #DessertDay

         Be Bald and Free Day #baldandfree #baldandbeautiful

15:   Global Handwashing Day #GlobalHandwashingDay

         Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day #CleanYourVirtualDesktopDay

16:   World Food Day #FoodDay

         Bosses Day #BossesDay

         Dictionary Day #dictionaryday #spellingbee

         Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards #HBWineAwards

17:   Get to know your customers day #customerlove 

         International Day for the Eradication of Poverty #EndPoverty

20:   International Chefs Day #chefsday #HowHealthyFoodWorks

         World Statistics Day #StatisticsDay

21:   Reptile Awareness Day #ReptileAwarenessDay

24:   United Nations Day #UNDay

25:   Hawke's Bay Anniversary Day #hellohawkesbay #showweek             

         World Pasta Day #ilovepasta

28:   Labour Day #40hourweek #labourdaynz

29:   Internet Day #InternetDay

30:   National Publicist Day #NationalPublicistDay

         Checklist Day #ChecklistDay

         World Psoriasis Day #psoriasisday

31:   Halloween #Halloween

Other important dates in October:

1. Save the Kiwi Month.  Save Kiwi Month is the national fundraising campaign led by Kiwis for kiwi. There are heaps of ways to get involved, during the month and also throughout the year to help save our national icon. Find out more over on the Department of Conservation website.
2. Breast Cancer Awareness Month – see above.
3. Health Literacy Month
4. World Vegetarian Month
5. Stroke Awareness Week is from 1^st – 6^th

Planning out your social media topics for October doesn’t need to be as scary as it sounds. Simply let these ideas lead the way, and before you know it your social media calendar will be complete.  Happy October!

Need help planning your monthly content? Connect with us today.