Is March marketing just about St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness? Not at all! Actually, there’s a national day in March dedicated to exactly that kind of thinking… And what a great mistake to make! Dive into this comprehensive guide for a complete rundown of March awareness causes, holidays, and national days, plus over 60 innovative March marketing concepts for your posts, promotions, events, and more. We’ll also be showcasing real-world examples from businesses spanning various industries.
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Ideas based on:
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March awareness causes
March presents numerous awareness causes perfect for incorporating into your blogging, promotions, and social media marketing. You can craft content around these topics all month long, eliminating the constraint of specific dates. March is:
- Asset Management Month
- Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month
- Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month
- Brain Injury Awareness Month
- Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month
- Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
- National Craft Month
- National Reading Month
- Endometriosis Awareness Month
- Epilepsy Awareness Month
- Kidney Month
- Kidney Cancer Awareness Month
- Myeloma Action Month
- Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
- Problem Gambling Awareness Month
- Red Cross Month
- Self-Injury Awareness Month
- Social Work Month
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion in March
This month overflows with opportunities to highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion. Here are some DEI-focused awareness causes for March:
- Bisexual Health Awareness Month
- Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
- Disability Awareness Month
- Ethics Awareness Month
- Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month
- Greek American Heritage Month
- Irish American Heritage Month
- Women’s History Month And let’s not forget these important observances:
- International Women’s Day (March 8)
- Equal Pay Day (varies—March 6, 2024)
- World Down Syndrome Day (March 21)
- First day of Ramadan (varies)
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March national days and holidays
While a complete list of days and dates awaits at the end, let’s highlight some key observances: Popular celebrations:
- St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)
- Daylight Savings (changes every year—March 10, 2024)
- First day of spring (changes every year—March 19, 2024)
- Pi Day (March 14)
- MLB Opening Day (changes every year—March 28, 2024)
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Days of significance
- Medal of Honor Day (March 25)
- Vietnam Veterans Day (March 29)
- SBDC Day (varies—March 20, 2024)
- Mom and Pop Business Owner Day (March 29) Lighthearted fun
- Dadgum That’s Good Day (March 1)
- Everything You Think is Wrong Day (March 15)
- Something on a Stick Day (March 28)
- Virtual Vacation Day (March 30)
- Awkward Moment Day (March 18)
Surprising discoveries
- Triglycerides Day
- Common Courtesy Day
- Near Miss Day
March marketing ideas for DEI
Now, let’s delve into some specific ideas for the events and causes mentioned earlier.
Women’s History Month
Dedicate some time this March to recognizing the influential women in your business or field. For instance:
- Launch an Instagram or Facebook giveaway encouraging participants to share stories of inspiring women from history and their impact in one line.
- Showcase renowned women who have left their mark within your geographical area and industry.
- Organize a webinar or event led by women, exclusively for women, or both!
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day celebrates the achievements of women, raises awareness against bias, and encourages action towards equality. Each year centers around a different theme, which you can explore at internationalwomensday.com.
- Share a brief history lesson on a female or group of women in your field or niche.
- Ask your followers to share stories of influential women in their lives.
- Use the year’s designated hashtag in your posts,
- Introduce your customers to the women behind the scenes at your business.
Equal Pay Day
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, Equal Pay Day, typically observed on the second Tuesday in March, sheds light on the gender wage gap. Its scope has broadened in recent years to encompass women of color, LGBTQIA individuals, mothers, part-time workers, seasonal workers, and more. Consider these actions:
- Support the Equal Pay Today campaign by contributing a portion of your sales.
- Share impactful gender wage gap stats on social media.
- Engage with women in your community through interviews or polls. This could involve your social media followers, customer base, professional network, or even your team.
Monthly awareness March marketing ideas
Even if your business doesn’t directly align with a specific March theme, a touch of creativity can help you create engaging and relevant content for any audience. Let’s explore some possibilities:
National Reading Month
If content reigns supreme, then reading is the ultimate power move. Here are some ideas:
- Start a conversation by sharing your favorite books and inviting your followers to do the same.
- Seek book recommendations from your audience.
- Post thought-provoking quotes about reading or excerpts from your cherished reads.
- Make a difference by organizing a book drive.
Caffeine Awareness Month
This month presents a treasure trove of opportunities to engage your audience across various social media platforms. Here are a few ideas:
- Develop a captivating blog series, social media posts, or videos around a caffeine-related theme. Think eye-opening statistics, tips to boost savings, energizing content, or anything related to “roasting,” “ramping up,” or “activating.”
- Challenge your audience (or yourself!) to a month without coffee. Offer helpful tips on achieving the effects of caffeine naturally. Document your journey and share the experience.
- Host weekly “coffee chat” sessions on Facebook Live.
- Don’t limit yourself to coffee—explore other caffeine sources like tea, chocolate, soda, and energy drinks.
- Simplify complex industry concepts using relatable coffee analogies (e.g., dark, medium, and light roasts).
- When in doubt, tap into the endless supply of relatable coffee memes.
Credit Education Month
While ideal for businesses in finance, this month offers opportunities for all. Here’s how:
- Host a webinar featuring a guest speaker who can provide valuable insights on improving credit scores. This topic resonates with anyone who makes payments for your products or services.
- Show appreciation to loyal customers with a playful email. Instead of credit tips, offer them a $X credit on their account (March email subject line ideas here!).
- Combine celebrations by linking credit education with women’s history.
National Nutrition Month
This is a great time for restaurants, health food suppliers, and fitness centers to market their products and offerings. You can:
- Provide nutrition tips and healthy recipes through blog posts or email newsletters.
- Run a special deal on your healthiest products.
- You can also be a bit tongue-in-cheek and describe your business as “food for the soul” or highlight true health benefits your services provide that nourish your body or mind.
- Share the latest research and facts and use hashtag #eatright and #NNM to get your posts noticed and shared.
March Madness
The NCAA men’s college basketball tournament tips off in March. There are plenty of ways to get into the spirit:
- Create a March Madness bracket to go with your business.
- Run a competition of your most popular dishes/products and encourage customers to order one of the two dueling items.
- Small businesses in or around college towns can offer patrons a discount for wearing team colors.
- Take pictures of your employees who are getting in the spirit and post them on social media with the hashtag for the team you support.
And even if you have nothing to do with sports, you can still take part. If a bridal boutique, an event planning company, and a dog treat business can find a way to jump on the bandwagon, anyone can.
National day March marketing ideas
Let’s move on to the specific days in March that make great opportunities for promotions and local marketing.
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First Day of Spring (March 19)
For those of us in seasonal climates, the first day of spring is always an exciting time, so take advantage of it with ideas like these:
- Get people in the spirit with pastel-rich images on Instagram.
- Run a sidewalk sale, regardless of the weather. If it’s chilly, you can offer hot tea and coffee. If it’s raining, get a tent. Make it a fun “determined to stay positive” event.
- Start a spring series on YouTube or refresh your YouTube channel trailer with a spring theme.
Employee Appreciation Day (first Friday)
A little recognition can go a long way in maintaining your employees’ morale and productivity. Plus, high-spirited and engaged employees make for happier customers. Here are some ways to celebrate:
- Introduce your team members in an Instagram Story or carousel post, with a little something about what each one brings to the table.
- Ask your employees some fun questions and put a write-up of their answers into a blog post.
- For B2B marketing, remind your customers to express their appreciation for their employees.
Keep in mind also that these types of gestures make your business more appealing to potential customers because they humanize your brand.
National Day of Unplugging (March 4)
The first Friday of March is National Day of Unplugging and the perfect day for marketing your spa, yoga studio, or fitness center. Encourage people to visit your facility—offer a special deal for that day—and give people a chance to disconnect from the busy world of the internet and smartphones.
Pi Day (March 14)
Pi Day is March 14 (3.14), not to be confused with actual Pie Day on December first of every year. Ideas for this mathematically magnificent day:
- Schools, daycares, and after school programs can teach children about math and host fun Pi Day events.
- Bakeries and restaurants, why not add an “e” onto the end anyway and run specials on pies or pie baking classes.
- Pi is used for measuring circles. Artists and designers can promote circular or geometric art.
- Find different ways to use the numbers in pi. For example, run a sale of three days, 14 products, 15% off.
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)
The luck of the Irish is here on March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day.
- Get involved in your community by participating in St. Patrick’s Day parades or Shamrock Shuffle fun runs that are going on. Make sure to use the event’s hashtag to get your posts found by new followers and promote your business.
- Have a green clothing contest in your office and share it on social media.
- Give customers wearing green a special discount or prize for taking a picture and tagging your business.
- Get festive and invite your followers to drop in for limited-time offerings inspired by the luck of the Irish.
- Run a contest and invite people to test their luck! To get more Instagram followers, have them tag someone else in a comment on your post.
- Write a thought leadership piece about luck.
International Puppy Day (March 23)
Marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all, except when it comes to puppies. Everyone.loves.puppies.
- If you’ve got a dog-friendly business, snap photos of patrons and their pups and post them to Instagram, tagging your customers to cultivate those relationships.
- Offer a one-day sale to new customers and show off the pups you currently walk or pet sit on social media. Make sure to hashtag your location to get your posts discovered by nearby potential customers.
- You don’t have to necessarily be a dog walker, groomer, daycare, or sitter. Show off your employees’ pups or, take photos of your own and share with your followers and give people a more personal view of your life.
Earth Hour (March 26)
Participate in the movement to have an electricity-free hour this day. From 8:30-9:30pm, countries around the world will be lighting candles and going dark on electricity. Get your business involved in your local Earth Hour event in your city, or, if there isn’t one, start it! Participating in community activities is a great marketing strategy and a good way to get your business name out there (creative business name ideas here!).
Mom & Pop Business Day (March 29)
How could we miss this one? Here are some ideas:
- Remind your followers to shop local on this small business-friendly holiday.
- Toot your own horn (ideally in conjunction with the above strategies).
- Promote your favorite local partners or even just neighboring small businesses.
Ready for more marketing ideas?
Check out LocaliQ’s roundup of March social media holidays and ideas or take a look at the other months in our series:
- January Marketing Ideas to Start the New Year with a Bang
- Fabulous (and Affordable) February Marketing Ideas
- Free April Marketing Ideas to Freshen Up Your Content Calendar
- May Marketing Ideas for Any Business or Budget
- Free June Marketing Ideas for Sizzlin’ Hot Campaigns
- Free and Creative July Marketing Ideas (With Examples!)
- Easy and Engaging August Marketing Ideas (With Examples)
- Free and Creative September Marketing Ideas
- Free and Effective October Marketing Ideas
- Simple Yet Superb November Marketing Ideas (with Examples)
- Super-Festive December Marketing Ideas
Full list of March marketing national days
As promised, here is the complete list of days and dates, courtesy of National Day Calendar. March 1
- Dadgum That’s Good Day
- Horse Protection Day
- Minnesota Day
- Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
- Pig Day
- Self-Injury Awareness Day
- Day of Unplugging – first Friday
- Dress in Blue Day – first Friday
- Speech and Debate Education Day – first Friday
- Employee Appreciation Day – first Friday March 2
- Old Stuff Day
- World Teen Mental Wellness Day
- Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day) – if on weekend, moves to closest school day
- Ash Wednesday– Changes Annually March 3
- Anthem Day
- I Want You to Be Happy Day
- Mulled Wine Day
- Soup It Forward Day
- Finisher’s Medal Day – first Sunday March 4
- Marching Music Day
- Grammar Day
- Hug a G.I. Day
- Pound Cake Day
- Sons Day March 5
- Absinthe Day
- Cheese Doodle Day
- Multiple Personality Day March 6
- Dentist’s Day
- Dress Day
- Frozen Food Day
- Oreo Cookie Day
- White Chocolate Cheesecake Day March 7
- Be Heard Day
- Cereal Day
- Crown of Roast Pork Day
- Flapjack Day
- Hospitalist Day – first Thursday March 8
- International Women’s Day
- Oregon Day
- Peanut Cluster Day
- Proofreading Day March 9
- Barbie Day
- Crabmeat Day
- Get Over it Day
- Meatball Day March 10
- Blueberry Popover Day
- Mario Day
- Pack Your Lunch Day
- Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day March 11
- 311 Day
- Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day
- Johnny Appleseed Day
- Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day
- Promposal Day
- Worship of Tools Day March 12
- Baked Scallops Day
- Girl Scout Day
- Plant a Flower Day
- Working Moms Day March 13
- Coconut Torte Day
- Earmuff Day
- Good Samaritan Day
- Jewel Day
- K9 Veterans Day
- Open an Umbrella Indoors Day
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day – second Wednesday March 14
- Children’s Craft Day
- Learn About Butterflies Day
- Pi Day
- Potato Chip Day
- Write Down Your Story Day
- World Kidney Day – second Thursday March 15
- Everything You Think is Wrong Day
- Kansas Day
- Pears Helene Day
- Shoe the World Day March 16
- Everything You Do Is Right Day
- Artichoke Hearts Day
- Curl Crush Day
- Freedom of Information Day
- Panda Day March 17
- Corned Beef and Cabbage Day
- St. Patrick’s Day March 18
- Awkward Moments Day
- Biodiesel Day
- Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day
- Sloppy Joe Day
- Supreme Sacrifice Day March 19
- Backyard Day
- Certified Nurses Day
- Chocolate Caramel Day
- Let’s Laugh Day
- Poultry Day
- World Social Work Day – third Tuesday March 20
- Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
- Proposal Day
- Ravioli Day
- World Flour Day
- Spring Begins
- SBDC Day – third Wednesday March 21
- California Strawberry Day
- Common Courtesy Day
- Countdown Day
- Fragrance Day
- French Bread Day
- Single Parent Day
- World Down Syndrome Day March 22
- Bavarian Crepes Day
- Goof Off Day
- West Virginia Day March 23
- Chia Day
- Chip and Dip Day
- Near Miss Day
- Melba Toast Day
- Puppy Day
- Tamale Day March 24
- Chocolate Covered Raisin Day
- Cheesesteak Day
- Cocktail Day March 25
- Lobster Newburg Day
- Medal of Honor Day
- Tolkien Reading Day March 26
- Epilepsy Awareness Day – Purple Day
- Nougat Day
- Spinach Day
- American Diabetes Association Alert Day – Fourth Tuesday March 27
- International Medical Science Liaison Day
- Joe Day
- Scribble Day
- Spanish Paella Day
- Little Red Wagon Day – Last Wednesday
- Manatee Appreciation Day – Last Wednesday March 28
- Black Forest Cake Day
- Something on a Stick Day
- Triglycerides Day
- Weed Appreciation Day March 29
- Lemon Chiffon Cake Day
- Mom and Pop Business Owners Day
- Nevada Day
- Vietnam War Veterans Day March 30
- Doctors Day
- I Am in Control Day
- Pencil Day
- Take a Walk in the Park Day
- Turkey Neck Soup Day
- Virtual Vacation Day March 31
- Bunsen Burner Day
- Clams on the Half Shell Day
- Crayon Day
- Prom Day
- Tater Day