Celebrated on the first Friday of every June, National Donut Day is a day to celebrate donuts and the women who served donuts to soldiers on the front lines during the First World War. It is a day that is mainly celebrated in the United States but other donut shops around the world like to participate.

Thinking up new small business marketing ideas can seem like a challenge. With so many other things on the agenda to get done, who has time to be creative? Here are some easy ways to celebrate the day in business.

Ideas for Donut Day deals

Give away free donuts

Who doesn’t loves a freebie? If you’re concerned about losing profits, there are several ways to do this. Just give the first x amount of customers a free donut or if they make a purchase over a certain amount, throw a donut in as a thank you. If you own a donut shop then create a deal where customers receive an extra donut at no charge when they purchase a box of 6 or 12.

Offer specialty toppings

Gourmet goes a long way. Rather than just standard cake or glazed donuts, provide a variety of toppings for guests to choose from. They don’t have to be elaborately decorated, just fun and surprising. Create some donuts with well known chocolate brands and something extra special for the kids.

Set up a donut bar

Self-serve bars are becoming popular for all types of foods. They create an experience for the customer and are fun activities for people with kids. Start with a plain glazed donut and then add toppings but set them out in bowls with spoons for people to customize their donuts to their liking.

Discount-related items

Create limited-time combo deals when a customer pairs a donut with coffee, tea or extra indulgent, a hot chocolate.

Bonus idea for ice cream shops

Come up with an outrageous “donut sundae” available while supplies last. Pile a donut (or more than one!) with a complementary flavour of your ice cream, and top with nuts, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and caramel.

But even if you don’t have a detailed plan for this year’s Donut Day, here are a few ideas that will help you make the best of the day:,

donut-naming competition,
donut-drawing competition,
send donut boxes to partners,
include donut-themed graphics in your marketing visuals,
decorate your offices with donut-shaped balloons.

To save time please see the free download for a ‘design a donut’ colouring in competition just for you!

Design A Donut

Simple marketing ideas like these are relatively easy to implement and can result in improved relationships and rapport with your customers. Enjoy!