Marketing calendar 2023: Dates you shouldn’t miss this year

Why is it important to have a marketing calendar for 2023?

Some people think that implementing a marketing strategy is the longest part of the process. Well, they’re wrong. The implementation itself is actually one of the easier steps at the end of the process.

The real work comes before, when you have to set goals and establish priorities. The earlier you start planning through every step of the strategy, the fewer problems you’ll run into down the line.

To do that in the best way possible, we’ve created a marketing calendar with all the key dates you’ll need to remember in 2023:

Download the 2023 Marketing Calendar.

These last few years have shown us that unpredictable circumstances require brands to be able to adapt their communication strategies to engage with their target audience and make the most out of their marketing efforts.

The next few years are also poised to be tumultuous as we enter a new recession cycle that will definitely impact your marketing strategy.

Preparing your marketing strategy and marketing plan

Before you start, ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want to achieve and how can you get there?

• What are your USPs? Why should people buy your products or services?

• What sales promotions can you offer (special deals, freebies, discounts…)?

• What distribution channels are best to achieve your goals?

Keep in mind that a year has so many special dates, holidays, and marketing moments – planning is a must in business and in life!

It is important to decide which promotions (like special deals or key product sales) you want to plan your marketing activities around. This decision should be based on the goals you established for yourself when you mapped out your marketing strategy. Focusing on the wrong promotional strategy can easily ruin your KPIs, and nobody wants that!

When thinking about your holiday or special day marketing campaigns, remember to plan out your promotions in different stages:

• Before the actual date: Let your customers know about what’s coming ahead of time and how they can benefit.

• During the day itself: Make your big sales push via email and leverage any social media buzz.

• After the main event: Don’t forget to follow up with those that converted to obtain their feedback on the process or offer additional products or services.

Finding the right marketing channels

Once you have decided what the right marketing strategy is and what kind of sales promotions you’re going to offer, you’ll need to focus on getting your marketing messages out to your audience.

For marketing promotions around special dates, like the ones we’ve added to our 2023 Marketing Calendar, the best strategy is to go omnichannel. Marketing campaigns that combine different channels (for example, in-store, online, social media, or email marketing) allow you to engage with your audience in a different way and also provide many upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

There is a range of channels for you to leverage, but that doesn’t mean you should try to use them all just to tick those boxes. While something like TikTok might be a bit of a stretch if you’re trying to sell dental implants, there are a few must-haves that will apply to most businesses.

One of those channels is email (yeah, you probably guessed that…). Email continues to be the best marketing channel for ROI at $35 and $40 for every $1 spent, as it allows you to personalize, segment, and optimize your email campaigns with detailed stats. Another big plus is that your marketing messages will stay in your contacts’ inboxes for them to use that promo code or find your store’s address when the time comes.

Use tools to organize your marketing calendar

No marketer can possibly remember every single date on the calendar. Use organizational and project management tools to free up that much needed headspace:

• Use project management tools like Google Sheets or Excel to streamline your workflow by tracking the types of content required from the marketing team.

• Remember your marketing goals and KPIs to ensure every campaign is providing value to the company. Track these metrics in your ESP’s campaign statistics dashboard.

• Powerful tools like Asana have functionality to ensure you won’t miss any marketing milestones and allows you to collaborate with the entire team in real-time and organize your content marketing calendar.

• Set reminders using simple calendar tools like Google calendar or the calendar view in Outlook to remind you to chase/collect docs, podcasts, webinars, etc for your campaigns.

To plan and schedule your email campaigns right on time, let’s have a closer look at 2023 dates to keep in mind.

A day in the life of an email marketer.

Key dates in the 2023 Marketing Calendar

Looking for a 2023 marketing calendar to guide your marketing strategy for the new year? We’ve got you covered. We’ve listed all the key dates below and paired them up with great resources to help you plan the best campaigns in 2023.

January

January is all about New Year’s resolutions, goal setting, and mourning the loss of the holiday season.

Start off by wishing your users a Happy New Year, and use this month to offer special deals on products or services that might come in handy when they start working on those New Year’s resolutions.

Other special dates in January include the traditional Winter Sales in European countries, Blue Monday, and the Chinese New Year, so think about what you can do to make your users’ days a bit warmer!

Dates you shouldn’t miss in January:

• January 1: New Year’s Day

• January 8: Winter Sales (European countries)

• January 16: Blue Monday

• January 16: Australian Open

• January 16: Chinese New Year

• January 28: Data Protection Day

February

The excitement of the new year might be gone for some, but February has its own share of special dates for marketers to celebrate!

In fact, February has three of the biggest moments of the year: Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and the Super Bowl.

According to the National Retail Federation, US Valentine's Day gift-givers spent a record-breaking $23.9 billion in 2022, and consumers were predicted to spend around $14.6 billion on food, decorations, and team apparel for Super Bowl 2022, with each person spending an average of $79. 

Looking at these figures, February is definitely a month to keep in mind when it comes to planning your marketing efforts.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in February:

• February 1: LGBT History Month

• February 1: Black History Month (US)

• February 2: Groundhog Day

• February 12: Super Bowl LVII

• February 14: Valentine’s Day

• February 21: Mardi Gras

March

March is all about women, but it’s also a key period for the Islamic faith.

Starting March 1, we celebrate Women’s History Month with International Women’s Day taking place on March 8th. Use this opportunity to share stories from the women in your company and how you support equality in the workplace.

Ramadan starts a month earlier than last year and marks the start of the most important dates in a Muslim’s calendar. With 1.9B followers worldwide, Muslims make up a quarter of the world’s population. Like any religious event, Ramadan is to be celebrated and respected.

Other special dates in March in our 2023 Marketing Calendar include World Wildlife Day, International Transgender Day of Visibility, Mother’s Day in the UK, and a fan-favorite… St. Patrick’s Day!

Dates you shouldn’t miss in March:

• March 1: Women’s History Month

• March 1: Mardi Gras

• March 3: World Wildlife Day

• March 8: International Women's Day

• March 14: National Pi Day

• March 17: St. Patrick's Day

• March 22: Start of Ramadan

• March 27: Mother’s Day (UK)

• March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility

April

With Easter starting in April this year, you can look forward to longer and warmer days for your easter egg hunts! Fun fact – Easter takes place on the first full moon after the spring equinox.

For some, Easter is all about tradition, be it religious or not. For others, it’s more about the chocolate rabbits and egg hunts. So why not hide an Easter Egg in your marketing campaigns to increase engagement this April?

Other special dates include Earth Day and April Fools’ Day, so it’s a great excuse to send a serious message about climate change or have some fun with your email marketing calendar.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in April:

• April 1: April Fool’s Day

• April 7: Easter Friday

• April 9: Easter Sunday

• April 10: Easter Monday

• April 22: Earth Day

• April 22: End of Ramadan

May

There are a few important dates in May, but is there any more important than Star Wars Day? Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no denying that this is a BIG date on social media, so make sure you leverage it. May the 4th be with you.

Many countries also celebrate Mother’s Day in May. This is a time for many to show appreciation towards their mother(s) and mother figures. This day (and of course the other 364 days in the year) is perfect for lavishing mothers with lots of love, flowers, and chocolate. But be mindful, many people have lost their mothers or never had a mother to begin with – consider sending an optional opt-out to your subscribers before your Mother’s Day campaign.

Other special dates for May in our 2023 Marketing Calendar include the Eurovision Song Contest and May Day (International Workers' Day).

Dates you shouldn’t miss in May:

• May 1: May Day (International Workers’ Day)

• May 4: Star Wars Day

• May 13: Eurovision Song Contest

• May 14: Mother's Day (US)

June

It’s getting warmer and warmer outside, and that means it’s time for summer fun.

For many companies, the summer means a slump in sales. Instead of (online) shopping, events like vacations and other outdoor activities are in people’s minds. So, don’t be surprised if your marketing performance starts to decline rather than grow during the next few weeks.

Does this mean you should interrupt your email marketing campaigns? Absolutely not!

In fact, the summer might be the best time of year to stand out from your competitors and get in touch with your contacts. Make sure you start working on adjusting your email marketing strategy for the next couple of months.

June 1 also marks the start of Pride Month. Other important dates include Father’s Day (in the US and other countries) and the start of the Wimbledon tennis competition.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in June:

• June 1: Pride Month

• June 16: Neurodiversity Pride Day

• June 18: Father's Day (US)

• June 21: World Music Day

July

The holiday season is finally here! And even though we warned you to plan ahead in June, you might be finding it quite challenging to keep your users engaged during the summer.

However, this summer comes packed with great sports events, including the Tour de France, the FIFA Women's World Cup, and the Wimbledon final.

Other special dates in July include the Fourth of July (obviously!) and Emoji Day!

Dates you shouldn’t miss in July:

• July 1: Canada Day

• July 1: Tour de France

• July 3: Wimbledon

• July 4: US Independence

• July 14: Bastille Day - French National Holiday

• July 17: Emoji Day 

• July 20: FIFA Women's World Cup

August

August is generally a slow month in many countries. The summer is in full swing, but as the weeks pass, more and more people start coming home from their vacation. So it’s the perfect time to target them with any offers or promotions they might’ve missed.

How do you do this effectively you ask? Well, with email segmentation, of course!

With email segmentation, you can filter contacts based on their past behavior (for example, anyone that hasn’t opened an email since a certain date) and resend them any special summer offers they might have missed.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in August:

• August 4: International Beer Day

• August 13: International Left-Handers Day

• August 19: World Photography Day

• August 25: FIBA Basketball World Cup

September

September is here and it’s back-to-school season…and not just for kids!

In fact, September sometimes feels like a second January. Some might hate it, some might love it, but we all feel it. New goals, new projects, and new marketing opportunities. Children (and adults!) can’t wait to buy new school bags, pens, pencils, and planners for the new school year.

Keep that in mind and use your marketing plan calendar to create some campaigns to re-engage your customers after the summer with incentives like special promotions, sweepstakes, and exclusive offers.

And don’t forget to target people who left goods and services in their online cart.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in September:

• September 1: Back to School

• September 4: Labor Day (US)

• September 8: Rugby World Cup

• September 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

• September 17: Oktoberfest

• September 21: International Day of Peace

October

The scariest month of the year has finally arrived!

Autumn is officially here, and so is Halloween! This means that, offline as well as online, monsters and other creatures could be just around the corner, waiting to scare people.

For marketers, October marks the start of Q4 and the holiday season, a huge period for brands everywhere. With big dates coming up, it is the time to start planning what your holiday strategy will look like, and it is also the moment to let your creative juices flow and start getting festive.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in October:

• October 1: Black History Month (UK)

• October 1: Cricket World Cup

• October 9: Thanksgiving (Canada)

• October 9: Columbus Day

• October 10: World Mental Health Day

• October 16: World Food Day

• October 31: Halloween

November

November is the strongest time of the year for B2C sales, and it’s the official month for buying our holiday gifts. Immediately after Thanksgiving come dates like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, so it’s time to kick it into high gear.

In other words: You should definitely have these dates marked in red on your marketing calendar for 2023 so you can send special promotions and offers.

We know you won’t forget, but just in case, we’ve already marked them for you on our downloadable 2023 Marketing Calendar.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in November:

• November 12: Diwali

• November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance

• November 23: Thanksgiving

• November 24: Black Friday

• November 25: Small Business Saturday

• November 27: Cyber Monday

PS: Have you checked out our new Black Friday and Cyber Monday email templates yet?

December

The best comes last: It’s finally Christmas!

It’s cold outside, the streets are covered with snow, and there are festive decorations and lights everywhere! While some prefer to go outside, those that stay in might do a lot of online shopping for those last-minute Christmas presents. This is your chance to give Q4 a final push with special holiday campaigns and offers.

But December is not just about selling – it’s also about joining in on the festive atmosphere and thanking your contacts for spending the year with you.

You can get creative and run a little Christmas competition on social media (best Christmas tree or craziest holiday decorations) where your customers can win coupons or goodies, or film your team singing Christmas carols for an original Merry Christmas campaign.

As you can see, it doesn’t get more creative than December to end the year successfully.

Dates you shouldn’t miss in December:

• December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities

• December 7: Hanukkah

• December 24: Christmas Eve

• December 25: Christmas Day

• December 26: Boxing Day (UK)

• December 31: New Year’s Eve

Download the 2023 Marketing Calendar

We've saved the dates you can’t forget and given you all the resources you need to make 2023 your best marketing year yet. Now, it’s up to you to work on your campaigns and increase engagement with offers, promotions, or competitions.

Want to take the 2023 Marketing Calendar with you?

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This is an updated version of the article “Marketing Calendar 2022: Dates you shouldn’t miss this year“ and published on the Mailjet blog on October 31, 2022.