Did you know that over 63 million households in the United States have dogs? Dogs are wonderful companions full of energy, love, and personality. There’s a reason why dogs are referred to as a person’s best friend.

There’s no better way to celebrate our furry friends than National Dog Day. You can show your four-legged friend how much you care by giving them extra hugs or throwing a celebration. As a brand, National Dog Day is a great way to connect with your audience and showcase one of the most beloved animals.

Not sure where to get started promoting this national holiday? This guide will discuss the history behind the holiday and how you can incorporate it into your social media plan.

The history behind National Dog Day

Animal rescue advocate, pet and family lifestyle expert, and dog trainer Colleen Paige founded National Dog Day in 2004. It’s held each year on August 26. Paige is the founder of many other animal-related holidays, such as:

  • National Mutt Day
  • National Puppy Day
  • National Wildlife Day
  • National Cat Day

These holidays, including National Dog Day, are designed to bring attention to animals worldwide. The holidays also encourage people to adopt pets.

August 26 wasn’t chosen at random by Paige. It’s the day that Paige’s family adopted Sheltie, their first dog, from a local animal shelter. Paige was 10 years old at the time.

Since its inception, National Dog Day has increased in popularity. The New York State Senate wrote it into the state’s legislation in 2013.

The mission behind National Dog Day

All purebred and mixed breed dogs are celebrated on National Dog Day. One of the goals of the holiday is for people to recognize how many dogs need to get rescued every year. The holiday also acknowledges working and family dogs that work every day to bring us comfort and save lives.

Working dogs put themselves in harm’s way every day. Some of the ways dogs work with the public include:

  • Personal protection
  • Law enforcement
  • Sniffing out drugs and bombs
  • Detecting seizures and cancer

Dogs can recognize and do tasks that humans are unable to do.

For those who want to celebrate National Dog Day but don’t have a dog, people can encourage others who want a pup to go to a local shelter to adopt rather than a pet store.

How your company can promote National Dog Day

Any social media promotion aims to grab your audience’s attention while getting them to engage with your brand. You need to know who your target audience is, especially when making posts about National Dog Day.

It can be hard to determine how many of your followers are dog owners, but you can assume that most either own a dog themselves or know someone who does. People tend to be close to their pets. This holiday is an excellent opportunity to foster customer relationships and loyalty.

Host an Instagram giveaway

Most businesses these days are active on Instagram. Use the holiday as an opportunity to host an Instagram giveaway for dog owners.

You’ll want to choose a prize that appeals to a dog owner, like toys, food, treats, or accessories. You don’t have to be a pet-themed business to host this type of giveaway.

Consider partnering with a pet store for your prize giveaway. Partnering with another business lets you tap into their audience as well.

You can use the below items as the rules for your giveaway:

  • Mentioning three friends in the comments of your post
  • Liking the post
  • Following all of the accounts involved

The goal of your giveaway should be to increase your brand’s visibility, promote your products and grow your following.

For example, Django Brand, a company that makes dog harnesses and leashes, started hosting an Instagram giveaway for National Dog Day in May. You can begin increasing awareness around the holiday months before the day arrives, especially if people are looking for gifts for dogs.

Video and photo contests

Dogs are one of the most photogenic creatures on the planet. Create a photo and video contest to celebrate the holiday on your social media accounts.

Hosting a photo contest gives you the chance to gather user-generated content. You can also use this giveaway to reinforce your relationships with your customers.

A winner can be chosen for your contest at random or you can have your audience vote. Voting is an excellent opportunity to collect leads and attract more people to your contest.

When asking for submissions to your photo contest, ask your followers to tag your company and incorporate National Dog Day Hashtags into their captions. Using holiday-specific hashtags will increase the awareness of your company’s contest.

National Dog Day frequently asked questions

People can celebrate the holiday in different ways, such as checking to ensure their home is safe for dogs and donating blankets to a local animal shelter. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about National Dog Day.

What is National Dog Day?

National Dog Day is a day to recognize and celebrate our beloved four-legged friends. It’s also a day where you can encourage others to save a life by adopting dogs from local animal shelters.

When is National Dog Day?

Since 2004, National Dog Day has been held on August 26. There are other dog-themed holidays throughout the year for you to also celebrate, such as National Puppy Day.

Connect with your target audience by celebrating National Dog Day

Owning a dog isn’t a requirement to celebrate National Dog Day. Anyone can show their love and appreciation for pups everywhere on August 26. Impact your customer base by drawing their attention to this important holiday.

Sign up for a free trial of Sprout Social to schedule messages and access analytics for all of your social media accounts.