58 Free & Creative September Marketing Ideas for Any Business

They say a relaxed mind is a creative mind, but it’s hard to stay relaxed when you’re running a business—let alone in September when everyone’s switching gears. Lucky for you though, there’s a slew of events and themes in September that you can use for easy and creative marketing. And I’m not just talking Labor Day or Back to School…

So in this article, I’m going to equip you with over 50 unique September marketing ideas, along with real examples from businesses just like yours.

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September marketing ideas for any business

These September marketing ideas based on holidays can flex to any industry or business need.

Just One Human Family Day

Just One Human Family Day occurs every September 12, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a day to remember that no matter where we come from, what language we speak, what we look like, what our abilities and beliefs are, or how we identify ourselves—at the end of the day, we are all just one big human family living on this planet, all deserving of compassion from one another.  You can incorporate this into your business marketing by:

• Share the collateral: Share the lyrics or the YouTube video of the song “We Share Just One Planet” on social.
• Do an earthly act of kindness: Reach out to someone and do something kind for them. Better yet, do something kind for the planet with them, like plant a tree or pick up trash.
• Wear the swag: Sport the t-shirt or stickers to show your support and post on social.

American Business Women’s Day

Women in business are a force to be reckoned with in today’s economy. This holiday occurs on September 22.

• Compile a round-up: Find 10 women leading the way in your niche and write a round-up of them in a blog post. Tag them on social when you promote the post—they might share with their audience!
• Run a stat-themed sale: For example, women started 49% of new businesses in the US last year. Send out a promotional email offering 49% off select products, or run a $49 special.
• Run a poll or quiz: Find some interesting stats about women in business and turn them into a poll or quiz or interactive post series for your followers. Like “What percentage of businesses are owned by women globally,” for example.

Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month, which actually runs from September 15 to October 15, is a time to celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of Latinx and Hispanic Americans. Here are some ways to recognize it in your marketing:

• Recognize Latinx influencers: Do some digging to find Latinx influencers or historical figures in your niche or neighborhood. Depending on their level of celebrity, share information about them, interview them, or spotlight them on social.
• Mark your calendar. The independence anniversaries of Latin American countries is the reason behind its start date. You can share a different fact or stat about each country on its respective day.
  • September 15: El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
  • September 16: Mexico
  • September 18: Chile
  • October 12: Día de la Raza/Columbus Day
• Donate: Consider donating to the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Latinos for Education, the Latino Equality Alliance, or other organizations dedicated to Hispanic community support.

Self-Improvement Month

It comes as no surprise that September is National Self-Improvement Month. It’s the second new year of the year when people get back into their routines after summer. Here are some ideas for marketing around this evergreen topic:

• Create a video with your own self-improvement tips.

• Share your favorite self-improvement books and ask your followers to comment back with theirs.
• Write blog posts on goal-setting or listicles like “X Ways to Improve Your [memory, credit score, leadership skills]” or “How to Improve Your [X] in 5 Minutes.”
• Run a 30-day challenge on Facebook or Instagram.

👀 Looking for more ways to promote your business? Download our free guide 30+ Ways to Promote Your Business (On Any Budget!)

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

There are several ways to engage your audience and your employees with cause-based marketing in the name of childhood cancer awareness. You could:

• Post eye-opening stats about childhood cancer on social media.
• Register your company for the Great Cycle Challenge and get your employees out on their bikes. Not only will you be fighting kid cancer, but you’ll be promoting good health and friendly competition among your employees. Encourage photo sharing so your audience can follow along throughout the month.
• Host a fundraiser and sell T-shirts to support a particular child or the cause in general.

Food Safety Month

With September being Food Safety Month, this is an opportunity for health specialists and restaurants to promote their services, publicize their best practices, and reassure customers.

You could also tie it in nicely with the back-to-school theme, like with the example below:

Wilderness Month

National Wilderness Month celebrates the anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which was pivotal in the conservation of American land and the creation of national parks. Here are some ways to use it in your marketing:

• Share your favorite hiking trails and ask your followers for theirs.
• Post photos from your own wilderness adventures.
• Share some eye-opening stats or a quote by John Muir.

Back to School Month

So August is actually the official National Back to School Month, but who are we kidding? Any type of business can participate in the back-to-school season. You can:

• Partner with college student organizations or K-12 after-school programs.
• Host or participate in a back-to-school drive.
• Share a list of free online learning resources that pertain to your audience.
• Run student discounts or introduce fall plans if you’re marketing to college students.

We’ve got plenty more with these Easy Back-to-School Marketing Ideas That Work for Any Business.

Labor Day

If it weren’t for Labor Day, the first Monday of September would potentially be the worst Monday of the year. Here are some ideas to try out:

• For businesses that slow down during the summer, host a Labor Day promotion or sale to encourage as many existing customers as possible to come back.
• If you’re in a popular destination, brush up on your local marketing to make sure consumers visiting your town for the long weekend can find you. The higher your business ranks on Google Maps, the more customers you’ll attract.
• Send a Happy Labor Day message to your customers or employees.
• Run a Labor Day giveaway or contest.

For more awesome ideas, check out these Labor Day Social Media Posts, Promotions, & Marketing Ideas To Celebrate.

Patriot Day

This day is dedicated to the 2,977 victims of September 11. Here are some ways to show your support:

• Make it a day of service for your team.
• Display flags in and outside your store.
• Encourage your audience to take a moment of silence at the times of the attacks

NFL Opening Night

Opening night for the NFL falls in September. Celebrate the season opener with some creative marketing for your business. Here are some ideas:

• Engage customers on Facebook by asking about their favorite teams or running a trivia contest.
• Decorate your storefront, restaurant, or studio in team colors.
• Run a football-themed special.
• Offer discounts on game days or when your team wins.

First day of fall

The autumnal equinox (for the Northern Hemisphere) occurs in the last week or so of September, which means that the number of daylight and nighttime hours is the same. This celestial holiday (yay) marks the official end of the summer (sad).

But the first day of fall is a beautiful second new start granted to us each year—hence why September is the new January. So it’s a great opportunity to publish content around fresh starts and fall collections.

And since this day happens at the end of the month, you can run a countdown series all month long.

Source

You may also be interested in using any of these 157 authentic fall hashtags.

Positive Thinking Day

Positive Thinking Day falls on September 13 every year and never gets any less versatile. Any business can use this holiday for just about any reason: to cheer up, motivate, encourage, compliment, thank, help, inspire, or [insert any positive verb your heart desires here]. Dentists can connect this to smiles, physical therapists to recovery, interior designers to decorating, and the list goes on.

Working Parents Day

National Working Parents Day falls on September 16. If your audience includes working parents, humanize your brand and acknowledge their hard work. And don’t forget about your parent employees!

Good Neighbor Day

Good Neighbor Day, on September 28, is a good time to do some outreach across your Instagram, LinkedIn, or geographically local network. Acknowledge fellow neighboring businesses on social media to encourage a sense of community, or come up with a contest where followers or employees can nominate good neighbors for a grand prize.

Read a Book Day

National Read a Book Day is a creative way for preschools, tutors, and other education-oriented businesses to market themselves. If your business isn’t related to education, read a book related to your industry and share your insights and learnings on your blog or social media profiles.

This is also a good time to give back to your community by reading a book to children or the elderly. Volunteering is not only an honorable thing to do, it will also make you feel good and, as a bonus, likely increase brand awareness in your local market.

International Day of Charity

September 5 is the International Day of Charity. Choose a local charity to support and get your employees involved, whether in person or virtually.

Or, if you’re already supporting a charity, feature them on your blog or social media profiles and invite your followers to support them as well.

Give an update on your fall hours

If you have a seasonal business, make sure to reflect any changes in your hours on your Google listing. Additionally, you could share a post on your social media regarding your hours for this fall. After all, when it comes to local marketing, the details are key.

Send out a September newsletter

Our friends at LocaliQ share some great September newsletter ideas, but here are just a few:

• Run an email-exclusive summer clearance promo to boost engagement.
• Include an inspirational quote for Positive Thinking Day.
• Let customers know if you’ve changed your hours for fall.
• Provide some of your most helpful blog posts for staying focused in a September newsletter before the long Labor Day weekend.

Highlight list of observances and holidays for your September marketing

Here are just some highlights of the many holidays and national days of September. You can see a full list of days and dates at the bottom of this post.

• Addiction recovery
• Baby safety
• Better breakfast
• Childhood cancer
• Childhood obesity
• Disaster preparedness
• Fall hat
• Food safety
• Life insurance
• Library card
• Mortgage professionals
• Self-improvement
• Self-care
• Strategic thinking
• Suicide prevention
• Update your resume (international)
• Wilderness
• Patriot Day
• Labor Day
• Voter Registration Day
• No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day
• Read A Book Day
• Grateful Patient Day
• Swap Ideas Day
• Hug & High Five Day
• Day of Encouragement
• Hug Your Boss Day
• Dance Day
• CleanUp Day
• Talk Like A Pirate Day
• American Business Women’s Day
• Family Health and Fitness Day
• Love People Day

Side note: Check out our Labor Day Instagram captions ideas.

Stand out this fall with these free and easy September marketing ideas

Hopefully these September marketing ideas and examples have given you some material to work with for your blog, social media profiles, websites, and other free marketing channels.

Ready for even more ideas?

For more monthly marketing ideas, browse our collection…

September marketing holidays and national days (full list)

As promised, here’s the full list of September social media holidays, courtesy of National Day Calendar:

September 1

• No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day

September 2

September 3

• Skyscraper Day
• National Housekeeper’s Week

September 4

• National Wildlife Day
• Eat An Extra Dessert Day
• Global Talent Acquisition Day
• Lazy Mom’s Day – First Friday in September
• Food Bank Day– First Friday in September

September 5

• Cheese Pizza Day
• Be Late For Something Day
• Tailgating Day – First Saturday in September
• World Beard Day – First Saturday in September

September 6

September 7

• Beer Lover’s Day
• Grateful Patient Day

September 8

• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day
• Ampersand Day

September 9

September 10

September 11

• Patriot Day and Day of Service and Remembrance

September 12

• Just One Human Family Day
• Hug and High 5 Day
• Day of Encouragement
• Day of the Programmer – 256th Day of the Year

September 13

• Kids Take Over The Kitchen Day
• Celiac Disease Awareness Day
• Bald is Beautiful Day
• Hug Your Boss Day – Changes Annually
• Pet Memorial Day – Second Sunday in September
• Hug Your Hound Day – Second Sunday in September

September 14

• Parents Day Off
• Live Creative Day
• Sober Day

September 15

• Tackle Kids Cancer Day
• Online Learning Day
• IT Professionals Day – Third Tuesday in September

September 16

• Working Parents Day
• Mayflower Day

September 17

• Professional House Cleaners Day
• Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

September 18

• Air Force Birthday
• HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day

September 19

• Talk Like A Pirate Day
• National Voter Registration Day
• Dance Day – Third Saturday in September
• Gymnastics Day – Third Saturday in September
• Boys’ and Girls’ Club Day for Kids – Third Saturday in September
• Puppy Mill Awareness Day – Third Saturday in September
• Responsible Dog Ownership Day – Third Saturday in September
• CleanUp Day – Third Saturday In September

September 20

• Care for Kids Day
• Wife Appreciation Day – Third Sunday in September

September 21

• Miniature Golf Day
• International Day of Peace
• World Gratitude Day

September 22

• American Business Women’s Day
• Car Free Day
• Autumnal Equinox – Changes Annually

September 23

• Celebrate Bisexuality Day

September 24

September 25

• Tune-Up Day
• Research Administrator Day

September 26

• Compliance Officer Day
• Situational Awareness Day

September 27

• Day of Forgiveness
• Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

September 28

September 29

September 30

• Love People Day
• Women’s Health & Fitness Day – Last Wednesday in September