Contact Us
Social media is a very popular way to implement marketing strategies and can support many different goals. Whether you’re looking to increase your engagement, gain followers, or simply spread name recognition for your company, the use of social media channels is a great way to do so.
With the mass amount of businesses and competitors using social media, it takes some original and creative methods to stand out from the crowd. One way you can do this is with social media contests.
Social media contests typically consist of some sort of giveaway or reward for customers who enter and participate. More often than not, this will boost your engagement significantly and draw in new customers for you.
There are plenty of different social media contests worth trying out, so if you need some inspiration or guidance, here are 5 ideas for you:
1. Sweepstakes or Giveaways
A classic choice–and a good one at that–are sweepstakes. These are contests that usually involve a lottery or raffle. Unlike other contests where the “best” is chosen as the winner, these are entirely random and can feel like the more “fair” option for some audiences.
The key with sweepstakes is to keep the entry as simple as possible. Prizes can be small, like t-shirts, or big, like vacations! Regardless of what the prize is, if entry is as easy as entering your email and pressing the “submit” button, you’ll get more entries and maximize the potential of your contest.
Most consumers don’t have the time to follow 5 steps or requirements to enter a social media contest, and making things too complicated will actually decrease the effectiveness of the contest.
Think of it this way–the more people that enter, the more people are engaging and becoming more familiar with your brand. The first step with new customers, and even with getting another sale from customers who haven’t purchased in a while, is getting your foot in the door. Simple sweepstakes will do exactly that!
2. Followers’ Photos
Using followers’ photos is a great way to get your followers and customers involved with your business through social media. This also provides free-organic advertising from people who already use your products and services.
To do this, have followers share a photo of themselves with your product, using your product, or of the product in general. It helps when other consumers in your target market see people using the product you sell.
It also brings an authentic view of your company which can be beneficial for any potential customers who have been skeptical or hesitant to make a purchase thus far.
Think of it this way, people go to social media for the content–whether it’s for memes on Twitter or aesthetic photos on Instagram. At the very least, spotlighting photos from your followers will make them feel seen, cared for, and strengthen your relationship.
3. Interaction–Like, Comment, and Share
Having your customers interact with your posts and material isn’t as easy as you may think, but it can be with a social media contest like this. When you require people to like, comment, and share the post to enter, your engagement will boost significantly.
For bonus points, you can even require that users follow you to enter the contest. While some will likely unfollow you after the contest is over, you still have new customers whose interest is piqued, and it may even be enough to bring them to your website.
Regardless of the social media contest you decide on, it’s best to do things like this over a period of time. For further interaction, require that they like, comment, and share each day of the contest for additional entries!
4. Engagement
Similar to the like, comment, and share method for interaction, telling your audience to caption a post or to tag their friends will bring in lots of engagement. This will be a lower-cost contest, but will still draw new potential customers to your page and is perfect for those looking to increase engagement on your posts.
The “caption this” contest, for further detail, is when you post a photo or meme having to do with your brand. Tip: incorporate something that’s currently trendy if you really want to entertain; match it with your brand to stand out.
Users will comment a caption for the content you post, and then you simply select the best response for a prize after a given period. Make sure it’s clear when the contest will “close” and a winner will be selected–your audience will be waiting on and looking forward to the results!
5. Daily Prizes
Let’s clarify–this doesn’t mean we’re encouraging you to give away prizes every single day on your social media. However, this is a great idea for holidays and company anniversaries.
Many businesses will do these for the 12 days of Christmas and similar events. This example is great because there is a limited time that the daily prizes will be going out, and your followers will already be searching for gifts to give family and friends around the holidays.
The holidays are a stressful time, so even the chance to win a prize that customers could keep for themselves or give as a present will be exciting for them. Even if you don’t want to offer physical prizes, or if you want to offer some sort of incentive to many people, you can do discounts and coupons for prizes as opposed to actual products.
Conclusion
As with any social media contest, there needs to be a chance for those who participate to receive some sort of prize. Incentives are the best way to make a social media contest successful for your business.
Don’t forget to make the instructions and requirements as clear as possible. The last thing you want is for people to enter and participate, then complain because of a lack of communication.
Perfect Imprints will help you set up a marketing strategy for success. Are you interested in hosting a social media contest to meet your goals? Let us know–we would be happy to help!
