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At UNUM, we’re always looking ahead. So, each month we’ll deliver a list of events, holidays, and must-knows along with hashtags and post ideas to keep your social media feeds fresh for the month ahead.
Welcome to the July edition.
July highlights include Picnic Month, Lipstick Day, and World Emoji Day, just to name a few. Not sure how to incorporate them into your social media strategy? We’ll show you!
National Ice Cream Month
National Ice Cream Day is July 21st
Brought to you by the International Dairy Foods Association, this is an appreciation for one of America’s favorite confections: ice cream. Have fun with this hashtag holiday throughout the month. Food influencers can teach their audience how to make their own ice cream—(vegan included)—or get creative with toppings.
#NationalIceCreamMonth #NationalIceCreamDay #icecream #gelato #icecreamlover #icecreamcone #icecreamtime #veganicecream #icecreamlovers #sundae #gelateria #yummy
National Picnic Month
Picnics are symbolic of summer—people enjoying a spread in a scenic park. This imagery is a powerful tool for marketing because it evokes nostalgia, and feelings of being carefree and relaxed. Many e-commerce brands can market products in a picnic setting with short-form video content—food items, beverages, apparel, and more.
Or consider taking your staff out for an employee outing for some behind-the-scenes content—you can even attract talent for open positions by showing off company culture.
Influencers can share recipes for picnic dishes like potato salad or create a fun carousel post showing step-by-step how to put together the perfect picnic basket with your favorite cheeses, charcuterie, or vegetarian snacks.
#picnic #nationalpicnicmonth #picnicbasket #picnictime #picnicfoods #cheeseandwine #potatosalad #foodie
This realtor partnered with a luxury picnic service for a giveaway:
National Postal Workers Day
July 1st
DYK? The term “going postal” originated after a series of 20 workplace rage incidents occurring during the ‘90s within USPS. This turned out to be a fraction of workplace rage in America, and it gave birth to the work-life balance movement.
There is a ton of educational content to be created about the history of USPS if you want scalable content. But if you are going to create a single post, do this: A random act of kindness.
Record a video of yourself or a friend surprising a postal worker with a gift or cash tip (they are allowed by federal law to receive gifts up to $20 in value). They work incredibly hard and deserve your thanks. Kindness pranks, as they are also called, are infectiously heartwarming and have a chance of going viral
#NationalPostalWorkersDay #postalworkerday #USPS #postalworkers #thankapostalworker
This postal worker on TikTok is pretty entertaining. You’re welcome.
Independence Day
July 4th
In the week leading up to Fourth of July posts social media assets that reflect celebration with family, friends, and neighbors leaning into visuals with red, white, and blue; stars and stripes; and fireworks. Offer a discount code, run a sale, or feature Fourth of July–themed products.
#happyfourthofjuly #america #fourthofjuly #independenceday #independence #usa #4thofjuly #partyintheusa #redwhiteandbuzzed #redwhiteandbrews #chilloutwithyourgrillout #babyyoureafirework
This vintage rental service teamed up with a local photographer to offer Fourth of July–themed photography sessions:
International Essential Oils Day
July 11th
Chemical fragrances and scents contain carcinogens and have been proven to be linked to cancers according to the FDA. As a result, essential oils have become mainstream and many products from shampoo to candles to aftershave are now scented with EOs.
If you sell products that contain EOs, this is your time to shine. Otherwise, consider giving a boost to your favorite brand or products that steer clear of synthetic fragrances.
Create an Instagram Reel, Facebook Reel, or TikTok video with an essential oil tip—for instance, add 5 drops of lavender EO to a dirty sock just before you throw your laundry into the washing machine.
#InternationalEssentialOilsDay #essentialoils #EO
This TikToker takes advantage of a trending sound:
French Fries Day
July 13th
There are quite a few hashtag holidays in July to celebrate foods we love, and it’s an easy way to theme your content calendar. Create a harmlessly polarizing Instagram Story with the caption Happy French Fries Day! Do you dip your fries in ketchup or mayo? And use the poll sticker to boost engagement.
#frenchfries #fries #frenchfriesday #happyfrenchfriesday
This MD and wellness influencer creates content to show her personality:
Mac and Cheese Day
July 14th
Most Americans have a memory of enjoying mac and cheese as a kid, and over recent years it has evolved into a grown-up foodie-approved dish. There are restaurants whose menus are exclusively mac and cheese with a gourmet twist.
When it comes to content you could compare two boxed brands of mac and cheese or try to make a gourmet recipe from scratch and post the video on TikTok, and challenge others to make their own. Be sure to get a shot of the #cheesepull.
#macncheese #macandcheese #cheese #pasta #foodstagram #soulfood #foodie #foodporn #cheesy #cheespull #comfortfood
Pet Fire Safety Day
July 15th
People love their pets and cute animal content always wins points. Pet care brands should have a strategy to educate their audience about pet fire safety, especially with fires increasing due to global warming. All other brands and influencers can certainly participate with a fire safety tip—just remember to include a cute animal.
#petfiresafety #petfiresafetyday
National Clean Beauty Day
July 15
Clean beauty is a movement to produce skincare, makeup, and hair care products from healthful, all-natural, sustainable, and cruelty-free ingredients for humans and the environment. Beauty influencers and brands would be wise to create content specific to this theme. Review a list of your favorite clean beauty products. Don’t forget to tag the brand.
#cleanbeautyday #cleanbeauty #allnaturalbeauty #fragrancefreebeauty #crueltyfreebeauty #sustainablebeauty
World Emoji Day
July 17th
Emojis are a language of their own and they augment the written word in texts, emails, and on social media. When communication went digital, the tone was inherently lost, and we have emojis to thank for bringing more emotion to our words.
Every emoji has a story—how it was proposed and approved, what it means to a group of people, and the multiple meanings it may have such as the 🤌mano a borsa aka pinched fingers emoji.
#emoji #emojis #worldemojiday
Actionable tips like recipes like this one are perfect to drive engagement:
National Hot Dog Day
July 20th
Hot dogs are an all-American food associated with baseball, county fairs, boardwalks, french fries, and more. Tap into the summer nostalgia of hot dogs by celebrating National Hot Dog Day.
Restaurants should feature hot dogs in creative ways on their menus. Any other brands and influencers can create “food porn” videos showing followers how they order and eat your hot dog. Or, you can also take a trip into the past with educational content about how the hot dog rose to meteoric success.
#hotdog #hotdogs #foodporn #foodie #hotdoglovers #yummy #delicious #hotdoggourmet #foodlover #corndog
International Chess Day
July 20th
Thanks to Netflix, everyone and their mother knows the name of at least one chess opening, The Queens Gambit. Whether you are obsessed with chess, or simply know the basics of the game you can create content for July 20th.
Record yourself and a friend setting a chessboard and playing a game and use the social media apps editing tools to speed up the video. At the very least you can react to your favorite clip from the Queen's Gambit using GIPHY Clips on TikTok.
#Chess #chessday #InternationaChessDay #TheQueensGambit #chessgame
Netflix, we see what you did there.
National Cousins Day
July 24th
Create posts with high shareability such as quotes, memes, or GIFs about cousins. When searching for GIFs, find cousins from popular TV shows such as Bridgerton, Here are some quote ideas:
- “A grandparent’s house is where cousins become best friends.”
- “Cousins by blood. Friends by choice.”
- “Cousins, because parent’s couldn’t handle us as siblings.”
Stellar storytelling caption by Juniper Photography:
National Wine and Cheese Day
July 26th
This match made in heaven can be the inspiration for so many social media posts. It’s a no-brainer to gather with besties or your boo, pop open a bottle of wine and put out a cheese board.
Try various pairings and show your reactions in a series of Instagram Stories. Or you can do Shared Snap Stories and invite others to participate—their Stories will be connected to yours and you will reach their followers, too!
#wineandcheese #wine #cheeseboard #cheese #winelover #charcuterieboard #winetasting #winelovers #cheeseandwine #cheeselover #cheeseplatter #foodie #cheeseplate
National Aunt and Uncle Day
July 26th
Piggybacking off of Cousins Day, create posts people will save or share such as quotes to appreciate the presence of aunts and uncles in our lives. Include a CTA to tag a favorite aunt or uncle. Ecommerce brands can offer a discount code to encourage gift giving. Here is a quote/caption idea:
- “Only my aunt and uncle can give me a hug like my parents’ and keep secrets like my siblings.”
#Auntanduncleday #aunt #uncle #niece #nephew
National Lipstick Day
July 29
Established by beauty influencer, Huda Kattan, in 2016, lipstick encourages social media users to wear their favorite lipstick color and show it off in their feed. Beauty Influencers can take it further with lipstick application tutorials or by imitating famous looks such as Marilyn Monroe’s classic red lippy.
#lipstick #lipstickday #nationallipstickday #lipsticklook #lipstickcolor #mylipstickcolor
Love the educational content, girl:
National Avocado Day
July 31st
Avocados first became available in the U.S. in the 1950s and besides guacamole you’ll find them on burgers, in salads, in smoothies, and even on toast. Avocados are everywhere you turn, and the popular, creamy, high-fat fruit deserves its own holiday.
Leading up to avocado day, restaurants should feature avocado in creative ways on their summer menus. Many beauty products now contain avocado, so beauty influencers can hop on this too, with videos starring favorite avocado masks or creams.
#avocado #avocados #avocadolover #guacamole #avovadotoast #aguacate
National Disability Independence Day
July 26th
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26th, 1990, and it resulted in many changes over the years including
- Protection from employment discrimination
- Structural changes to buildings for accessibility such as wider doorways
- Public space modifications to improve mobility and safety such as audible crosswalk signals
- New technology to improve access to information and to make devices more useful to sight and hearing-impaired individuals
Take this opportunity to make sure your business or organization is accessible in every way possible, even your website: make sure you have image descriptions, which are picked up by screen readers. Another approach is visibility—include a person with a disability in your advertising.
#nationaldisabilityindependenceday
Also, share videos like this to your channels to amplify the voices of people with disabilities:
International Day of Friendship
July 30th
From the United Nations website: The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
What a lovely concept! If you are running a local business, use storytelling to show your audience how you have forged relationships or alliances within your community through a series of short-form videos.
In 2019 BTS partnered with UNICEF to release a video for International Day of Friendship to end violence at schools and the message is still going strong:
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Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels
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