How to Pick the Perfect Calendar for Your Company

Person hanging promotional wall calendar with scenic image on cork board.

Promotional calendars are a fantastic way to boost brand visibility, drive sales, and foster customer loyalty for your small business. But selecting the right calendar can be a daunting task. Different calendars offer unique advantages, and we want to help you align your custom calendar with your business goals and customer preferences. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to assist you in choosing the ideal calendar for a year of successful marketing.

What Is an Ordinal Date Calendar?

This type of calendar includes days elapsed and days remaining in the year, and often also includes workdays remaining. Ordinal date is the preferred term for what was previously known as the Julian date (JD) or JDATE. So, how does it work? Well, for instance, on 1 February , which is the 32^nd day of the year, the ordinal date would be displayed as 32 elapsed with 333 remaining.

Benefits of Ordinal Calendars for Small Businesses

This type of calendar is great for:

Tracking Time: People can easily see how many days have passed since a project began, and how many days remain until a due date arrives.

Planning: This information can be useful for planning events or projects throughout the year.

Goal Setting: Knowing how much time is left in the year can help people stay motivated and focused on achieving their goals.

Industries That Use Ordinal Date Calendars

As far as particular industries, ordinal calendars can be particularly useful for industries that rely on tight schedules, deadlines, or seasonal planning. Here are some examples:

Construction and Project Management

Manufacturing and Production

Inventory Management

What Is a Gregorian Calendar?

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world, and for good reason: Apart from those pesky leap years, it’s pretty straightforward! Named after Pope Gregory XIII, this type of calendar was first instituted in Europe in 1582. As a solar calendar, it uses the Earth’s position relative to the sun to determine the dates of the year. It is based on the Julian calendar, but reflects adjustments to make it more accurate with the Earth’s orbit around the sun.

Benefits of Gregorian Calendars for Small Businesses

This type of calendar is great for:

Giveaways & Promotions: Since this is the most common type of calendar, it’s likely that it’s the one your customers would be used to. That makes it a safe choice to pass out for promotional use.

Planning: While it doesn’t show how many days have passed or are left in a year, this calendar is still great for tracking important, upcoming dates.

Industries That Use Gregorian Calendars

As the most common type of calendar, most industries rely on and use Gregorian calendars. Here are a few examples of industries that often promote with and use Gregorian calendars:

Landscaping and home renovation

Automotive

Healthcare and dentistry

Tax preparation

What’s the Difference Between Julian vs Gregorian Calendars?

Name that orator: “I came, I saw, I calendared (oops, we mean “conquered”, of course!).” Yes, that’s right, the famous (and infamous) Julius Caesar! The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. The main difference between Julian and Gregorian calendars is the way they calculate leap years.

Imprecision of Julian Calendar: In the Julian calendar of historical popularity, each year has 365 days, with a leap year every four years. This system slightly overestimates the length of a solar year.

Correction of Gregorian Calendar: In the Gregorian calendar popular today, we see the same basic structure as the Julian calendar (365 days per year with a leap year every four years). However, it has a more complex leap year rule: Century years (e.g., 1600, 1700, 1800) are leap years only if they are divisible by 400. This corrects the slight overestimation of the solar year in the Julian calendar.

Most Popular Today: In terms of usage, the Julian calendar is still used by some Eastern Orthodox churches and in some astronomical calculations. By contrast, the Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar today.

What Is a Jewish Calendar?

Never want to miss a Jewish holiday? Reach for a Jewish calendar! The Jewish calendar marks religious holidays and festivals in the Jewish faith. The Jewish calendar typically starts in September or October because it’s based on the lunar cycle, which aligns with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. These custom calendars are a great giveaway to welcome new members of your Temple.

Common Types of Calendars

Today’s calendars continue to serve as essential tools for staying organized, staying on schedule, and adding a little style to any environment. Here are some common types:

Wall Calendars: Wall calendars provide a clear overview of the year and are great for visual planning. They also provide wall decor that adds aesthetic appeal to an office or home.

Desk Calendars: Desk calendars are perfect for daily reference and are an essential accessory at work and home. They often feature daily, weekly, or monthly views.

Pocket Planners: Pocket planners are convenient and portable, making them ideal for on-the-go professionals. They can easily be slipped into a pocket or bag.

Stick-On & Magnet Calendars: These calendars are versatile and eye-catching. They can be displayed on refrigerators, walls, cabinets, and other surfaces. They are ideal for quick reference and reminders.

Match the Calendar Type to Your Business

Give your customers a gift that helps them stay organised while keeping your name top of mind! Here are the most popular calendar types, including use cases to help you pick the calendar your recipients will appreciate most:

Wall Calendars: Great for displaying your logo in offices or homes, with ample space for your brand and messaging. Wall calendars are ideal for ongoing client relationships. They are great for promoting healthcare providers, charities, and banking institutions.

Desk Calendars: Great for office settings. Customize desk calendars to prominently display your brand and contact information while your clients are at work. They are great promotional tools for those in the legal, financial planning, and professional services industries.

Pocket Planners: Pocket planners are great giveaways for direct mail and special events. They are useful for on-the-go professionals, like sales reps, consultants, and field technicians.

Magnet & Stick-On Calendars: These convenient calendars work well for direct mail, and allow you to advertise your company on surfaces that are seen daily, such as refrigerators and file cabinets. This makes them ideal for companies offering services such as real estate, home maintenance, dental, car repair, and financial planning services.

Whether you’re looking to promote your brand, reward your employees, or educate your customers, promotional calendars are a versatile and effective tool.

Key Benefits of Custom Calendars

Clearly, custom calendars have been a proven marketing tool for centuries. And even with ubiquitous online calendar, we still love paper calendars for their tactile, “live and in-person” element, their aesthetic appeal, and their studied, slow-living vibe.

Let’s look at what makes calendars such a good choice for promoting your brand. Calendars are referenced daily by almost everyone, for planning personal, professional, and family events. A person looking at a calendar is focused and engaged. So, when your business name, charity, or school is displayed each time they glance at the date or add an appointment, your small business becomes a lot bigger in the minds of your recipients. Here are a few key benefits the custom calendar delivers:

Brand Awareness: Calendars are a year-round promotional tool. Every time your customer or employee looks at their calendar, they’re seeing your brand.

Customer Loyalty: Personalized calendars are a thoughtful gift that can strengthen customer relationships.

Employee Morale: Calendars can be a great way to recognise and reward employees. They’re also a practical tool that can help employees stay organised.

Why Custom Calendars Work

If you’re a small business owner, you probably know that customized calendars can be a powerful promotional product. When it comes to promotional products, calendars are a classic, practical choice. Here are a few statistics that underscore the importance of custom calendars, thanks to a research study on calendars conducted by PPAI¹:

76% of respondents look at their calendar between two and more than 10 times a day.

79% of respondents at businesses enjoy receiving calendars as a gift.

61% of respondents have a more favourable impression of the advertiser when they receive a custom calendar, and 49% have referred the company who gave them the calendar to somebody else.

78% of recipients who have received a custom calendar plan to do business with the advertiser in the future.

It’s clear that calendars can do so much more than just show you the date. But which one is best for advancing your brand? In order to see the biggest return on your investment, customize the calendar that’s most likely to be the one your recipient references daily.

Calendars We Recommend

Ready to create your own custom calendar for clients and crew? Below are a few of our bestsellers!

Reflections Wall Calendar

Mod Planner & Soft Touch Pen Set

Monthly Budget Pocket Planner & Calendar

Design Wrap Envelope-Size Magnetic Calendar

You’re at the end of our guide, and if there were a “calendar pro” course certificate, you’d have earned it! Now you know the difference between Julian vs Gregorian calendars, why the Gregorian calendar is the dominant choice, why the Jewish calendar starts in September, and what ordinal dates elapsed and remaining are good for. That’s impressive! Next step: Pick the promotional calendar that fits your brand and engages your customers daily.

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