Everyone knows that the holiday buying cycle ramps sharply upward in November. That’s why your efforts at producing and sharing quality content need to go the extra mile. Thousands of businesses are vying for your target audience’s attention and spendable income, so you have got to stand out from the crowd to be noticed.
 
Some time-tested ways to rise above the crowd includes sharing a new twist on something old, appealing to the heart, and raising the bar for a popular cause. The following suggestions fall into one of those three categories. So, take one or more of them and make it your own. How would each suggestion look after it has been tailored to fit your industry niche and/or location?
 
Black Friday / Cyber Monday Survival Guide
Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and the week beginning with Cyber Monday represent the height of the Christmas holiday shopping season. Holiday shoppers will make approximately one third of all Christmas purchases during this period. According to the 2017 Adobe Digital Insights holiday report, American shoppers bought about $5 billion from retailers on Black Friday and about $6.6 billion on Cyber Monday in 2017.
 
Why not provide a valuable deliverable for shoppers this year by publishing a survival guide for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are several ways you could approach this freebie. You could lean toward the positive, yet serious approach with advice on how to manage spending and locate the best deals to save money. Or, a lighthearted and fun angle could poke fun at the idea of camping out in front of stores. After a bit of entertaining, suggest where popular products can be purchased with much less trouble, including several of your own.
 
November 6: Election Day
General Elections are held in the United States on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Once every four years, Americans have the opportunity to elect a new president. Every six years, we elect our U.S. senators. U.S. congressman are elected every two years. This allows us to retain good elected officials, and overturn those who don’t serve us well.
 
While Democracy may not be perfect, it offers us freedoms and safeguards that do not exist in many other countries. The U.S. founding fathers created a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is every American citizen’s right and privilege to vote for our government officials. How can you encourage your followers to participate in the political process?
 
November 11: Veteran’s Day
On November 11, at 11:11, 1921, the U.S., France, and England each buried an unknown soldier in honor of those who died in World War I. This began the annual Armistice Day holiday. The time and day were picked because fighting ceased in WWI in 1918 on November 11 at 11:11. In 1954, President Eisenhower changed it to Veteran’s Day, in honor of those who served and died from all the nation’s wars.
 
This important holiday honors all members of the Armed Forces who served our country. Veterans gave their time, and risked their lives. In some cases, they made the ultimate sacrifice. Honor veterans with discounts or free merchandise for a period of time through this holiday.
 
World Kindness Day: November 13
November 13 is World Kindness Day. No matter your political, religious, or socioeconomic stance, everyone seems to agree that the world could use more kindness between people. Why not challenge your readers to make their corner of the world a bit more friendly by demonstrating generosity and consideration for others? Offer some suggestions to spark their imagination.
 
Try writing an article or producing a video that describes World Kindness Day in simple terms. Or perhaps do a Facebook Live video in your store or town asking random people to give a one sentence explanation of World Kindness Day. Ask them to share suggestions with your audience, and then challenge the audience to video an act of kindness and post it to your company Facebook page. Reward the most unique act with free products or discounts.
 
America Recycles Day: November 15
Recycling and reuse generally, and metals recycling in particular, has a positive impact on the American economy. The EPA claimsthat recycling reclaims about $9 billion worth of materials each year. The recycling industry also creates $36 billion in annual wages. Why not write articles or produce videos in November that describe how the products your business sells incorporate recycled materials or how your business recycles paper, toner cartridges, and similar items.
 
Perhaps you could host an online drive to collect certain recyclable items all through the month. Ask followers to share images of all they collect on your company Facebook page and then deliver the items to a recycling center. Consider rewarding the user who collects the most with merchandise, services, or discounts.
 
Thanksgiving Day: November 22
Thanksgiving seems to be the holiday that gets sandwiched between Halloween fun and Christmas shopping. Give this special, family-oriented holiday its own rightful place in your content marketing. Share with your followers your sense of thankfulness and promote an attitude of gratitude.
 
There are many serious and fun ways to focus on Thanksgiving. Here are some of my favorites:
 

• “How Thanksgiving Is Making the World a Better Place”
• “20 Reasons Your Grandma Was Right about Thanksgiving”
• “16 Thanksgiving Myths Debunked”
• “5 Surprising Ways That Thanksgiving Is the Greenest Holiday”
• “What Gardeners Can Learn from Watching Football on Thanksgiving”
• “Your Thanksgiving Day Football Planner”
• “12 Unexpected Uses for Leftover Turkey”

 
November Birthdays
 
November 1, 1972- Jenny McCarthy, actress
November 2, 1734- Daniel Boone, Kentucky frontiersman
November 2, 1795- James K. Polk, 11th U.S. President (1845-1849)
November 2, 1865- Warren G. Harding, 29th U.S. President, died of a heart attack while in office (1921-1923)
November 3, 1793- Stephen Austin, defeated Mexican army and founded Texas
November 3, 1922- Charles Bronson, actor
November 4, 1879- Will Rogers, actor, cowboy
November 4, 1916- Walter Cronkite, TV journalist
November 5, 1911- Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys”, born Leonard Franklin Slye
November 6, 1946- Sally Field, actress
November 7, 1918- Billy Graham, evangelist
November 8, 1847 Bram Stoker, novelist, wrote horror novel Dracula
November 9, 1918- Spiro T. Agnew, The only U.S. Vice President to resign while in office.
November 11, 1885- George S. Patton, WWII general
November 11, 1896- Charles “Lucky” Luciano, gangster
November 11, 1974- Leonardo DiCaprio, actor, starred in “Titanic”
November 12, 1968- Sammy Sosa, MLB baseball slugger
November 13, 1850- Robert Louis Stevenson, writer
November 14, 1840- Claude Monet, painter
November 14, 1896 -Mamie Eisenhower, former First Lady of the United States
November 15, 1940- Sam Waterston, actor, lawyer “Jack McCoy” on TV series “Law & Order”
November 17, 1925- Rock Hudson, actor
November 18, 1923- Alan Shepard, astronaut, first American in space
November 18, 1928 – Mickey Mouse’s Birthday
November 19, 1831- James A. Garfield, 20th U.S. President, assassinated during first year in office (1881)
November 20, 1900- Chester Gould, cartoonist, created “Dick Tracy”
November 20, 1925- Robert F. Kennedy, Brother of President John F. Kennedy
November 21, 1893- Harpo Marx, actor, comedian, one of the “Marx Brothers”
November 22, 1890- Charles de Gaulle, President of France
November 23, 1804- Franklin Pierce, 14th U.S. President (1853-1857)
November 24, 1784 Zachary Taylor, 12th U.S. President, died in office. (1849-1850)
November 24, 1888- Dale Carnegie, author, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”
November 24, 1925- William F. Buckley Jr., author, columnist
November 25, 1960- John F. Kennedy Jr., son of President Kennedy
November 25, 1981- Barbara and Jenna Bush, twin daughters of President George W. Bush
November 26, 1922- Charles Schulz, cartoonist, created “Peanuts”
November 27, 1917- “Buffalo Bob” Smith, TV personality, hosted “Howdy Doody Time”
November 27, 1957- Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of President Kennedy, author
November 28, 1949- Paul Shaffer, bandleader for David Letterman Show
November 30, 1835- Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain”, author “Tom Sawyer”
November 30, 1874- Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain during WWII
 
What special days or observances grab your interest? Are there current events or happenings that will attract customers or impact your business? Share them in the comments and of course, share them with your readers! Until next month, get out the fall and winter clothes, enjoy some turkey, and as always, keep writing!