Awareness days: the benefits of observing them, and how to do it

There are countless 'official' awareness days every year. They each provide businesses with brand marketing opportunities, but only when marked properly.

What are awareness days?

Awareness days are used to draw attention to a mixture of good causes and societal issues that require greater prominence.

These include things like World Homeless Day every October, World AIDS Day in December, and World Cancer Day in February every year.

There are even awareness weeks (such as Mental Health Awareness Week in May) and awareness months (November is used to promote both prostate and lung cancer awareness, for example). 

In the run up to and whilst they are being observed, these awareness events generate heightened interest in the topics they are associated with, and an increase in chatter.

How can businesses benefit from getting involved in awareness days?

As a business, it's possible to use the broader boost in issue prominence in several ways.

For example, businesses that get involved in awareness day promotions can:

• increase brand visibility

• connect with new audiences

• showcase brand values 

All of these are good for attracting potential new customers, and new recruits, and therefore sit comfortably under the umbrella of brand maketing - getting known about and known for something.

How to tap into the business benefits of celebrating or marking awareness days

There are all sorts of different ways in which businesses can get involved in awareness days.

Social media

Develop your own branded social media content that mentions the topic of your chosen awareness day, and post regularly before, on the day, and just after. Be sure to use any associated hashtags to help amplify your posts.

Blogs and other website content

Write a blog or an information page and put it on your website. Use it to highlight the cause but to also explain why your business has chosen to get involved. Make sure it's done with SEO in mind so that there's a better chance of it showing up in search engine results pages. Point to this content with some of the branded social media posts mentioned above.

Circulate content internally

Don't just produce content for external audiences, use your chosen awareness day to inform and educate your people too. Put up posters on noticeboards, send a personalised letter or email from the boss, and share content on your intranet.

Encourage your people to fundraise

Invite your people to raise money for a charity that's associated with the cause or awareness day topic. Incentivise fundraising by making it entertaining, allowing it to take place during the working day, and maybe even offering to match any money raised up to and including a ceiling. 

Make a corporate donation to charity

Even if your people put on a fundraiser of some sort, you could still make a charitable donation from the business. Don't forget, there can be tax advantages to doing so.

Announce a 'charity of the year' partnership

Going beyond one-off support for a chosen charity, you could make it a year-long commitment. You could create a salary sacrifice scheme that allows your people to make regualr donations from their pay, whilst avoiding some tax. You could give your people paid leave to volunteer for your chosen charity too, and set an annual fundraising target that you'll strive to achieve.

Seek media coverage

If you do something newsworthy as part of your involvement in an awareness day, consider distributing a press release about it. You could also commission your own primary research into an aspect of the topic at hand and share your unique data - for example, if you were planning something for World Cancer Day on 4th February 2025, you could pay for a YouGov survey about public understanding of cancer risk factors, and publish the results alongside your own analysis of what it means. 

What about drawbacks and pitfalls

There are risks to getting involved in awareness days.

For instance, you could be seen to be doing so exploitatively, just jumping on a marketing bandwagon entirely for self-gain.

You might find current and former employees 'out' you for not being true to the values you are attempting to portray.

And there's also a chance that you could inadvertently share information that isn't accurate in your efforts to be helpful.

The key to avoiding or at least minimising and mitigating these potential risks is to:

• be highly selective

• only get involved in a handful each year

• do thorough research

• be genuine and authentic

• engage and involve your people

Getting involved in awareness days and making the most of the brand marketing benefits: key takeaways

There's a lot to be gained by joining in and promoting awareness days. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

1. Strategic Selection Don't jump on every bandwagon. Carefully choose awareness days that genuinely align with your brand values and resonate with your target audience. This ensures authenticity and avoids the perception of exploitative marketing.

2. Content is King Create high-quality, informative content (social media posts, blogs, internal comms) that educates your audience about the cause and highlights your company's genuine involvement.

3. Employee Engagement Go beyond external marketing. Involve your employees through fundraising, volunteering, and internal awareness campaigns. This fosters a sense of community and shared purpose.

4. Charity Partnerships Consider formalising your support by partnering with a relevant charity. This can include corporate donations, employee giving schemes, and volunteering opportunities.

5. Amplify Your Efforts Extend your reach by seeking media coverage for your activities. Conduct original research or leverage unique data to provide valuable insights and generate news interest.

Want help with this or other brand marketing initiatives? Start a conversation with us today.

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