Want to keep your customers engaged without breaking the bank? One of the best ways to increase your social media presence, customer engagement, and brand awareness is to launch a contest. When done properly, a contest can do wonders for your business. Contests help make your target audience excited about your company, causing them to talk about your company or spread news about your contest to others. Contests can also help you promote new products, gain new email subscribers, and develop a positive reputation for your brand.
If you want to take advantage of these benefits, you should start planning a contest for your business. Here are four steps you should take in order to run a successful contest:
1. Choose a desirable prize Customers who are excited about your contest will lose interest if you have a disappointing prize. In order to make sure that your giveaway is generating the buzz you want for your business, you need to make the prize an item that will attract attention. While big ticket items are sure to turn heads, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg to offer a great prize for your customers. Consider your target audience and think about what they would like to receive. Your prizes should be tailor picked to suit your audience. If you have any merch that advertises your brand, include an item or two with the prize. This will allow your contest winner to help you increase your brand recognition and advertise for your company. Develop a budget for your contest and use it to come up with a prize that your target audience will want to win.
2. Require an action step In order to enter your contest giveaway, consumers need to complete some sort of action that will be favorable for your business. Require individuals to sign up for your email list in order to enter your contest. Email marketing has a higher return on investment than any other marketing channels, including social media sites. By asking people to subscribe to your email list, you will give your company the chance to have future interactions with everyone who enters your contest.
3. Choose a contest type There are countless different types of contests you can launch. If you want your contest to help your business, you need to decide which type of contest would best engage your target audience. Here are a few kinds of contests you can run with ease:
Social media contests There are over 3.2 billion social media users across the world, and this number is only expected to grow. Draw these users to your page by using your social media accounts to create a contest. When you create a social media contest, your followers will not be the only ones winning. You will gain new followers and increase your brand loyalty and recognition. Create a social media contest where people post comments, make videos, or show pictures using a hashtag that is specific to your brand. People who see your hashtag will be intrigued and want to click to find out more information. This will help you interact with your current audience while also reaching new users.
Giveaways An easy way to boost your customer engagement is to host a giveaway. Everyone loves winning prizes! The chance the win big in a giveaway is enough to get your customers talking about your company. Set a time limit on your giveaway to give your consumers a sense of urgency, and ask them to take an action step like sharing the giveaway online, subscribing to your email, or following your social media accounts in order to enter.
Review contests Offer a contest for customers who leave a review on your website or social media page. You can enter anyone who leaves a review within a certain window of time the chance to win a prize. Review contests are great for your business because they encourage your customers to recall positive interactions they have had with your company and they show prospective customers that your brand is trustworthy.
4. Promote your contest If you do not promote your contest, it will fizzle out without making much of an impact. Figure out the best way to advertise and announce your contest to your target audience so that they are aware of your contest and eager to enter. There are several ways in which you can promote your contest:
● Email campaign
● Social media posts
● Advertisements
You can also try giving away extra entries for people who share your giveaway on social media or post about the giveaway using a specific hashtag. Whichever ways you choose to use, make sure that you get the word out about your contest so that you can see great results.
5. Post about your winner Announcing the name and photo of your giveaway winner will encourage your followers to continue to engage with your brand and enter future contests you offer. Showcasing the winner lets your audience know that winning is possible, which will make them think positively about your brand. This also gives you another opportunity to connect with your followers. Ask them to comment on or share the announcement post if they would like to see more giveaways in the future. These positive interactions are priceless when it comes to building brand loyalty.
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