It was good advice when we heard it from Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society”, just as it was over twenty centuries earlier when Roman poet Horace first wrote it. We get today – we’re here for the moment, and unless we use today to realize our goals and dreams, unless we take the day and reach out to those who we care about, and those who we love, there is no guarantee that we will have tomorrow. That’s what SendOutCards is all about – seizing the day!

This is all true, but in a another sense, we have a unique opportunity with SendOutCards to literally “seize the day” and make it our own. Pick a day – any day, and look at the monthly calendar. Unless it’s one of the few public holidays recognized in the US, chances are that the square you’ve chosen is blank. A plain white square with a number in it. What many people don’t realize is that every day, every week, every month, season, and year are specifically designated holidays or observances for something.

Today, September 28, my calendar tells me that it’s Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of Atonement. But September 28 is also designated as the following:

Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children
Vijayadashami
World Maritime Day

The week of September 27 – October 3 is also designated as National Adult Immunization Awareness Week – ouch!

Some of these holidays may be meaningful to one or more of our contacts. Yom Kippur certainly, but what about all those other days?

How about families with kids; knowing how busy today’s families are, a card reminding us of the pleasure and importance of the Family Dinner might be nice gesture.

Do you have any Indian/Hindu contacts? Vijayadashami is a big celebration in India celebrated by Hindus and non-Hindus alike.

World Maritime day is a great day to recognize our men and women in uniform serving in the Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, as well as those who Fish for a living, and others who ply the waters as a vocation.

National Adult Immunization Week – as painful as it sounds – gives us a chance to reach out to all the Doctors, Nurses, and Healthcare Professionals in our Contact Manager. I’m willing to bet that each of us has someone who falls into one of these categories!

There are several places on the web where you can find lists of holidays and observances. Here are three that I’ve found particularly useful:

Brownielocks – Holidays and Observances
Holidays on the Net
Awareness Dates

So what does all this have to do with SendOutCards? Only everything!

Remember that I said we need to seize the day – to make it our own? Each of these days represents an OPPORTUNITY to reach out to our contacts and show them just how special they are – that we are thinking of them on this day.

But wait – there’s more! Seizing the day can also prove to be a fun and effective tool to market SendOutCards to new contacts and new audiences. It is possible to build campaigns around some of these different (and sometimes offbeat) holidays to promote and grow our business. Stay tuned for instructions that show you – step by step – how to build a marketing campaign around any day of the year!

Coming Soon: Happy Leif Erikson Day!