Okay everybody, it is April 2 and time to firm up your plans for Better Sleep Month. But before I get started, did you have anyone get you on April Fools’ Day? Check out these YouTube videos if you missed out on the fun – that way you don’t feel left out. The first video is a great mash-up of ideas on how to really cause trouble with your friends or family next year. Or THIS ONE, where this kid tells his parents he got his girlfriend pregnant. I don’t know about you, but in my house that would not have been very funny. But I digress. Let’s get back to Better Sleep business.

In the past I have talked about connecting your company to Better Sleep Month in some way, shape, or form. If you are already making the connection, good for you. I hope you are seeing results from your efforts. But if you are not seeing results, then why? Consider that by simply connecting your company to Better Sleep Month, you are saying that you stand for something more than just a mattress, accessory, or component. Your role in business is to help people sleep better, which is what this is all about, right?

I don’t care what you do, but for crying out loud, do something! We as an industry all have a responsibility to carry the water here and make sure that everyone we know is aware. Here are a few ideas for you: 

• Simply add a line to your e-mail signature that says something about the fact that it is Better Sleep Month. Don’t you think your friends outside of the industry would like a reason to catch more zzzz’s? You can always slip in a link to The Better Sleep Council – there are great things happening there for Better Sleep Month. This year it is the Better Sleep Challenge, so you have to check it out!
• Do something internally for the people in your own company. How about allowing 20-minute power naps around the 3 p.m. hour. Let’s test out the theory that naps can actually increase productivity.
• If you are a retailer or producer placing ads in May, are you including this handle to create interest? It will, you know.
• Many of you have LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or maybe even Pinterest accounts, so are you going to talk it up in your own social media world?

Maybe these suggestions don’t sound like much, but when you have an entire industry participating this way, we can actually make an impact. Don’t just leave it up to your company, because you can participate (even if it is just you).

This is our month people, so let’s not screw it up. Have a meeting, make some plans, and beat the Better Sleep Month drum until you bust a hole in it!

What are you planning? Tell me in the comments section.