What are Promotional Calendars & How Can They Boost Your Brand

Organisation and planning are key to the smooth running of a business. This is why promotional calendars are such an essential addition to any corporate environment. From scheduling and time management to co-ordination and forward planning, a calendar will ensure that all activities within a business are on track and up to date.

Here at Rose Calendars, we have been creating and publishing promotional calendars for over 100 years. But what exactly is a promotional calendar? And how might it benefit your business? There are two distinct answers to these questions, and we will explore both in this article.

Promotional Calendars - a Planning Tool

Vital organisational tools

Firstly, promotional calendars are used by businesses to schedule their marketing activities for the year ahead. These documents are vital organisational tools which help with project co-ordination and budget setting. They are generally drawn up at the start of the year and help members of staff to organise their workload as well as to plan ahead and stay up to date with the objectives of the business.

Here are some ways that promotional calendars could help to optimise your business.

Firstly, promotional calendars contain a list of sales and marketing activities for the year ahead. These projects can be monitored by adding targets, deadlines and key deliverables to the schedule. Businesses can then make any necessary adjustments to ensure that projects stay on track and are completed within the deadline.

Promotional calendars can also offer a useful means of boosting new products or services, particularly around the seasons, specific dates in the year or trends within the market. Tools that aid organisation and structure can help a company to plan ahead for these important sales periods and ensure that no opportunities are missed.

Customer engagement

Engaging with customers is hugely important to the growth of any business, and promotional calendars can help with this too. They can help to remind businesses when to follow up with customers to ensure client satisfaction. They can also serve as prompts to engage with consumers and elicit interest in new promotions.

In order for a business to be successful, everyone needs to be on the same page. A clear and well-structured promotional calendar will play a vital role in organisational management and day-to-day operations. This will help staff members to schedule tasks, meetings and appointments whilst avoiding any conflicts with other deadlines. Similarly, promotional calendars can help with the allocation of resources and financial planning. They can be used to help with budgeting, forecasting and any other necessary financial activities.

Printed Promotional Calendars - a Branded Marketing Gift

Targeted advertising

However, there is another type of promotional calendar which is equally as important to businesses and their marketing activities. These promotional calendars feature a brand's logo, contact details and sometimes a company message. They often incorporate eye-catching images and unique designs as well as date pads and space to add notes and appointments. They are then distributed to new and existing customers as gifts, whilst doubling up as highly effective forms of advertising.

Promotional calendars such as these offer a cost-effective and targeted means of marketing a business. Not only do they help to raise awareness of the brand, but they can also help with customer retention and acquisition as well as promoting products or services throughout the year. They serve a dual purpose, combining functionality with promotional messaging to create a long-lasting impact on the target audience. Let's take a closer look at the benefits of these promotional powerhouses.

Taking a big-picture approach

In today's digital world, more and more people are turning to technology to organise their schedules through the use of calendars on their computers, tablets or smartphones. But, according to new research, this may not be the most effective way to develop or implement plans. A 2022 report published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology* revealed that individuals who used traditional paper calendars developed higher quality plans and were more successful in fulfilling those plans compared to those who used mobile calendars. The researchers attributed this to the fact that the paper calendar users took a broader, big-picture approach to planning, which enabled them to complete their goals. It goes to show that traditional methods of organisation shouldn't be underestimated!

Flexibility and creativity

Branded promotional calendars offer businesses a great deal of flexibility and opportunities to be creative. They are available in different formats, shapes and sizes, and can run for as many months as you wish. They do not even need to begin in January! For example, school calendars can be designed to run from September to August, in line with the academic year.

Promotional calendars can be hung on the wall of an office or placed strategically on a desk. In this way they provide a consistent form of advertising as they will be seen on a daily basis, ensuring that a brand is never far from people's minds. Furthermore, calendars are used for a whole year, providing prolonged exposure to the brand. Unlike flyers or leaflets, which are soon discarded, promotional calendars are useful items that are consulted on a daily basis. By integrating a brand's logo, imagery and corporate message into the design of these calendars, businesses can turn an everyday item into a powerful advertising tool.

Appreciation and loyalty

Promotional calendars make excellent thank-you gifts to existing customers and can foster a sense of appreciation and loyalty. This shows that the business values its customers and wants to give them something practical and beneficial to show their appreciation for their custom. Promotional calendars can also help to engage new customers when distributed during business meetings or when added to goodie bags at trade fairs and conferences. An additional advantage of promotional calendars is that they are practical items that will help recipients to plan events, organise their schedules and keep track of important dates. There is therefore a greater chance that the items will be used, appreciated and kept.

Eco-friendly and sustainable

The beauty of promotional calendars is that they can be tailored to cater to certain target audiences. Businesses can choose themes and images for their calendars that align with their industry, thus making their promotional items interesting and relevant to their customers. Choosing an eco-conscious manufacturer for your promotional calendars is a good way to reinforce your brand's commitment to sustainability whilst appealing to environmentally conscious customers. For example, here at Rose Calendars, we have signed up to the Carbon Capture Scheme which supports the planting of native woodland in the UK. This helps to offset the carbon dioxide emissions produced by the manufacturing, storage and transportation of the paper we buy.

Another benefit of promotional calendars is that they can be a cost-effective form of advertising, particularly when they are ordered in bulk. This reduces the cost per impression, making them an appealing option for businesses that require long-lasting and efficient marketing.

So, to conclude, promotional calendars offer a range of benefits to businesses. From increasing brand visibility to engaging and retaining customers, these valuable marketing tools work hard for companies 365 days of the year.

* Huang, Y., Yang, Z. & Morwitz, V. G. (2023). How using a paper versus mobile calendar influences everyday planning and plan fulfillment. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 33, 115-122. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1297