It’s time to run through our February observances and unique author brand enhancements and content ideas for your monthly book marketing plan!
Without a regular connection to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf.
Take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.
This is part of really refining your author brand!
Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.
And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.
When it comes to author marketing and building an author brand, ensuring that your fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is as powerful as speaking about your genre and topic.
How to Use My Content Ideas
Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun February observances for 2022.
I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity and help you wrap your mind around how to work them into your author branding.
Not all of these are worth an entire blog post or article, but nearly all of them can be turned into a fun or thought-provoking social media post or blurb in your newsletter – so it’s like getting triple the ideas!
There are always a lot of holidays around food, drink, and cooking, so get ready to share recipes or tag local fave establishments and ask followers to share theirs. The same goes for activities: this is a great chance to take selfies and/or to share a bit about yourself outside of being a writer.
These also open up opportunities for you to make recommendations for products – no, not official ads, but again, people love to follow someone who’s a great resource. Think outside the box to come up with ways you can help people out and make their lives easier or more exciting.
Keep in mind: ALL of your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their feedback, insight, stories, etc. Don’t forget to work that angle: let them know you want to hear from them!
Also remember: Your goal is to encourage engagement – never post flat content; be creative with how you pull others into the conversation and offer ways for them to easily engage.
Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your author branding game.
Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests: remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.
If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas into actual content and posts, consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!
And don’t forget to grab our Monthly Book Marketing Planner from the Free Resources and Downloads section at the end of this post.
Getting Started with February Observances
Start with these month-long ideas! Several offer opportunities to support a cause close to your heart by sharing stories, raising awareness, and/or giving your followers ways to donate money, time, and love to your favorite issues.
- Love your Library Month
- American Heart Month
- Black History Month
- Canned Food Month
- Creative Romance Month
- Great American Pie Month
- National Bird Feeding Month
- National Cherry Month
- National Children’s Dental Health Month
- National Grapefruit Month
- National Weddings Month
- Spunky Old Broads Month
February Observances by the Week
Week 1- National Storytelling week in England and Children’s Author’s and Illustrators Week
Week 3- International Flirting Week
February Observances by the Day
February 1
Chinese New Years – date varies
National Freedom Day
No Politics Day
Spunky Old Broads Day
Take Your Child to the Library Day
February 2
Candlemas
Ground Hog Day
February 3
Feed the Birds Day
The Day the Music Died – Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in 1959. Share one of your favorite songs by these beloved artists.
February 4
Bubble Gum Day – first Friday of the month
Create a Vacuum Day
Stuffed Mushroom Day
Thank a Mailman Day
Winter Olympics begin, Opening Ceremony
February 5
Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
National Shower with a Friend Day
National Weatherman’s Day
World Read Aloud Day- Post a video of you reading a section of your book! This is a great opportunity for people to hear your voice and connect with the person behind the words.
February 6
International Frozen Yogurt Day
Lame Duck Day
National Chopsticks Day
February 7
Send a Card to a Friend Day
Wave All you Fingers at Your Neighbor Day
February 8
Boy Scout Day
Kite Flying Day
John Grisham’s Birthday
February 9
National Pizza Day- If you have a unique pizza recipe or a restaurant you swear by, make sure to share it with your followers!
Toothache Day
February 10
Umbrella Day
February 11
Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day- I’m sure we’ve all heard this clique at some point in our lives, but the sentiment is still important. Sharing your failures and how you learned from them is just as important as celebrating your wins on social media. People relate to honesty and crave to see it in your posts.
Make a Friend Day- Another great opportunity to encourage your followers to share your account or newsletter sign-up and “make more friends!” Your fans should feel like a community of your friends and you should always welcome newcomers whenever possible.
National Inventors Day
White T-Shirt Day
February 12
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
National Lost Penny Day
Plum Pudding Day
Judy Blume’s Birthday
February 13
Get a Different Name Day
National Wingman Day
Superbowl Sunday
February 14
Clean out Your Computer Day
Ferris Wheel Day
National Organ Donor Day
Library Lover’s Day- Shout out your local library! This is also a great opportunity to create a partnership with a library if you haven’t already and make sure copies of your books are available to readers.
Valentine’s Day- Just another great excuse to share the love!
February 15
National Gum Drop Day
Singles Awareness Day
Susan B Anthony Day
February 16
Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Reading Rainbow Day (LeVar Burton’s Birthday)
February 17
Random Acts of Kindness Day
February 18
National Battery Day
National Drink Wine Day
February 19
National Chocolate Mint Day
February 20
Cherry Pie Day
Hoodie Hoo Day
Love Your Pet Day- This should be easy!
Winter Olympics end, Closing Ceremony
February 21
Card Reading Day
President’s Day – third Monday of month
February 22
George Washington’s Birthday
Be Humble Day
International World Thinking Day
National Margarita Day
Walking the Dog Day
February 23
International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Tennis Day
February 24
National Tortilla Chip Day
World Bartender Day
February 25
Pistol Patent Day
February 26
Carnival Day
Carpe Diem Day
National Pistachio Day – it’s a nutty day!
Open That Bottle Night
Tell a Fairy Tale Day
February 27
Polar Bear Day
No Brainer Day
February 28
Floral Design Day
National Chili Day
Public Sleeping Day
The Takeaway
Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity when developing a marketing plan to support your author brand.
Coming up with unique content ideas for authors as part of your marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these February observances should really help.
Resources and Free Downloads
Monthly Book Marketing Planner
Master Amazon & Sell More Books
Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news
How To Reverse Engineer Your Author Marketing Success: Book Marketing Podcast Episode
How to Sell More Books Using The Global Reading Habits of 2021
I am truly grateful for this info. I’m preparing my BP for the entrance on this vast market called “writing books” and all assertive and real down-to-earth info is essential!
Too much to learn so I succed. And people do need my sparkle; many of us – the people of the pen – have been contributing to the hope and betterment of the world. And that is the precise “place” where I want to be. And where I belong.
Thank you so much for lighting the way with your precious information.