Today, we’re going to look at how you can use holiday-themed promotions to give your sweepstakes marketing an extra-special holiday pick-me-up!

Why Use Holiday-Themed Promotions? It’s all About Staying Top of Mind with Your Nonprofit Donor Base

In marketing, they say it takes 12 touches before a buyer is ready to purchase. In nonprofit terms, that means that your donors may need up to 12 communications — email, social media posts, live events — before they’re ready to make a donation.

This is why it’s vitally important to consistently get the word out about your sweepstakes to your donor base and donors who may be interested in donating.

But you can’t reach out over and over again with the exact same message. Eventually, people will start tuning you out. The holidays present a perfect time to reach out to your base with fun-loving and festive encouragement to enter the sweepstakes!

You might have an enthusiastic member of your staff create a fun video to share with your donor base, and include a special holiday promo code like “PUMPKIN” or “TURKEY” or “HOHOHO.” Promo codes give your donors additional entries for free with a donation, and they’re a great marketing tool your nonprofit can use to track which e-blasts, social media posts and advertisements produce the most donations. (Remember, you’ll want to use promo codes in all your email and social media communications — read more about promo codes HERE).

Perhaps you just want to reach to your donor base to wish them a happy holiday and thank them for their support. The end of year holidays are also an excellent time to talk about your mission, explain how incoming donations support your cause, and reflect on the end of the year.

These are all great ways to leverage the holidays to help raise awareness of your TapKat sweepstakes, and ultimately, raise more funds.

Above all, the idea is to spread the word about your sweepstakes in a way that is fun, light-hearted, relatable, and will build enthusiasm.

Great Times to Promote Your TapKat Sweepstakes via Email and Social Media

You should plan to send out a dedicated e-blast with corresponding social media posts at least once per month during your sweepstakes. To help you get organized, here are some ideas for how to structure your promotional calendar…

Make an announcement when you launch the campaign
Once the prize is in play (ie., when you reach your minimum raise to award the grand prize)
If you’re adding a new prize to sweeten the deal
When you meet the minimum dollar amount to award your grand prize
When the clock is ticking and there isn’t much time left to enter
To thank your donors and let them know who won

There could be many more reasons — but this basic list should get you started off right!

Finding ways to make things fun for donors is where nonprofits tend to really shine, so pull out your creative thinking cap and let the ideas fly! Your donors, your board, and your cause will thank you.

If you’re in the process of putting together a marketing plan for your TapKat sweepstakes, be sure to check out our previous posts: How to Put Together a Successful Email Marketing Campaign for Your TapKat Sweepstakes and How to Market a TapKat Sweepstakes with Social Media. There, you’ll find some great reasons, tips and tricks to help you get organized and enthusiastic about kicking off a successful sweepstakes!

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