What do Summer Olympics, rare birthdays, and an especially memorable episode of the show “Parks and Recreation” all have in common?
They’re all signs it’s once again a leap year. And just as we do every four years, we’ll remember how odd it feels to add a 29th day to the month of February.
Free: Holiday Marketing Handbook
DownloadBut, when you own a business, the extra day in the year means an extra day to sell more, pay staff, and get stuff done
How can you use Leap Day to your advantage?
Here are 29 creative leap year marketing ideas and business management tips.
- First things first, is your business open on Leap Day, or are you taking the “holiday”? Ensure your hours on your Google Business Profile and other online listings are up to date.
- Use the extra day to catch up on things you’ve been putting off, like tidying up the books for tax time or a marketing planning day.
- Heard of Throwback Thursday? (a.k.a., #throwbackthursday?) Run similar flashback promotions or campaigns with “Leap Back Leap Day.”
- Offer a special for the lucky (?) customers with birthdays on February 29. Fun fact: The chance of someone having this rare, once-every-four-years birthday is only 1 in 1,461.
- Create promotions using the number “29.” Offer 29% off, $29 off, a special one-time price of $129 … you’re picking up what we’re putting down.
- Launch a lively social media campaign for Leap Day – wish Leap Day babies a happy birthday, share 29 facts about your business, or lean into the Leap Day puns.
- Celebrate Leap Day by introducing a new product or service, framing it as the birthday of your innovative idea.
- Offer special, discounted quotes that are only good for 29 days. This creates urgency for businesses in the services space.
- Invite your most loyal clients to an exclusive event on February 29! Share samples, or book services with a loyalty discount.
- Use the extra day to join our February 29th webinar with Carl Gould, exploring low-cost strategies to boost revenue.
- Use the extra day for an extra email. Take a look at tip #5 – send an email announcing these deals so your customers don’t miss out.
- Introduce a limited-time product or service that only comes around once every 4 years.
- Ask clients to share their funniest or favorite leap year stories on social media. If they tag your business, send them a freebie.
- Post the funniest frog gif you can find on social media. Say something like, “Leap into our store February 29th for a special leap year surprise!” Or, if you don’t have a storefront, invite clients to “Leap into our inbox to request a custom quote with special leap year pricing!”
- Have a contest for your team or staff. Whomever can book 29 appointments or sells to 29 customers wins an extra day off.
- Has it been years since you’ve seen some customers? Reach out to old customers or leads that are getting cold let them know you’d like to see them more frequently than February 29th.
- Calculate how the leap year will affect payroll. For many companies that pay biweekly, for example, the extra day results in an extra paycheck (27, instead of 26).
- Don’t forget to account for the leap year when you file your taxes! It could affect the amount you should withhold.
- Take the time to volunteer! Consider Leap Day a gift of free time and spend it to do some good in your community. Invite your staff for a morale boost.
- Or, pick a not-for-profit organization with a mission related to your business and run a “29” themed fundraising promo; donate $29 and you get a $29 discount.
- Send an email with 29 FREE tips only you can give them! Then hint at how you can help.
- Turn those 29 tips into a Leap Day blog (like this one.)
- Run a “One Extra” promotion. There is one extra day in the year. You’ve got one extra (something or other) to give. On the house.
- Sell gift cards with a $29 bonus offer. For instance, customers could get a $129 gift card for $100.
- Don’t forget to say thank you. Whatever you decide to do this Leap Day, thank your staff and clients for spending the special occasion with your business.
- Get your customers leaping around! Create a Leap Day playlist for your business and share it with them. Consider songs like Leap of Faith” by Bruce Springsteen or “Jump” by Rihanna.
- Offer leap day-themed workshops or classes throughout the day to help your customers make the most of the extra day.
- Partner with small businesses to create a Leap Day bingo card. Customers who visit or engage with 5 businesses to complete a bingo win a prize!
- Last, laugh at this (bad) Leap Day joke: What does a captain do on Leap Day? Jump ship.
As we leap into another rare occurrence of a leap year, it’s time to seize this extra day not just as a quirky calendar anomaly, but as a golden opportunity for your businesses. Cheers to the next 4 years!
Holiday Marketing
Handbook
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