Are you looking for a new and interesting way to engage your customers, generate qualified leads, and grow your business? Online contests may be an answer.
Online contests are marketing campaigns that encourage people to interact with a brand by offering a prize to those who complete a certain task. The participant may be asked to submit a photo, caption, answer a question, or perform other actions. The winner receives a prize such as a gift card, product, or other item.
Online contests can be a great way to build a community, foster relationships, and generate user-generated content and business leads. They can also be a fun way to engage people.
Online contests can be an effective marketing tool delivering several benefits to your business:
- Brand Awareness: Contests can help put your business in front of the right audience to get people talking about your product or service.
- Introduce Your Brand to New Audiences: Giveaways can help reach new audiences and spread the word about your products.
- Consumer Interaction: Contests can create an opportunity for businesses to interact with their customers and give something back to them.
- Generate Qualified Sales Leads: Contestants who participate can become a strong lead list for follow-up sales.
Some ideas for online contest can include:
- Photo Contest: Ask participants to share a photo, such as a photo of their pets or an outfit featuring an item from your store.
- Caption Contest: Post a picture or GIF and ask followers to caption it. You can choose the winner by having followers vote, selecting the most shared post, or having someone else choose.
- Trivia Contest: A classic virtual event idea where people can share their answers to questions.
Online contests can be a great way to increase engagement, improve brand awareness, and generate more leads. The goal is to create content that appeals to a target audience and encourages them to interact with you.
Consider this idea for a roofing or other home improvement business looking to generate qualified leads for their sales pipeline:
Ugliest Roof (or bathroom, etc.) Contest: Send us a picture of your ugly roof and be entered to win $5,000 toward a new roof!
From there you promote the contest in print and online including social media advertising and organic and boosted posts.
Area residents send you photos and information about their roofing needs. You select one winner for a $5,000 credit toward their new roof.
Now you have a lead list from all the runner-up participants including all their roofing needs, with photos, to populate your sales funnel. Depending on the value of your contest offer, you may have valuable information on hundreds of local residents who are in need of a new roof. They’ve self-identified as the target audience for your products and services.
Send them an offer for a discount on their next roof via your CRM and you’ll maximize your investment in the promotion.
Here are some best practices for your online contest:
- Identify Your Target Audience: Understand your audience’s demographics and psychographics, and how to best reach them.
- Offer Valuable Prizes: Prizes should be relevant to both your audience and your business and be desirable enough to elicit a response.
- Choose A Platform: Consider where your target audience is most active, but don’t limit yourself to a single platform. Hosting on multiple platforms can increase your reach and encourage cross-platform engagement.
- Develop a Landing Page: Don’t link the contest immediately to your general website. Use a landing page offering specific information on how to enter and win the prize.
- Publicize Widely: Use all available resources to promote your contest including social media, print and digital advertising, your website, newsletters, and point-of-sale.
- Clearly State the Rules: Make sure the rules are clear. Be sure to disclose all terms and conditions of the contest.
- Comply with Local and State Laws: Ensure your contest is compliant with all applicable laws.
- Pick the Winners: Clearly state how winners will be selected and then follow.
- Plan for Community Engagement: Have a plan for who will moderate and oversee your contest. Be sure to communicate consistently with contestants, delivering the prizes promptly and accurately.
Online contests can be quite effective. For example, contests on social media can increase audience engagement and interaction rates. One study found that 84% of people who enter contests continue to share content from the brand after the contest ends. As well, contest have a 3.7% higher conversion rate as compared to other calls-to-action (CTAs).
In addition, 45% of digital marketers agree that social media contests give them a good return on investment (ROI). An average of more than 34% of new customers are acquired through contests.
Contests can be a fun and engaging way to create excitement, enthusiasm and community around your brand. It is also a terrific way to generate qualified leads for your business.
If you’d like to learn more about online contests as a marketing vehicle, please give us a call or email us here at Sentinel Solutions. We are expert at online contests and promotions and can help you develop a program for your business including contest design, platform, and supporting marketing.
We can help you build a compelling campaign that engages your audience and drives sales.
Give us a call if we can help at 603-352-5896 or e-mail to Advertising@SentinelDigitalSolutions.com. We’re here to help you succeed.
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