Whilst nobody can fully predict what 2021 will bring, planning out a year’s worth of marketing activities from website content to social media posts can give you a kick-start on your marketing efforts and let you plan ahead for key dates that might affect your digital marketing strategy. Creating a marketing calendar that works for you is key to making your digital marketing strategy a success in the challenging year ahead. If 2021 is the year you want to give your marketing plans a makeover, why not download our ultimate 2021 marketing calendar. We’ve packed it full of key dates in the online marketing calendar so you’ll be in the know and ready to go for the year ahead.
Why Should You Create a Marketing Calendar?
When it comes to creating effective, compelling content and marketing materials, a detailed marketing plan is your friend. By tailoring your marketing to events throughout the year you will be able to make your marketing plans relevant and capture the attention of your audience and make the most of every stage of your buyer’s journey. Doing this also allows you to identify periods or events that may affect your marketing campaigns such as holidays or other perhaps busier or quieter times for your business.
What Should a Marketing Calendar Include?
In order to be successful, your 2021 marketing calendar should include some key elements. These elements will all be based on your businesses goals and resources and lay the groundwork for your marketing plans for the years ahead.
- Key Events Across the Year
- Advertising Campaigns
- Social Media Campaigns
- Email Marketing Dates
Download your 2021 Digital Marketing Calendar for FREE here.
Key Marketing Dates for 2021 by Month
Your customers’ buying patterns can be affected by a wide range of things, just like your business. National and international events can pay a key part in how your customers spend their money, that’s why we have included some key dates for your 2021 marketing calendar below by month.
January
This year will be quite different from the typical post-Christmas slump and Blue Monday (18th January this year). The new year is often a time of personal resolutions and may be a key time for those looking for a fresh start after the events of 2020. Those hoping to win the attention of spenders at the start of this year may face stiff competition and will need to shore up their marketing strategies ready for 2021. Here are some of the key marketing events to look out for in January 2021:
- Fri 01 Jan – New Year’s Day
- Mon 18 Jan – Blue Monday
- Mon 25 Jan – Burn’s Night
- Tue 26 Jan – Australia Day
February
Known for the romance of St. Valentine’s day and the hype of the Superbowl, February delivers chilly temperatures and a return to normality after the post-Christmas slump. We’ve made it past ‘quitter’s day’, the day in January people are most likely to break their new year’s resolutions and are heading towards the promise of spring. Here are some of the top marketing dates to add to your 2021 marketing calendar for February:
- Fri 12 Feb – Chinese New Year
- Sun 14 Feb Valentine’s Day
- Tue 16 Feb – Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day
March
Home to two patron saint’s days and Mothering Sunday, March marks the first day of spring and a shakeup from the winter gloom. Here are some top March dates to add to your 2021 marketing plans:
- Mon 01 Mar – St David’s Day
- Thur 04 Mar – World Book Day
- Mon 08 Mar – International Women’s Day
- Sun 14 Mar – Mother’s Day
- Wed 17 Mar – St Patrick’s Day
- Sat 20 Mar – First Day of Spring
- Sun 28 Mar – First Day of Passover
April
April showers may be drip drip dropping but April heralds the welcome celebrations of Easter and chocolate galore. April offers ample marketing opportunities to focus your digital marketing campaigns on, here are just some of the key dates for everything from social media planning to email generation.
- Thur 01 Apr – April Fool’s Day
- Fri 02 Apr – Good Friday
- Sun 04 Apr – Easter Sunday
- Mon 05 Apr – Easter Monday
- Sat 10 Apr – Siblings Day
- Sun 11 Apr – National Pet Day
- Tue 13 Apr – Ramadan Starts
- Wed 21 Apr – National Tea Day
- Thur 22 Apr – Earth Day
- Fri 23 Apr – St George’s Day
May
As the start of the wedding season and host to the spring bank holiday, May offers a wealth of digital marketing dates to add to your 2021 calendar as well as some fun international dates to add some colour to your marketing.
- Mon 03 May – May Day
- Tue 04 May – Star Wars Day
- Thur 13 May – National Cocktail Day
- Mon 31 May – Spring Bank Holiday
June
A month of iconic sporting events and a day to celebrate dads everywhere, June ushers in the hope of slightly warmer weather. From the start of Wimbledon to world environment day, there are a number of key marketing dates for June 2021 to add to your diary.
- Sat 05 Jun – World Environment Day
- Sun 20 Jun – Father’s Day
- Mon 21 Jun – Summer Solstice
- Sun 27 Jun – Tour de France
- Mon 28 Jun – Start of Wimbledon
July
Home to Canada day and the American Independence day, July is summer in full swing and sets the tone for a number of fun dates to add to your marketing calendar. Here are some of the top marketing dates for your digital marketing calendar 2021.
- Thur 01 Jul – Canada Day
- Sun 04 Jul – American Independence Day
- Wed 07 Jul – World Chocolate Day
- Sat 17 Jul – World Emoji Day
- Fri 23 Jul – Olympics Opening Ceremony
Download your full 2021 Digital Marketing Calendar for FREE here.
August
Taking its name from the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar, August is home to Yorkshire Day, national smile week and more as well as a holiday time for most schools in the UK. Here are some of the key 2021 marketing dates for August.
- Mon 09 Aug – Book Lover’s Day
- Thur 19 Aug – World Photography Day
- Mon 30 Aug – Summer Bank Holiday
September
Synonymous with ‘back-to-school’ week, September an ideal time for pushing anything school-related and this is a heavy feature in September digital marketing efforts across a wide range of industries. As well as being home to the International Day of Peace among other notable days, here are some of the key September dates to add to your 2021 marketing calendar.
- Thur 02 Sept – Back to School
- Tue 21 Sept – International Day of Peace
- Mon 27 Sept – World Tourism Day
October
Fire burn and cauldron bubble, October is the month for all things spooky. If you are looking for ideas for your 2021 marketing calendar, take a look at some of our most important dates below.
- Fri 01 Oct – World Vegetarian Day
- Sun 10 Oct – World Mental Health Day
- Sun 31 Oct – Halloween
November
As the winter chill sets in, November sees some key digital marketing dates take hold with one of the biggest sales of the year as well as Bonfire Night and Día de Muertos adding to the festivities.
- Tue 02 Nov – Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead
- Thur 04 Nov – Diwali
- Fri 05 Nov – Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night
- Thur 11 Nov – Remembrance Day
- Sun 14 Nov – Remembrance Sunday
- Fri 26 Nov – Black Friday
- Sun 28 Nov – Hannukah
- Mon 29 Nov – Cyber Monday
December
After a slightly different Christmas in 2020, many shoppers will want to make Christmas 2021 one to remember. December is the crown of the festive season, if you are looking to catch the last-minute shoppers, December marketing is key, here are some of the main dates to keep in mind for your marketing calendar 2021.
- Tue 14 Dec – Christmas Jumper Day
- Fri 24 Dec – Christmas Eve
- Sat 25 Dec – Christmas Day
- Sun 26 Dec Boxing Day
- Fri 31 Dec – New Year’s Eve
Looking for a full 2021 marketing calendar with all of the year’s key dates? Click the link below for a PDF marketing calendar with all of the above dates and more. For more help building your digital marketing strategy, get in touch.
Download your full 2021 Digital Marketing Calendar for FREE here.