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Timing Your Text Message Sweepstakes for Seasonal Promotions

Summer is coming to an end and now is the right time to prepare your business for a holiday text message sweepstakes. Here are some tips to help you plan.

Timing is Key

Improving the odds of success for your promotion is all about getting your sweepstakes in front of your audience at the right time. Begin months in advance to plan, promote, and execute a text sweepstakes. Everything should be ready to launch at least two months ahead to give you time.

Customers Shop Early for the Holidays

According to research by the National Retail Federation, roughly 40% of holiday shoppers start shopping before Halloween. When asked why they start so early, 61.9% reported that they did so in order to spread out their spending.

Another 51% of shoppers reported that they do it in order to avoid the stress and crowds that come along with last-minute shopping.

Plan Months in Advance for Holiday Sweeps

With this information in hand, it’s clear that you’ll want to start your text message sweepstakes around the same your customers start shopping.

To get ahead of your competitors and improve the chances that you reach your customers at the right time, you should plan months in advance, with your sweepstakes running during the month leading up to most holidays. For the Christmas holiday however, we recommend you start as early as September.

Remember, you want to make an impact during peak shopping periods before the actual holiday.

Also Read: Planning for Next Year? Ideas for Your Text to Win Sweepstakes

Use the Extra Time to Promote Your Sweepstakes

Starting early means you’ll also have extra time to promote it. Take full advantage of the time leading up to your text sweepstakes to ensure that your customers know it’s coming.

Be Consistent & Agile

Above all, be consistent. Whether or not your text message sweepstakes changes significantly from year to year, if your customers expect a seasonal promotion from you, make sure you deliver it on time.

Also, review results both during and after the promotion. While you can’t change the sweepstakes mid-stream, you CAN increase marketing or digital advertising to get the results you need.

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