The holidays are right around the corner, but don’t let the lack of a marketing plan stress you out. We’ve got your back with practical, last-minute holiday marketing tips to help you finish the year strong.
We're taking the most popular questions from our latest webinar and expanding upon them so you can boost your visibility, drive sales or donations, and create meaningful connections with your audience during the festive season.
You can view the webinar directly through Wistia or right here on the Blog!
Is it too late to start planning?
Not at all. If you’re feeling the crunch, decide on one goal to guide your campaign. Examples are increasing sales, bringing in donations, and showing gratitude. Once you have your goal, start planning. Need guidance? Download our Marketing Plan Worksheet. Set a realistic deadline to make your goal feel more achievable.
Also, don’t be afraid to re-use content you’ve created in the past (emails, social posts, etc) if it supports your goal.
Our nonprofit does an end-of-year appeal. Any ideas to make ours stand out?
Check out 11 Ways to Nail Your Holiday Fundraising Appeal This Giving Season. It’s important to acknowledge your donors on a more personal level and highlight how their contributions are positively impacting your nonprofit goals. Design-wise, there are a lot of template options to build from and make your own.
How can I encourage holiday season donors to leap into sustained monthly giving?
The above answer covers a lot of this ground, but emphasize to your seasonal donors how their contributions have made a positive impact and how much more sustained giving would allow your organization to accomplish your goals.
Do you have any thoughts about fundraising by raffling items for a minimum donation? We’re thinking that each donor will be entered into the raffle to win item(s) after making a minimum donation
This depends on the method in which you want to run a raffle. Running raffles legally and promoting them online requires compliance with local, state, and federal laws. Non-compliance can lead to legal issues, even if the raffle is for a non-profit. Please consult with your local governance and an experienced attorney to ensure you have the needed disclaimers and rules for your local area.
I already do emails. What else am I missing?
Be where your audience is. Create a presence on social media, such as a Facebook Business page, to reach a wider audience or offer a text-to-join option to share those immediate last-minute shopping deals via SMS marketing. Explore these tools and decide which ones work best for your specific needs and what you can set aside time to update and maintain. You don’t need to be everywhere or spend a lot of money right off the bat.
How do I get ready for Black Friday?
Schedule your campaigns ahead of time. Aim for three emails: a week before the holiday, the morning of, and one with a few hours left. This creates urgency and that “gotta buy it now” mindset!
We made it easy to create these emails with Black Friday templates available right in your account to use! You can search for them using the “Black Friday” keyword. Check out our Blog for more Black Friday tips and examples of campaigns.
A lot of emails that go out around the holidays are sales-related and it feels overwhelming. What else can I send to my contacts that doesn't involve selling a product?
We have lots of suggestions! Do you have any resources to share, like a handout or listicle (Top 10 Things...., 5 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress, etc)? Maybe they will enjoy a special recipe from an employee. You can have them participate in a contest such as a Ugly Sweater Contest or enter to win a gift card. Be a resource, not just a sales pitch.
This is also the time of year to express gratitude for your customers or donors' support throughout the year. A simple thank-you email can fit in perfectly with your holiday planning.
What would you recommend a construction equipment rental company send out to its contacts?
You could do a simple "happy holiday" message. Depending on your location and weather, if it's the slow season, you could offer a holiday discount for people to do projects while they're on vacation. Or use it to book equipment for the busy season.
What is a royalty-free image? Can I use them in my emails?
Yes, you can use these images. Royalty-free means you can use an image or other piece of content without paying a fee. You can alternatively purchase stock images and in that case, you'll do it within each stock image website.
I host some community events during the holidays. Any advice on how to go about securing new email opt-ins?
Ideally, you'll want to ask people to subscribe to your emails within your event's registration. It's recommended that within your registration, the box be unchecked as you want registrants to check the box on their own to subscribe. Check out Constant Contact's event tool, where you can set this up right within the registration process. It's a great way to create and manage events.
Do you offer services to put campaigns together for those of us if we don't have time?
Yes! We offer various levels of services to help you out. Visit our Professional Services page for a rundown of all options.
Where do you find previous webinars from Constant Contact? This was really informative.
You can find all of our webinar recordings under our On-Demand Webinars page to watch on your own time.
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