Social5 Notebook: 5 things you should know about contesting from our experience with the Super Bowl, Cozumel and the NBA Finals
Savoring a freshly installed flat screen and catered party for the Super Bowl, snorkeling the brilliant coral reef in Cozumel, Mexico or watching Steph Curry battle LeBron James in person during the NBA Finals.
Gift cards these ain’t.
Instead, this is what our three Social5 contest winners have enjoyed this year with still more to come! Even better, the buzz our contests generate have lasting impact, giving small businesses a social marketing boost and tangible leads to target.
Based on our experience, here are five things you should know about contesting:
1. Focus on the giveaway and keep it fun
Facebook has long been bombarded with brands grasping to get your click. You usually scroll by, waiting for the thing that makes a real connection or really stands out. Big, enticing, premium prizes do and that’s what makes our contests unique. We want to put people in the moment — to picture themselves snorkeling before white-sand beaches or sitting near the court ruled by King James. Our custom contest posts dispel with minutiae and save the legalese for the lawyers. It’s about getting people to click, comment and share so we focus on the fun.
2. Clean, creative graphics give your brand credibility
Most small businesses have little time and budget to construct engaging social media campaigns with professionally designed graphics and landing pages. Yet brands that have such contests sharply stand out. Offering such a professional look and feel, anchored by a premium prize, makes an impression on customers. Your brand looks big. Your Facebook page looks sophisticated. You’ve immediately distinguished yourself from competitors. Better yet, when you offer these contests quarterly you don’t look like a one-trick pony but a social marketing thoroughbred!
3. Leverage your Facebook contest into long-term marketing
So what good are all these contest entrants if there’s only one winner? Social5 asked the same question then built a contest app that captures the emails of every entrant in every contest to send them your way. Consider the value now. Short term, these contests offer levity and escapism. Long after the prize is awarded there remain new contacts on your lists for email marketing, drip campaigns or any other conversion tactics you can choose at your convenience.
4. It’s yours, brag about it
Let’s say you have a really clever post your sure will get response but then you forget to tag anyone and you wonder why it fell flat. Nobody knew it was there because you basically didn’t tell them. Same principle holds true, maybe even more, with contesting. This is your baby. It’s on your page. Your proud of it. You need to rally the troops to see it. After all, they could win! It stands to reason then that the most successful contest campaigns are hosted by businesses who spread the word. It’s open to friends and family so get it out on all your social media and all email lists. Don’t be shy, it’s marketing. Plus who doesn’t like to win?
5. Diverse prizes create a diversity of leads
Live sports, travel, amusement parks, theater? What piques some people’s interest turns others off. So instead of trying to crack some magical marketing code or select the perfect prize, successful contest models offer variety. In our experience, different demographics respond to different giveaways. While more men may jump at the chance to win Final Four or World Series tickets, the opposite may be true for a trip to Hawaii or Disneyland or Cozumel. And that’s the point. By rotating a wide range of contest choices you will ensure a healthy mix of interest and a bigger breadth of leads.
