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What you need to know to plan social media content

by Quiip Admin August 25, 2016

What you need to know to plan great content – September 2016

It’s that time of the month where we collate some interesting dates and events for September 2016 to help you create and plan great content, fill out your social media content calendar and save you time. These dates will help you think outside the box to create interesting and relevant content for your customers. Make sure you read the tips and considerations which will help shape both your content and your risk and response plans.

September snapshot

  • 1st September is the first day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. It also signifies the start of something new and fresh. Your company can celebrate the days get warmer and longer, and the chance to spend downtime outside.
  • September also brings a big month for Health related awareness with both RUOK Day and World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s the month for Dementia Awareness and Childhood Cancer Awareness.
  • Weeks being celebrated this September include: National Asthma Awareness Week (1-7 September) and Women’s Health Week (5-9 September). Does your organisation play in the health field? If so, it would be a great idea to add these dates to your content calendar.
  • If you’re into animals, September is Save the Koala month – with the theme ‘Love is in the Air’ (can we please let out a collective awww!). It’s a great way to highlight if your company fundraises for one of Australia’s most popular animals or is in the Australian tourism sector. Get ready to post those cute pictures for maximum sharing!
  • The Paralympic Games in Rio start 7 September through to 18 September. For those companies that are not Paralympic partners, rule 40 continues! You can’t use the Paralympic symbols, as well as specific terms including “Paralympics,” “2016,” “Rio,” “games” and “gold” unless you’re an official Paralympic partner.
Koala laying back sleeping in a tree
Plan your content in advance and you can relax like this koala

September events, tips and considerations

International Day of PeacePromoting global unity, content surrounding the International Day of Peace should show what your company, or employees, are doing to contribute to global harmony. Like Australian Citizenship Day be prepared for nay-sayers and have a plan to deal with them.

Date Event Tips & considerations
1 September Wattle Day The Golden Wattle is Australian’s national floral emblem and is the day that celebrates the spirit of being Australian – the good humour, fairness and resilience that we all have. Brands that support flora conservation in Australia can use this day to promote their efforts, tourism companies can highlight our amazing flora and Australian-owned brands can link to the Australian spirit on this day.
4 September Father’s Day A great day to show appreciation for all the Fathers out there. Don’t go there unless there’s relevance for your brand.
5 September International Day of Charity Charity is generally a standard part of a company CSR, and most audiences are aware of this fact. Rather than promoting your company’s ties to charity, focus on the work that your chosen charity is doing, and encourage your audience to find out more about them.
6 September Read a Book Day Who doesn’t love a good book? If you’re in the book or education industries, what better way to promote reading than showcasing a range of your all-time favourite stories? Or better yet, ask your audience to share theirs!
8 September R U OK Day It’s a conversation that can help change a life, and for those in mental health fields the day attracts an understanding that helps chip away at harmful stigmas. If you’re going to post content about RUOK Day, make sure you have a relevant response system in place, and direct those who may need assistance to the right place.
10 September World Suicide Prevention Day Suicide can touch every single one of us, and with that World Suicide Prevention Day was created to not only raise awareness but to create positivity in the community. Similar to R U OK Day, a response system has to be in place for content surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day.
12 September International Literacy Day A great day for those in the education sector. Celebrate all things education or bring awareness to causes that improve literacy in developing nations.
13 September Positive Thinking Day The glass is half full today! Laugh or do a nice deed for someone else. A great one for those in mental health or anyone with audience members under stress. This promotes the idea that all it takes is one positive thought.
17 September Australian Citizenship Day Australia has a rich history of migration, and has contributed to many successes of the country. Today is a day to reflect on what it means to be an Australian. Does your company have a proud new citizen in it’s ranks? Perhaps you’re an overseas brand with newly laid foundations down under? This is a great way to showcase your employees and what it means to be an Australian citizen, or what it means for the company to be in Australia; and promote the diverse nature of Australia.
Tip: Be prepared to deal with racist comments. Stand firm on your position and send them on their way!
17 September (to 3 October) Oktoberfest Everyone seems to celebrate Oktoberfest, but realistically unless you’re company is in the hospitality and food & drink industries, or is German then there’s little to promote. Keep your Oktoberfest posts under wraps to avoid confusing your audience.
19 September Talk like a pirate Day Ye be talking like pirate’s aye? A fun day when everyone is encouraged to unleash their inner pirate. Relevance is still key here – so find the angle that brings your company together with what audiences associate with pirates and go for gold.
21 September International Day of Peace Promoting the strength of everyone working together to achieve global unity, content surrounding the International Day of Peace should show what your company, or employees, are doing to contribute to global harmony. Like Australian Citizenship Day be prepared for negative responses, have an action plan in place to deal with it.
22 September World Car-Free Day Do your employees get to work via public transport, walking or riding a bike? Today is a great day to document how some of them get to work with UGC.
26 September Queen’s Birthday – WA only Western Australia picks up a long weekend this month thanks to the Queen’s Birthday. Perfect time to promote activities across the entire weekend! If you’re in the customer service industry make sure you let your customers know updated trading and service times.
27 September World Tourism Day Today is the day to celebrate the beauty of the world. If you’re in the tourism sector it’s a great day to spread the word about the importance of tourism to our country’s values. Show off all of those amazing images and encourage your audience to share theirs!
29 September International Coffee Day A great day for FMCG, hospitality and ALL community managers! Do you have a favourite coffee drink, a different way to drink it or a coffee related joke? Today’s the day to tell it to the world and perhaps also send a couple of cups to your community manager for their hard work.
Woman staring into distance with mug of coffee on a table in front of her
Excuse me while I daydream about coffee as I drink my coffee

Random September facts and dates in history

  • September is one of four months of the year with 30 days. Anyone remember the rhyme? 30 days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31, except for February, all alone (forever alone!).
  • The etymology of September relates to the number seven. So why is September the ninth month!? In ye olde Roman calendar, September was the seventh month.
  • Shakespeare didn’t mention poor September in any of his plays 🙁
  • The World Gurning Championships are held annually in September
  • On 1 September 1846 explorer John Horrocks was shot by a camel in South Australia
  • On 3 September 1939, Australian Prime Minister, Robert Gordon Menzies, announced that Australia is at war with Germany
  • Steve Irwin died at the hands of a stingray on 4 September 2006. Hard to believe that was 10 years ago!
  • 5 September 1994 saw Australia’s first political assassination. John Newman, a member of the New South Wales state parliament and Member for the seat of Cabramatta, was shot dead in his driveway by  Phuong Ngo, a local club owner and political opponent
  • 7 September 1936 is the day the last known Tasmanian Tiger died
  • 11 September 2001 will long be remembered as the day the USA was hit by terrorist attacks
  • On 16 September 1956 the first Australian television broadcast was made by TCN Channel 9 in Sydney
  • The first ever performance at the Sydney Opera House was on 28 September 1973
  • On 30 September 1813 the unusual holey dollar and dump coins entered circulation in NSW to ease currency shortages.  The two coins were created by punching the centre out of Spanish dollars – creating a coin with a hole at its centre and the ‘dump’. They were only ever used in New South Wales, Australia, and on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Need more September dates?

These are just a few of many dates for September, if you wanted to you could cover off almost the entire month with event-based content. If you’re after other days to fill in gaps for your content calendar you can check out these sites: