If planning for a full year seems daunting for you … especially when it comes to developing a content calendar, this post is for you. In it I’m going to share with you one great way to come up with topics to talk about: Annual Observances.

Take a look at the home page of this blog. You’ll see near the top, a list of “Important Dates.” I’ve programmed into that list some annual observations that can help you with your content and promotional calendar. These are annual observances that you can use as a leaping off point for topics. For example, Thanksgiving is coming up — at least in the U.S. How many topics can you come up with in your area of expertise that relate to being thankful?

The calendar is full of major and minor observances that can help you plan out your content and promotional calendars. Here are just a few that I find helpful:

• January – New Year’s Day
• February – Valentines Day
• March – National Women’s History Month
• April – Earth Day
• May – Mother’s Day
• June – Father’s Day
• July – Independence Day
• August – Dollar Day, anniversary of the US dollar being created
• September – Fight Procrastination Day
• October – Boss’ Day
• November – Veteran’s Day
• December – Winter Solstice

You can use the themes of these observances to generate topics for your blog, promotions for your products and services, even events that can help you get the word out about what you do. To find more observances like this, I use these resources. You might find them helpful, too.

• List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation
• Holidays & Observances
• National Observances

Depending on your topic of expertise, some observances will serve you better than others. Take a look at the lists above and see if you get inspired.