Holding a social media contest is a great way to get people talking about your business and get them more invested in it. Actually, 52% of customers agree that entering a contest makes them feel closer to the business.
However, not all online communities are created equal. You need to learn the ins and outs of each platform and design a contest that plays to their strengths to get the most out of your competition. This will increase the likelihood of individuals engaging with your brand and its message.
Furthermore, several tournaments facilitate the accomplishment of various aims. A giveaway, for instance, is a fantastic tool for expanding your clientele. Alternatively, user-generated content contests are fantastic for spreading the word about a company.
Make the competition fun to watch
People enter contests because they want to win something, but if the focus is solely on the prize, the event loses its appeal. If the contest is well-designed, people will enter regardless of the reward, and you will have reached your whole audience.
The aim is to make the competition memorable, regardless of the outcome. For the Real Beauty competition on Dove’s Facebook page, ladies were prompted to “tell us why your friend represents Real Beauty.” Participation was valuable since it resulted in emotions of love for those involved that go beyond superficial attraction.
Because of how this makes people feel, it fosters genuine loyalty to the brand.
Hashtags on Instagram
- With 700 million monthly active users, Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms there is. An Instagram hashtag contest is a great way to gain exposure and new followers. To enter, Instagram users will upload a photo and include your own hashtag.
- Instagram’s finest feature is its connection to Facebook, another social media giant. As a result, the pictures will appear in both locations. A winner might be determined by a majority of shareholder votes or by the firm itself.
- Mindzai Creative is a print design company that held a contest for the best print design submitted by its customers. They then presented two winners with prizes, one chosen by Instagram followers and the other by the Mindzai team.
Seize the enthusiasm that comes after a contest.
You just invested a lot of time and energy into expanding your consumer base and advertising your giveaway. What you do now is really important. It’s important to get in touch with your new leads as soon as possible once the contest winner has been declared.
Offering a discount to all participants, providing a free trial, or inviting them to a VIP event are all terrific ways to keep the “winning” vibe going. Highlight recent accomplishments or planned releases. Give them easy access to further information about your company by providing them with links to your website and social media accounts.
Native Union, for example, informed YouTube contest winners of a 15% discount on all of their cable offerings, as well as updates on what goods were trending and how to find them, as well as connections to all of their social media accounts.
So, to sum up
You need a well-defined contest plan to not only boost sales but also expand your brand’s reach. Prizes for competitions should be interesting and useful to the target audience of your business.
Don’t forget to spread the word about your rivals on every platform and analyse their strengths so you can exploit them to your advantage.
Finally, make use of your newly acquired audience by including a call to action in your post-contest message.