Currently, it is common that social networks are used to generate communication between customers and a company or brand. Not only can this grow online presence but it can also encourage the participation of users through publishing of content and the comments system. Users also use social networks to send queries and suggestions.
As part of your company’s marketing strategy, you should consider organizing a contest on social networks. These competitions can be effective as they are very easy to participate in. In addition, users can share publications they like and even show their creativity.
In this article, we mention useful tips for social network contests that you may want to organize.
Establish your goal
Before thinking about the type of contest you will organize, it is important to determine what your marketing objectives are when organizing and launching a contest on social networks. Is it to gain followers? Get potential customers? Encourage the participation of users? Generate content? Do you focus on your audience or do you want to reach a new audience?
You must organize your contest based on the objective you have in mind, otherwise, you will not be able to measure the results and use them in subsequent competitions to improve. So think carefully about your goal before organizing any social media contest.
Organize a contest that is true to your brand
The time has come to decide on the type of contest you will organize. There are three decisive factors when deciding on the type of contest to run: your brand, your audience and the platform where the contest will take place.
In certain cases, it will be more appropriate to hold a contest that requires little effort from users such as taking a photograph, uploading it to their personal account and adding certain labels. Tagging two friends on Facebook or sharing a post obviously requires more dedication on the part of users. In this type of simple contests, it is likely that more people will join so if you want to win new followers, this type of contest is ideal. On the other hand, if you want to improve the brand’s valuation and create a closer relationship with users, a contest in which it is a bit more complex to enter may be the ideal option.
Offer a prize that is of value to your users
You should not only consider the type of contest to perform but also the prize that will be awarded to the lucky winner. This award is the main motivation of your users and followers. It is true that many people like to get free products and services, so it is likely that many people will participate. However, just like the contest, the prize must be aligned with your brand.
You should invest not only time but also some money in the organization of the contest. You can choose to buy a product related to your brand, partner with another company to offer a product or give away purchase vouchers from your own online store.
Here are some great prize ideas for women’s fashion industry:
- Mother’s Day outfit giveaway
- “You deserve it” wardrobe-changing gift card
- 50% off any purchase
- New Years fitness product giveaway
- “Girls trip” getaway for 4 with a product prize package
Choose a single platform where the contest will be organized
A great variety of social networks exist today including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to name a few. Among it all, it is likely that you only use 2 or 3 of them either for reasons related to time or because you use only the most relevant for your brand.
While it is possible to include all of them in the planning of the contest, you will make the results more complicated in the end. Not all platforms are appropriate depending on the type of contest you choose.
It is preferable to choose a single platform not only make things simpler for yourself, but also for your users.
Determine a time frame for the validity of the contest
Each contest has a time frame when people can participate. This fact allows an order to exist and also gives a greater sense of urgency. The date you decide for the start and end of the contest depends a lot on its complexity. If it’s about sharing a publication, then a week is more than enough. Even a couple of days can be enough if you have a large audience. But if users must perform more complex actions, then we recommend that you set a couple of weeks or even a month as the deadline for participation.
Apart from determining the start and end dates, you must make sure that they are correctly written and visible for the participants to see.
Include all the information about joining the contest
In order for the participants to be clear about the rules of the contest, you should carefully write a guide about the contest. This guide will specify the start and end dates of the contest, the announcement date of the winner, as well as the terms and conditions of the contest.
Make sure you include a link where all the information about the contest is displayed. It is inevitable that you receive questions but by adding this information, you can reduce the number of people who will send queries in reference to the contest. Here’s an example of this.
Create a design to advertise and promote your contest
Before launching the contest, you must create a design to promote it on social networks. This design must be consistent with the graphics of the brand. If you have already created graphics for the social media platforms that you use in your marketing campaign, then it will not be a great challenge for you.
Design attract attention quickly but should not hold all information about the contest so it will not be overwhelming for the users. It is preferable to leave the link in the text of the publication.
These are the tips that are very helpful for your company or brand to establish online presence in social media. You can use these marketing strategies for getting more growth in your business.
Do you know any other tips about your next contest in social networks? Feel free to share it with us below.
- 7 Tips For Your Next Contest In Social Networks - March 29, 2019