Have a business anniversary coming up? Whether it’s the second or 20th anniversary celebration, we’ll help you take advantage of the milestone.
Each milestone is deserving of a celebration, especially when we take into consideration that 45% of new businesses fail during the first five years.
But before you order balloons and food for the office, consider alternative ways to honor the occasion.
From celebrating the business anniversary with social media posts to giveaways, the occasion can be marked in a way that is unique to your brand.
Here are some of our best company anniversary campaigns to help you celebrate a momentous occasion in a clever way:
Look to the Past
Each image has a memory, a story.
For many of us, we have a fascination with pouring over old photos — whether it’s from camping five years ago or your grandmother’s wedding 50 years ago.
Ask your audience to send you photos or stories of their memories at your business. Allow your past and current customers the opportunity to showcase their experience.
This can work for a multitude of businesses, like automotive dealerships, landscapers, interior decorators, wedding venues, and many others.
After receiving their permission, share the photos and the stories on the company’s social media profiles, where applicable.
Make sure to share your own photos and stories, too. Your brand’s audience will want to see how the business — and staff — looked 20 years ago.
Want to encourage more interaction? Randomly select a winner from the comments or from a customer who submitted their own photo(s) to win a prize, like a gift certificate or an anniversary gift basket.
The Mazda Motor Corporation celebrated its 100th anniversary on January 30, 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold and restrictions were put in place, the automotive manufacturer had to switch gears.
Celebrating the momentous occasion online meant showcasing the storied history of the company and encouraging customer interaction.
Consumers were asked to use #Mazda100Years to showcase their love for the brand. And as of June 2021, there are over 17,700 posts using the branded hashtag on Instagram.
Using this hashtag, the company has received interactions with consumers and fans from around the globe. It was a simple, yet thoughtful, way to encourage engagement from the brand’s audience.
Celebrate Employees
Highlighting the past is important but showcasing those who help your business operate like a well-oiled machine is just as important.
Turn the milestone celebration into a month-long event with posts about the team and how long they’ve been working for the company. These posts can be as simple or as robust as you like.
Whether it’s a photo with a short blurb or a long post about their time with the company, it uses the anniversary to illustrate that the staff is appreciated.
Now more than ever, audiences are drawn to companies that treat employees well and reward them for their hard work.
Want to go bolder? Give your employees a special bonus or gift for the big milestones like the 25th, 50th, or 100th anniversaries.
It’s a great way to take care of your employees and an easy thing to share on the brand’s social media platforms.
Celebrating the staff can also come in the form of carefully curated design work.
A member of the team may decide they wish to remain behind the scenes or prefer not to share a picture of themselves.
To highlight this staff member, ask a member of your design team to make an avatar in their likeness.
Other design work to mark the occasion can include cards or postcards to show appreciation to employees and clients.
This special touch can help to instill a sense of importance and leave a lasting impression.
Make it Rain (Coupons)
Here’s an easy one.
Is it the 10th anniversary? Give your customers a coupon for $10 or 10% off a purchase or service.
This could also be a good celebration idea for a company that has reached the 20th anniversary milestone. It’s a momentous occasion and clients would certainly enjoy a 20% discount.
Hitting a number that’s a bit too steep for a discount? Instead of $100 off, offer the discount to the first 100 customers who like a specified post on Facebook, Instagram, or another platform.
This can go beyond social media posts.
Maybe the next email sent to your list of subscribers has the special offer at the top, followed by other conversion-driving offers to intrigue the audience.
If you find that leads need a boost, it could be wise to place the coupon or voucher behind a form on a page of the company’s website.
This will encourage the reader to click through the email to complete the form so they can receive a special discount.
The form with coupon can be exclusive to email subscribers with a private page or it can be offered to anyone who lands on the website.
An added bonus would be to have the reader looking at your website to sign up for the email list, if they aren’t currently a subscriber.
You encourage interaction with the company e-mail blast, and the audience gets a great deal. It’s a win-win.
Next time a milestone comes up for your business, consider one of these ideas. These ideas and many others can help to boost your business and keep the brand top-of-mind with your customer and audience base.
For more of the best company anniversary campaign ideas, how to keep your audience engaged with tailored design work, and social media posts, contact us today.
