Marketing Dates and Key Business Opportunities for January 2026

Formations Wise - marketing and business dates for January 2026

January sets the tone for the year ahead – a strategic, forward-looking month where UK businesses move from festive trading into planning, optimisation, and fresh starts. It’s a time to review performance, reset budgets, refine priorities, and put new goals into action, while also dealing with the first wave of post-Christmas admin and compliance responsibilities.

From New Year campaigns and January sales to more reflective, purpose-led dates such as International Day of Education and Data Protection Day, January offers valuable opportunities to re-engage audiences, reposition your brand around growth and improvement, and tap into renewed customer motivation. It’s also a crucial month for getting organised behind the scenes – from cash-flow forecasting and tax planning to preparing for upcoming submissions to Companies House and HMRC later in the quarter.

Whether you’re refining your marketing strategy, onboarding new clients, or laying the operational foundations for a successful year, this guide explores the key marketing dates, business opportunities, and practical considerations for January 2026 – helping you start the year with clarity, confidence, and momentum.

Key Accounting Dates – January 2026

January is a critical month for UK businesses from an accounting and compliance perspective. With multiple tax payments, returns, and reporting obligations falling early in the year, staying on top of these deadlines helps you avoid penalties, manage cash flow more effectively, and establish a strong operational rhythm for the months ahead.

DateDeadline
1 JanuaryCorporation Tax payment due for companies with 28 February 2025 year ends
1 JanuaryNew advisory fuel rates published for company car drivers
7 JanuaryVAT return submission and payment (online) for month or quarter ending 31 October 2025
19 JanuaryPAYE, National Insurance and CIS payment (postal) for month ending 5 December 2025
19 JanuaryCIS return due for payments made to subcontractors in the month ending 5 December 2025
22 JanuaryPAYE, National Insurance and CIS payment (electronic) for month ending 5 December 2025
30 JanuarySelf Assessment: payment of 2024–25 tax via PAYE coding out (online returns only)
31 JanuaryCorporation Tax returns due for companies with 31 December 2024 year ends

Staying organised with these January deadlines can make a noticeable difference to your workload and stress levels as the year gets underway. Setting reminders, reviewing cash flow early, and getting professional support where needed can help ensure everything is handled smoothly – leaving you free to focus on planning, growth, and execution.

For a full breakdown of January 2026 accounting dates and deadlines, visit:
Important January 2026 Accounting Dates and Deadlines

Key Marketing and Social Media Dates – January 2026

January is all about fresh starts, healthier habits, and post-festive resets. For many brands, it’s a strong month for wellbeing-led messaging, value-focused offers, and content centred on improvement, reflection, and planning. Audiences are typically receptive to practical advice, positive change, and brands that help them feel more organised and motivated.

All month: 1–31 January 2026

  • Ginuary
  • Dry January
  • Veganuary

These month-long themes are particularly effective for food, drink, health, hospitality, and lifestyle brands, but they also work well as broader metaphors for discipline, habit-building, sustainability, and reset-focused messaging across many sectors.

Marketing dates – January 2026

DateEvent
1 January 2026New Year’s Day
2 January 2026New Year’s Day (observed)
5 January 2026Twelfth Night
6 January 2026National Shortbread Day
16 January 2026International Hot & Spicy Food Day
19 January 2026Blue Monday
19 January 2026National Popcorn Day
20 January 2026National Cheese Lovers Day
24 January 2026Peanut Butter Day
25 January 2026Burns Night
26 January 2026Australia Day
27 January 2026Chocolate Cake Day
27 January 2026Holocaust Memorial Day
31 January 2026Hot Chocolate Day

January’s calendar offers a well-balanced mix of light-hearted food moments, cultural events, and more reflective awareness days. Used thoughtfully, these dates can support promotional campaigns, social media content, brand storytelling, and community engagement – helping your business start the year with relevance, sensitivity, and purpose.

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Trade Shows & Exhibitions – January 2026

January is a strong month for exhibitions and trade shows, with businesses across retail, travel, education, health, and lifestyle sectors kicking off the year with networking, sourcing, and trend-spotting events. For brands, startups, and growing companies, these shows provide valuable opportunities to build partnerships, test new ideas, and generate early-year momentum.

Whether you’re attending to research suppliers, exhibiting to raise brand visibility, or exploring expansion and franchise opportunities, January events tend to attract motivated decision-makers who are actively planning for the year ahead.

DatesEventLocation
10–11 January 2026Adventure Travel ShowBusiness Design Centre, London
13–15 January 2026Source FashionOlympia London
15–18 January 2026DESTINATIONS: The Travel & Holiday ShowManchester Central Convention Complex
17–18 January 2026Bradford Premier Small Animal ShowDoncaster Racecourse
18–21 January 2026January Furniture ShowNEC, Birmingham
21–23 January 2026Education Show @ BETTExCeL London
28–29 January 2026The Festival of Genomics & BiodataExCeL London
29 January – 1 February 2026DESTINATIONS: The Travel & Holiday ShowOlympia London
30–31 January 2026The British & International Franchise ExhibitionOlympia London
31 January – 1 February 2026The National Running ShowNEC, Birmingham

Attending or exhibiting at January trade shows can be an effective way to set priorities for the year ahead, spot emerging trends early, and get your brand in front of engaged, forward-thinking audiences. With many businesses actively planning budgets and partnerships at this stage, these events offer a strong platform to start the year proactively and with purpose.

Tips for Planning January 2026

January is a reset month for UK businesses – calmer than December, but no less important. It’s where strategy turns into action, budgets meet reality, and early decisions begin to shape performance for the rest of the year. With tax deadlines, renewed customer expectations, and fresh marketing opportunities converging, a well-planned January creates clarity, confidence, and momentum.

New-Year Focus & Business Reset

  • Review and refine your priorities
    Analyse December performance and year-end results, then refine your 2026 objectives into practical, short-term actions. January works best when big ambitions are broken down into achievable Q1 milestones that can be reviewed and adjusted quickly.
  • Get ahead on compliance and cash flow
    January brings key tax deadlines and administrative responsibilities. Reconcile accounts, review cash-flow forecasts, and ensure systems are ready for upcoming HMRC and Companies House submissions. Early organisation helps prevent unnecessary pressure later in the quarter.
  • Re-engage existing customers
    January is ideal for relationship-led messaging. Share what’s ahead for the year, highlight improvements or new services, and remind customers why they chose your business in the first place.

January Campaigns & Commercial Opportunities

Capitalise on January sales behaviour

Consumers tend to be more value-focused in January. Position offers around practicality, improvement, and long-term benefit rather than urgency or impulse-driven messaging.

Align with wellbeing and lifestyle resets

Month-long themes such as Dry January, Veganuary, and Ginuary naturally support content around health, balance, and positive change. These themes work well across email, social, and blog content when approached authentically.

Use lighter cultural moments

Dates such as Blue Monday (19 January), Burns Night (25 January), and National Cheese Lovers Day (20 January) provide accessible hooks for timely, engaging content without the need for heavy production.

Team & Operational Planning

Set expectations early

Use January to confirm workloads, priorities, and deadlines for Q1. Clear direction helps teams settle quickly after the festive break and reduces avoidable friction.

Support post-holiday wellbeing

January can feel flat after December’s intensity. Encouraging manageable workloads, flexible planning, and open communication helps maintain morale and productivity.

Update systems and processes

If changes were planned in December – such as new tools, workflows, or reporting processes – January is the ideal time to implement them while activity levels are still relatively controlled.

Content & Social Media Ideas for January

January content performs best when it feels useful, reassuring, and forward-looking. Audiences want clarity, structure, and brands that feel prepared.

Practical, value-driven content

  • Share “what to expect” messaging
    Outline what customers can expect from you in 2026 – service updates, upcoming launches, or improvements based on feedback. This helps build confidence and trust.
  • Educational and planning-led posts
    January is ideal for guides, checklists, and explainer content that helps your audience get organised for the year ahead.

Human and brand-building content

  • Behind-the-scenes planning
    Share how your business plans, sets goals, or prepares for Q1. This demonstrates professionalism and reinforces trust and credibility.
  • Highlight your people
    Introduce team members, share internal goals, or spotlight how different departments support customers. Human-led content helps reconnect audiences after the holiday break.

Thoughtful awareness-led messaging

  • Blue Monday (19 January)
    If referenced, approach this date carefully. Focus on support, balance, and practical wellbeing rather than negativity or overt sales messaging.
  • Reflective moments with purpose
    January is well suited to content about learning from the past year and improving systems, habits, or outcomes – both professionally and personally.

Email Marketing That Works in January

Early January

Send a “welcome back” or “here’s what’s coming” email to re-establish presence and direction after the festive break.

Mid-January

Share helpful resources, planning tools, or insights that support customers through the new year. Soft promotion typically performs better than hard selling at this stage.

Late January

Reinforce momentum with reminders of key deadlines, upcoming launches, or February plans to keep engagement strong into the next month.

A well-structured January isn’t about doing everything at once. By focusing on clarity, consistency, and purposeful communication, you give your business the strongest possible start to 2026 and set the tone for sustainable growth throughout the year.

January 2026 Final Thoughts

January is where intent turns into action. It’s the month when plans are tested, routines are established, and early decisions begin shaping the year ahead. While it may feel quieter than December, January is one of the most influential months for UK businesses when it comes to building structure, financial discipline, and operational momentum.

Handled well, January creates space to strengthen foundations, refine processes, and re-engage customers with clarity and confidence. From setting realistic goals and managing early-year tax responsibilities to launching fresh campaigns and improving internal systems, the work done now has an impact that extends well beyond Q1.

At Formations Wise, we support UK entrepreneurs and limited companies at every stage of their journey – from company formation and registered office services to ongoing compliance and business support. Our tools and expertise are designed to keep your business organised, compliant, and moving forward from day one.

Start the year with clarity, confidence, and control and let January become the platform for a successful 2026.

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