Since your raffle is online, the majority of your marketing will be online too.

Your marketing strategy will be mostly comprised of emails, social media, website, paid ads, special events and any other channels your organization may have. 

1. Assess your Audience

Is your audience more likely to purchase tickets to support your cause or the chance to win a prize? Will they purchase tickets immediately or wait for the approaching deadline? Will they share it with others voluntarily or will they need added incentives?

2. Assess your Assets

Consider the tools you have online and on your team. 

• Digital mass. Combine the number of followers you have on all social media channels, unique website visitors, and the number of email subscribers. 
• Ad spending. Do you have a budget to run ads on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram?
• Team. Do you have access to photographers, videographers, bloggers, designers, etc. to help you generate content to promote your raffle? 
• Events. Do you have large fundraising events during your raffle? How will you promote the raffle at the event?
• Raffle page. This is a tool given to all raffle organizations that if used properly, can make a big difference in your raffle success. 

3. Determine your Goals

What do you hope to accomplish with this raffle? How will your marketing strategy help you achieve this? What will be the keys to your success? 

4. Define your Channels

Many of these are outlined in your assets. Analyze which will be used to market your raffle and which will have the biggest impacts. 

• Email.
• Social Media. 
  • Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Website. 
• Raffle Page. 
• Ads. 
  • Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Events. 

5. Determine Tactics

Consider your objectives and what tactics will help to achieve them. 

Target Audience --> Desired Action

Digital Mass --> Ticket Purchases

Ticket Purchasers --> Share Raffle

Ticket Purchasers --> Repurchase 

Establish the Who and What in your plan. Who are they and what do you want them to do. This will help establish what is necessary to target each group through various channels. 

6. Schedule your Channels

After establishing your audience, objectives, and channels, determine how you will leverage each to maximize raffle sales. Outline the key milestones throughout your raffle.

We suggest:

1. Before the raffle is launched
2. Once the raffle is launched
3. When the pot is growing
4. When the deadline is approaching
5. When winners are posted
6. Thanking your supporters

You can certainly make posts and send emails outside of this structure, depending on how long your raffle is, how well it is doing, and how often you typically post online. If you need a content checklist and additional ideas for content creation, we have an article on that too. 

Coordinate these milestones with your emails, social media posts, website, ads, and events. It would help to create a marketing calendar which included your raffle timelines, as well as the use of all channels and assets. This will help to schedule, manage, and budget all marketing tactics. 

Email. Consider drafting emails in advance following our email blast model. Choose strategic times to send when sales need a boost and use other channels to reinforce your email marketing efforts. Consider using A/B testing if you have a large email list, this way you can test which buttons, images, stories, and slogans work the best. 

Social Media. You can create a social media strategy using our social media guide and draft posts in advance using our social media templates. Create a to-do list to include changing your biography links, adding banner images, and pinning links to the top of your feeds. A calendar will help space-out posts and allow you to plan out the necessary content for each. 

Website. Your website should have a banner image featuring the raffle (make it clickable) and have the links prevalent. It is also a great place to add additional information about the fundraising program, goals, and what the money will go towards. This information should be more in-depth than the content found on the raffle page itself. 

Raffle Page. It is very important to ensure your raffle page is filled in entirely. This includes a high-quality banner image, selecting organization colours, writing a compelling headline and information about your fundraising cause. You want your raffle page to be compelling and appealing enough to ensure persons will purchase tickets after you have directed them there.

• Consider purchasing a 'vanity' link to direct traffic to your raffle page. This will make it easier to add the link to graphics, posts, and other kinds of ads you may be running. 

Ads. Social media ads can take your posts a long way. You can either boost posts or upload creative ads like canvas, carousal, or video ads. Facebook can also target specific persons, whether it is through emails or page visits. Coordinate when to run ads for maximum effectiveness, taking into consideration peak times for social media usage and strategic timing in your raffle. For more information, read our 'how to run ads on social media' article. 

Events. How you market your raffle at an event is largely determined by what kind of event you are running. You could use the event to promote your raffle with posters, signs, or cards. If you set up a computer, an iPad, or an RSU unit, you can even sell tickets at the event. 

7. Execute your Strategy

Once the strategy is in place, the calendar is organized, and all roles are determined, it is time to start executing. During the raffle, it is important to monitor statistics available online through our platform, your email service, and social media channels. These services will provide you with ticket purchases, email opening and open rates, impressions, reach, and link clicks. Be sure to track throughout the process, so you will be able to recognize trends in ticket sales to establish the most effective channels for marketing your raffle. 

8. Review your Strategy

Using the data you have collected throughout the process, you can review your marketing strategy thus far. Analyze your opening rates, engagements, clicks, and ticket sales. Are you on track to reach your goal or are sales lagging? What is working and what isn't working? What needs to change? Go back to your strategy and your calendar to make the necessary adjustments - there is still time to make your raffle a success!

9. Get us Involved 

If you have followed these steps thus far and are still not pleased with your results, reach out to us. We have a team of customer success representatives and marketing experts wanting to help you succeed. Connect with us and we will do what we can to help!