Candy Corn, Columbus, & Comic Con: October Content Marketing Ideas

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By Jess Budde
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BOO! Happy (almost) October everyone. It's the season of monsters, ghouls, and all things spooky, but there's no need to be afraid of content marketing this month. There's plenty of candy, pumpkins, and magic to go around -- and you can have some serious fun offering your audience a trick or a treat! A word of warning though... some tricks aren't nice, and the point is not to turn people off. So while Halloween is a fun way to make a splash, it's not for everyone. If you're not feeling the whole creepy-crawly, screams of the undead vibe, worry not. There are a ton of other things happening this month that present great opportunities for user engagement. Cake decorating and farm animals more your speed? October is for you, too!

It's getting chilly out there, so cozy up with your editorial calendar and get to planning. Need some inspiration? Thought you might...

Holidays

  • October 1: World Vegetarian Day, CD Player Day
  • October 2: Balloons Around The World Day, Farm Animals Day, National Custodial Worker Day, Name Your Car Day, International Day Of Non-Violence
  • October 3: Virus Appreciation Day (quit celebrating that virus attacking your server - let us help you!), Poetry Day, Boyfriends Day
  • October 4: National Frappe Day, Improve Your Office Day, National Golf Day
  • October 5: Card Making Day, Teachers Day, Do Something Nice Day, International Frugal Fun Day
  • October 6: Change A Light Day, Mad Hatter Day, Physician Assistant Day
  • October 7: Techies Day (there are conflicting reports saying October 3, so why not celebrate on both days?), Habitat Day
  • October 8: Face Your Fears Day, American Touch Tag Day (tag, you're it!)
  • October 9: Curios Events Day, Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work (and School) Day, Post Day (an international day to increase awareness of the postal system and the services it offers), Leif Ericson Day, Moldy Cheese Day
  • October 10: Porridge Day, National Angel Food Cake Day
  • October 11: Coming Out Day, World Egg Day
  • October 12: Music Day, Old Farmers' Day
  • October 13: English Language Day, International Skeptics Day
  • October 14: Columbus Day, National Dessert Day
  • October 15: Cake Decorating Day, Ada Lovelace Day
  • October 16: Feral Cat Day, Steve Jobs Day, Hagfish Day, Dictionary Day, Boss's Day (this one is important)
  • October 17: Get Smart About Credit Day, Wear Something Gaudy Day
  • October 18: Chocolate Cupcake Day, No Beard Day
  • October 19: Sweetest Day, Bridge Day, Evaluate Your Life Day
  • October 20: Information Overload Day
  • October 21: Reptile Awareness Day, National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day, Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, Count Your Buttons Day
  • October 22: CAPS LOCK DAY, National Nut Day
  • October 23: National Mole Day, iPod Day, TV Talk Show Host Day
  • October 24: United Nations Day, National Bologna Day
  • October 25: Sourest Day, World Pasta Day
  • October 26: Make A Difference Day, Howl At The Moon Day, National Mincemeat Day
  • October 27: Mother-In-Law Day, Navy Day
  • October 28: Animation Day, Plush Animal Lover's Day
  • October 29: Internet Day, Hermit Day
  • October 30: National Candy Corn Day, Create A Great Funeral Day
  • October 31: Halloween (my personal favorite!), Magic Day, Increase Your Psychic Powers Day, Carve A Pumpkin Day

Seasonal

  • Fall harvest season is in full swing - enjoy fall crops like apples, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins
  • Health insurance open enrollment begins this month
  • Flu season is coming if you're planning on getting a flu shot, now is the time
  • Oktoberfest (in Germany) ends on October 6
  • October 6-12 is Fire Prevention Week and Emergency Nurses Week
  • National Customer Service Week is October 7-11
  • National Food Bank Week is October 13-19
  • October 20-26 has been dubbed Pastoral Care Week
  • All October long, celebrate the official month of: fair trade, adopting shelter dogs, bullying prevention, pizza, seafood, squirrel awareness, American pharmacists, breast cancer awareness, Polish American heritage, drums, mental illness awareness, American cheese, celiac disease awareness, pork, computer learning, popcorn popping, bat appreciation, vegetarians, LGBT history, emotional wellness, sarcasm, lupus awareness, cookies, clergy appreciation, stamp collecting, domestic violence awareness, diabetes, workplace politics awareness, rhubarb, and eating country ham

Sports

  • October 1: NHL regular season begins
  • October 3-6: The Presidents Cup
  • October 13: Chicago Marathon
  • October 23: World Series begins
  • October 29: NBA regular season begins
  • Fun fact: the last week of October is the only time of year when all 4 major North American sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB) have scheduled games

Pop Culture

  • October 10-13: New York Comic Con
  • October 15: BET Hip Hop Awards
  • October 19-20: Treasure Island Music Festival
  • October 25-27: Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit

With a list that long, you shouldn't have any trouble conjuring up some timely content for October. And remember, even if horror isn't your thing, you can still make a killer (see what I did there?) impression this month. I know you're dying (one last Halloween pun, forgive me) for more, so stay tuned for November's content marketing ideas!

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Categories: Content Marketing
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By Jess Budde
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    20 Content Marketing Tips & Insights from the Experts October 22, 2013
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    […] brilliant people at Cypress North publish a monthly listing of all the month’s holidays, important seasonal dates and other sports/pop cul…. When plotting out your editorial content calendars, zany holidays like CAPS LOCK DAY can add some […]

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Meet the Author

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Vice President of Marketing Operations & Client Services

Jess Budde

Jess is our Vice President of Marketing Operations and Client Service, and the co-host of our weekly Marketing O’Clock podcast. She joined Cypress North in 2013 and works out of our Buffalo office.

Jess works closely with both our clients and our internal team, overseeing account staffing to ensure client satisfaction. She co-manages our agency’s digital marketing department, works to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration internally, and acts as an account lead for a few of our clients. Jess also explores new opportunities for our existing clients and prospects.

A Western New York native, Jess graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from Niagara University before attending Syracuse University, where she earned her master’s degree in television, radio, and film. Before joining Cypress North, she worked in series development, talent, and casting at MTV during the golden era with Jersey Shore.

When Jess isn’t working or staying up to date on the latest digital marketing news, she enjoys spending time outside, hanging out with her son, and watching the entire Sons of Anarchy series on repeat.  You may also find her slinging beers at Brewed & Bottled, the bottle shop and craft beer bar she runs with her husband.

Jess is an amateur ornithologist, Limp Bizkit lover, Candy Crush professional, and hot sauce connoisseur who enjoys burning herself into oblivion with the hottest sauce she can find.