January 2025 - Southern View Media

Planning your social media content in advance is key to staying relevant and engaging your audience. February offers a range of unique social media holidays and observances that business owners can leverage to create fun, meaningful and timely content. Below, we’ve curated a list of notable holidays and tips on how to incorporate them into your social media strategy for February 2025.

Month-Long Observances:

These observances span the entire month and are great for recurring themes in your content calendar.

Black History Month

Content Idea: Share inspiring stories of Black entrepreneurs, historical figures or influencers in your industry. Highlight your own diversity and inclusion efforts.

National Heart Month

Content Idea: Post heart-healthy tips, promote any wellness-related services or share stories about your business’s involvement in health initiatives.

Week-Long Observances:

Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 11-17)

Content Idea: Encourage your audience to perform small acts of kindness and share their stories in the comments. Highlight how your business gives back to the community.

National Entrepreneurship Week (February 17-23)

Content Idea: Celebrate local entrepreneurs or your own business journey. Share tips for aspiring entrepreneurs in your field.

Daily Social Media Holidays:

February 2: Groundhog Day

Content Idea: Create a fun poll or meme asking your audience if they think spring will come early. Tie it into your business offerings with “shadow” discounts or early spring promotions.

February 4: World Cancer Day

Content Idea: Share educational resources, personal stories or ways your business supports cancer awareness and research.

February 9: National Pizza Day

Content Idea: Everyone loves pizza! Run a fun contest asking followers to share their favorite pizza toppings for a chance to win a discount or giveaway.

February 11: National Inventors’ Day

Content Idea: Highlight innovative products or services your business offers. Share the story behind your company’s “big idea.”

February 14: Valentine’s Day

Content Idea: Share customer appreciation posts or run a Valentine’s Day-themed promotion. Showcase how your business spreads love year-round.

February 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day

Content Idea: Post a challenge encouraging your audience to do a kind deed and tag your business. Share stories of kindness from your team or customers.

February 20: National Love Your Pet Day

Content Idea: Ask your followers to share pictures of their pets and showcase your team’s furry friends. Tie in pet-related promotions if relevant.

February 24: World Bartender Day

Content Idea: Shout out to local bars and bartenders. If your business is in hospitality, highlight your bartending staff or favorite cocktails.

Hashtags to Use in February

Maximize your reach by including relevant hashtags in your social media posts:

#BlackHistoryMonth
#HeartHealth
#GroundhogDay
#ValentinesDay
#LoveYourPetDay
#RandomActsOfKindness

Tips for Creating Engaging Social Media Content:

Use Visuals: Posts with images, videos or graphics perform better on social media.
Ask Questions: Get your audience involved with polls, questions or interactive content.
Be Timely: Posting content that ties into holidays or events keeps your brand relevant.
Incorporate Stories: Use Instagram and Facebook Stories to share quick, engaging content related to these holidays.

Get Creative with Your Content Calendar

February is full of opportunities to engage with your audience, promote your brand and join fun online conversations. By planning your social media content around these holidays, you can stay ahead of the curve and keep your feed fresh and engaging.

Need help crafting the perfect content calendar? Southern View Media is here to guide you! Reach out to us today, and let’s make your social media strategy a success.

Creating a marketing budget for 2025 can feel daunting, especially for companies with less than 100 employees. However, a well-planned budget is key to driving growth and achieving your business goals. Whether you’re focused on B2B or B2C marketing, this guide will help you allocate your resources effectively and make the most of your marketing dollars.

A marketing budget helps you plan, prioritize and track your spending to maximize ROI. It ensures that you’re investing enough in brand awareness, lead generation and customer retention to sustain growth. The right budget allocation depends on your business size, goals and industry, but understanding general benchmarks can provide a strong starting point.

For Companies with Under 100 Employees

Smaller companies typically allocate 33%-48% of their budget to both marketing and sales efforts, whether they are B2B or B2C. To achieve optimal results, the Southern View Crew recommends the following breakdown for your marketing budget:

1. Brand Awareness – 30%

This portion of your budget is dedicated to making your business recognizable and memorable to your audience. It focuses on increasing visibility and positioning your brand as an industry leader.

Examples:

Social Media Ads: Run campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn to reach new audiences.
Content Marketing: Create high-quality blog posts, videos and infographics that educate and engage your audience.
PR and Sponsorships: Partner with local events, charities or influencers to gain visibility.

2. Lead Nurturing and Remarketing – 15%

Lead nurturing focuses on building relationships with your audience, while remarketing ensures you stay top of mind for potential customers who have already shown interest in your products or services.

Examples:

Email Campaigns: Send personalized follow-ups to leads who downloaded a guide or visited your website.
Retargeting Ads: Use Google Ads or social media retargeting to re-engage users who didn’t convert on their first visit.
Customer Loyalty Programs: Implement offers or discounts for returning customers.

3. Lead Generation – 60%

This is the largest portion of your budget, aimed at acquiring new customers and driving sales. Lead generation is all about converting interest into action.

Examples:

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads: Invest in Google Ads to capture intent-based leads.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Improve your website’s ranking to attract organic traffic.
Webinars and Events: Host events to connect directly with potential clients.

For Companies with Over 100 Employees

Larger organizations often operate differently, with budgets tied closely to revenue. Here’s what we see on average:

B2C Brands That Provide Services: Spend approximately 15% of their revenue on marketing, which is about 14.9% of their overall budgets.
B2B Companies That Sell Services: Allocate around 12% of their revenue toward promoting their business.

For larger companies, the focus shifts to scaling brand awareness and maintaining strong customer relationships.

Example Allocations for Larger Companies:

Brand Awareness (30%): National advertising campaigns, sponsorships of major events or expanding into new markets.
Lead Generation (50%): Advanced analytics and CRM tools to optimize large-scale campaigns.
Customer Retention (20%): Developing robust loyalty programs or enhancing customer service.

Steps to Build Your 2025 Marketing Budget

Review Past Performance:
- Look at the ROI of past campaigns to determine what worked and what didn’t.
Set Clear Goals:
- Decide whether your focus will be on lead generation, retention or brand awareness.
Analyze Industry Benchmarks:
- Use percentages outlined here to gauge how much you should allocate.
Segment by Campaign Type:
- Divide your budget into brand awareness, lead generation and nurturing to create a balanced plan.
Monitor and Adjust:
- Regularly review your spending and ROI throughout the year to make adjustments.

Whether your business is small or large, allocating your marketing budget strategically will help you maximize your reach, engage your audience and grow your revenue. With the benchmarks and suggestions outlined here, you’re well on your way to creating a successful marketing strategy for 2025.Need help planning your marketing efforts? The Southern View Crew is here to guide you every step of the way. Schedule a free consultation today!