How to prepare seasonal promotions: a method for local businesses

Which seasonal promotions should you prepare in 2027?

A marketing calendar is simply the list of moments in the year when your customers have a reason to buy, book or give a gift. Writing it down early avoids the classic scenario: you remember Mother’s Day on the Thursday before, the post goes out the day before, and customers have already booked elsewhere.

Every date in this guide has been calculated for 2027 (moveable holidays depend on Easter or on a weekday rule) or taken from the official sources listed at the bottom. Dates differ between countries: Mother’s Day is two months apart in the UK and the US, so check which column applies to you.

What are the key 2027 dates, month by month?

UK bank holidays above are for England and Wales, from GOV.UK; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different ones. US federal holidays come from the Office of Personnel Management; states and employers may observe them differently. School holidays vary by local authority (UK) or school district (US): check your local calendar, because they change who is in town.

When is Small Business Saturday in 2027, and is it worth joining?

Small Business Saturday exists in both countries, on different dates:

• US: the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Small Business Administration lists 28 November for 2026; in 2027 that is Saturday 27 November.
• UK: the first Saturday in December, according to the official campaign; in 2027 that is Saturday 4 December.

It is free to take part, and it gives independent shops a reason to be talked about in the same week as the big chains’ Black Friday. Simple ideas: a small gift with purchase, a tasting, a window display that names the other independents on your street, a joint post with neighbouring shops. You do not need to slash prices: customers who come out on that day are looking for local character, advice and gifts they will not find online.

Which holiday hours should you set on your Google profile?

A customer who finds a closed door on a bank holiday while Google said “open” rarely comes back, and sometimes says so in a review. Google recommends confirming your hours even on holidays when you open as usual, so customers know the information is up to date (Google help on special hours).

How to set them

1. Open your Business Profile, select “Edit profile”, then “Hours”.
2. Next to “Special hours”, click the edit icon.
3. Pick the date (Google often suggests upcoming holidays), tick “Closed” or enter your hours, and save.

Two limits: special hours are meant for closures or changes of up to six days in a row; for seven days or more, Google asks you to mark the business as temporarily closed. And they only show if your profile is set to “Open with main hours”. In 2027, watch the Christmas week in the UK (Christmas Day is a Saturday, with substitute bank holidays on 27 and 28 December) and Independence Day in the US (Sunday 4 July, observed on Monday 5). Our Google Business Profile guide covers the other settings.

How far ahead should you prepare each event?

The simplest rule: decide a month ahead, announce two weeks ahead, remind one week ahead. This timeline works for Valentine’s, Mother’s Day or Christmas (for Christmas, move everything two weeks earlier).

Only email customers who agreed to hear from you, and include an unsubscribe link: our customer retention guide summarises the UK and EU rules.

Which dates should you focus on for your trade?

Restaurant, pub, café

Valentine’s (with the 14th on a Sunday, run your menu on both Saturday and Sunday), Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day lunches (open bookings three weeks ahead), Father’s Day, St Patrick’s Day for pubs, Independence Day cookouts in the US, Thanksgiving dinners or take-out, Christmas parties (corporate bookings start in October). Put the menu on your website and a booking link on your Google profile: see our guide to commission-free online booking.

Bakery, café, patisserie

Pancake Day, Easter (hot cross buns in the UK, chocolate everywhere, announce early March), Mother’s Day cakes to order, Thanksgiving pies in the US, Christmas pre-orders with a clear order deadline. The post that works: the product fresh from the oven, the price and the time it will be ready.

Florist, gift shop, boutique

Valentine’s, Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (often the biggest day of the year for florists), Halloween decorations, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, Christmas. Offer pre-orders or “reserve by message” to avoid disappointed customers.

Hair salon, beauty salon

Here events are appointments: the weeks before Valentine’s, before spring weddings, before the Christmas party season (the week before Christmas is often booked a month ahead). Sell gift vouchers for Mother’s Day and Christmas, and announce them three weeks before. Tell clients about bank-holiday closures early.

Wine shop

Father’s Day gift boxes, autumn tastings, Thanksgiving pairings in the US, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Customers want advice more than discounts: a “what to drink with Christmas dinner” post beats a percentage. Keep alcohol promotion responsible and check local rules on tastings and advertising.

What should you check every month?

Block one hour on the first Monday of each month:

• I look at the events in the next six weeks in the table above.
• I decide which ones I will do, and what I will offer (product, price, quantities).
• I set the month’s special hours on my Google profile (bank holidays, short closures).
• I check that my website shows the right information (holiday menu, hours, closures).
• I prepare and schedule the month’s posts for social media and my Google profile.
• I prepare the window poster for the next event.
• I plan an email if I have a list of customers who opted in.
• I note what worked last month, and what I will change next year.

For the weeks with no event, our guide to local business marketing ideas has ideas for the whole year.

What should you post for an event? Templates to copy

A good event post answers three questions: what, when, and how to book or order. Use a real photo of your product, not a stock image.

Announcement, two weeks before

[Event] is on [day and date]! This year [Business name] has [offer: menu, gift box, bouquet, treatment] for [price]. Places / quantities are limited, so book or order now [by phone, on our website, in store]. See you soon!

Reminder, one week before

One week to go until [Event]! We have [number] places left for [day] / orders close on [deadline] at [time]. Book here: [link or number]. Thank you to everyone who has already booked!

Hours, two days before

[Event] opening hours at [Business name]: [day] from [time] to [time], closed on [day]. Back to normal hours on [day]. Happy [Event], everyone!

Thank you, the day after

Thank you all for a wonderful [Event]! [One sentence about what happened: cakes sold, the atmosphere, the most beautiful bouquet]. If you visited us, a review really helps: [link to your Google profile]. Next up: [next event].

To reply quickly to the reviews that follow, try our AI review reply generator.

What mistakes should you avoid with a marketing calendar?

• Starting the day before: a post on Saturday for Sunday’s Mother’s Day will not fill the room. People booked two weeks earlier.
• Trying to do everything: twelve half-prepared events are worth less than five well-prepared ones.
• Forgetting Google hours: a wrong bank-holiday listing means customers at a closed door, and sometimes a bad review.
• Mixing up countries: UK Mothering Sunday and US Mother’s Day are two months apart; many online calendars mix them.
• Fake discounts: a “was” price you never actually charged misleads customers and can breach consumer protection law: check the pricing rules where you trade.
• Stock photos: customers want to see your cake, your bouquet, your dining room.
• Never reviewing: without notes on sales and sell-outs, you repeat the same mistakes next year.

How do you keep this calendar going without losing your evenings?

Batch your posts: once a month, write and schedule everything due in the following weeks. A paper diary with the dates from the table and a 30-day reminder for each event is enough to start.

If you want to go faster, Voxtya’s Social media service suggests seasonal ideas, writes the text and prepares the visual for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and your Google profile. You place them in a calendar and, on the day, publish in two clicks. Our social media guide for local businesses explains how to keep a realistic pace all year.

The steps at a glance

The timeline to prepare a seasonal event (Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Christmas) in a local business.

1. Pick your events. Choose four to six 2027 dates when your customers really buy from you.
2. Decide the offer 30 days ahead. Set the product, price, quantities and hours, then order supplies.
3. Prepare 21 days ahead. Take photos, write texts, open bookings or pre-orders.
4. Announce 15 days ahead. Post on social media and your Google profile, put a poster in the window, email opted-in customers.
5. Remind 7 days ahead. Share places left or the order deadline.
6. Update Google 2 days ahead. Set special hours on your Google profile.
7. Review 3 days after. Note sales, sell-outs and what you will change next year.

This guide for your trade

• Restaurant
• Bakery
• Hair and beauty salon
• Retail shop
• Bar

Go further

• Social media for a local business
• Optimise your Google Business Profile
• Local business marketing ideas
• Google Business posts: the underrated lever
• Restaurants: 15 Instagram post ideas
• Customer retention for small businesses