2023 Holiday SMS Marketing Calendar: 45+ Important Dates & Actionable Tips

It's already time to start thinking about how to make the most of the upcoming holiday season for your business.

And one way to make the most of the holidays is by identifying key dates and sending relevant SMS content on those dates to engage your subscribers.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a comprehensive 2023 holiday marketing calendar to help walk you through activating on important upcoming dates, complete with message inspiration for each holiday!

September 2023 Holidays

9/4/2023: Labor Day

Give your subscribers early access to your Labor Day sale so they can shop before anyone else!

9/6/2023: Read A Book Day

Give a shoutout to some of your favorite independent bookstores, from your campus bookshop to the local comic book store. Libraries can also remind folks to renew their library card.

9/10/2023: Grandparents Day

Have any personalization or gift-wrapping options? Let subscribers know and encourage them to surprise loved ones with gifts.

9/15/2023: 100 Days till Christmas

Help subscribers beat the holiday shopping rush by highlighting items from your store most likely to sell out and encouraging them to purchase now with a loyalty discount.

9/16/2023: Mexican Independence Day

Set up a drip campaign for your cultural organization. Start off by sending subscribers a sign-up page or using our Text To Join feature. For those who sign up, you can continue to educate subscribers on upcoming events, new and existing services, and more.

9/16/2023: Oktoberfest

Hosting an Oktoberfest event? Schedule a mobile survey to go out after your event to see what people thought.

9/19/2023: National Voter Registration Day

Get people ready to run to the polls by sending them instructions on how to register to vote. You can also utilize our Smart Replies feature to provide subscribers with different types of support, such as video guides or speaking to a team member.

9/23/2023: Autumn Equinox/First Day of Fall

Use your loyal subscribers to spread the word of new fall items you have available this season by offering them and a friend a surprise gift with any order! Then - you can add a discount code to the friends gift box, driving more purchases and increasing your audience base.

9/23/2023: International Day of Sign Languages

Play a game with your subscribers for the weekend! Using MMS and Smart Replies, you can quiz people on their sign language knowledge by having them guess which phrase or letter is displayed.

9/26/2023: National Pancake Day

Send subscribers a recipe for pancakes, along with a link to buy your ingredients online.

9/29/2023: World Heart Day

Get subscribers moving today and heading to your in-person locations! Send them an exclusive in-store offer that can only be redeemed for the day.

9/29/2023: National Coffee Day

Want valuable feedback from subscribers? Send a survey and offer a coffee gift card as a reward for filling it out!

October 2023 Holidays

10/1/2023: World Vegetarian Day

Use MMS to send subscribers a mouth-watering picture of your best plant-based and vegan menu options.

10/3/2023: National Boyfriend Day

Help subscribers figure out the perfect gift to give by sending them a curated gift guide. You can also utilize our Text To Join feature to have them opt into a list where they can receive similar gift recommendations.

10/4/2023: National Taco Day

Have customers vote on their favorite type of taco offered on your menu via Mobile Surveys. Notify people of the winning taco when voting closes and offer them a BOGO for the week.

10/5/2023: World Teachers Day

Send subscribers a curated gift list to help them say thank you to the educators in their lives.

10/9/2023: Indigenous Peoples Day

Notify subscribers that a portion of every sale will go towards to Indigenous organizations in support and celebration of their work.

10/11/2023: It's My Party Day

Using Smart Replies, give subscribers reccommendations for a party they can throw for themselves! Once they reply with a specific response, set up an auto replies that list ways to make that party happen (from supplies to favorite hidden gems).

10/13/2023: Friday the 13th

Wade off the scaries for subscribers by sending them a mystery lucky charm, revealed by scanning a QR code.

10/14/2023: National Dessert Day

Go one of two ways: offer a free dessert dish to subscribers when they Text to Join, or even set up keyword automations to send a baking recipe and shopping list depending on what the subscriber replies with.

10/21/2023: Sweetest Day

Give your customers a "sweet" deal today! Use our integrations with Salesforce and other ecommerce platforms to offer goodies such as free shipping on gifts, or discounts when customers leave a review.

10/30/2023: Mischief Night

Not all tricks need to cause chaos. For construction companies, let subscribers know different ways they can prep their homes in case of emergencies or disasters.

10/31/2023: Halloween

Hosting a big Halloween bash? Get last-minute attendees by sending out scheduled texts to anyone with tickets still in their cart.

November 2023 Holidays

11/1/2023: National Authors Day

Encourage subscribers to celebrate the writers in their life with gift guides or discounts on specific items (even classes and webinars if you offer them!).

11/3/2023: Dune: Part Two Movie Release

Perfect for cinephiles and bookworms alike, treat moviegoers to a special discount on salty snacks and other movie night treats.

11/4/2023: Check Your Blood Pressure Day

This day is the perfect opportunity to remind your patients to schedule their upcoming check-ups. We offer over 5,000+ integrations with appointment platforms like Calendly to help make the scheduling process easy via SMS.

11/7/2023: Election Day

Help rock the vote by offering in-store deals for anyone that shows up with an "I Voted" sticker or any other proof that they went to the polls.

11/11/2023: Singles Day

Celebrate solitude by offering subscribers exclusive discounts on self-care products and guides.

11/13/2023: World Kindness Day

This is the ideal opportunity to encourage customers to use their referral codes to provide friends and loved ones with exclusive referral perks.

11/15/2023: Clean Your Refrigerator Day

Not just a day for cleaning out the leftovers! Encourage your subscribers to declutter with guides and reminders to schedule any appointments for maintenance.

11/17/2023: ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Movie Release

For all the YA novel-lovers, have subscribers answer Hunger Games trivia correctly for an exclusive discount.

11/19/2023: Have a Bad Day Day

Despite the day's name, here's your chance to tell your subscribers that it's okay to have a rough day. Treat them to a little discount and encourage them to treat themselves for the day.

11/23/2023: Thanksgiving Day

Show gratitude to your most loyal customers by offering them exclusive offers and rewards as your show of thanks.

11/24/2023: Black Friday

Provide subscribers with early access to your Black Friday deals so they can get ahead of the holiday rush.

11/27/2023: Cyber Monday

On top of early access, this is your chance to remind customers how they can get online support during their shopping sprees.

11/28/2023: Giving Tuesday

Get subscribers into the season of giving by reminding them how they can give back to their favorite organizations through donations and more.

December 2023 Holidays

12/1/2023: World AIDS Day

Encourage subscribers to donate to your organization, or share with subscribers that a portion of all proceeds will be donated towards the ones making a difference.

12/4/2023: Santa's List Day

Start off by sending subscribers an interest form. Then, periodically send them relevant gift recommendations based on their answers.

12/7/2023: Hanukkah

Give people a gentle reminder to treat those who celebrate with a gift.

12/11/2023: Green Monday

Ping customers about your eco-conscious products, promoting company values and the importance of going green.

12/21/2023: Winter Solstice

Sweeten the cozy winter vibes with exclusive winter promotions. Bonus for people who buy online and pick up in store: throw in a free gift card to ring in the new season.

12/23/2023: Super Saturday

Catch those last minute gift buyers with a reminder of all your ongoing deals ahead of the big day.

12/24/2023: Christmas Eve

Build on Super Saturday with a gentle reminder to anyone that has items still in their shopping cart. If order totals are at a certain threshold, feel free to add in a free overnight shipping option as well.

12/25/2023: Christmas Day

Wish your subscribers a lovely holiday, as well as early access to your Boxing Day deals.

12/26/2023: Boxing Day

Make it a Boxing Week and offer different exclusive discounts on different departments throughout the rest of the week.

12/26/2023: Kwanzaa

This is your chance to highlight your brand's favorite Black-owned businesses to support leading into the new year.

12/31/2023: New Years Eve

Send your most loyal customers a Year in Review (Spotify Wrapped, anyone?), plus a forecast on some exciting up-and-coming trends for 2024.