Launching a contest or giveaway is an opportunity for increasing your active target audiences, yes, exactly active, one that can boost your web presence and make your sales. Still, arranging such contests only sounds to be easy. It is not about simply buying some perks (iPhones, iPods, other devices), finding an influencer (usually this is a well-recognized blogger). It is about more. It is about developing a strategy involving the exact audience you need. It is about making predictions about what tool can help you in fulfilling your commercial plans.
Each case is individual, of course. But, there are also basic things common for all contests of that kind and to promote giveaways. Our company has a lot of experience to share as we have conducted many giveaways and contests. We know that these tools can become truly powerful when it comes to making connections between you and your potential target audience and how to convert its representatives into your future satisfied customers. So, shall we start? Let’s move from one important point to another step-by-step.
Why Run a Giveaway Campaign?
Let’s start with the principal point – with its purpose. Yes, that seems to be obvious. But, this matter is frequently underestimated or even neglected. Here are basic things that a well-organized contest or giveaway may bring you:
- Bring to you new followers in social media networks
- Make your existing followers more engaged
- Increase your website traffic
- Expand your email list
- Increasing the number of leads and sales respectively
Does that sound well? When it is realized successfully, it even appears more beneficial than listed only. Still, for each potential benefit you want to get, you need to generate an indicator to fulfill such. So, let’s have a more precise look at that matter with examples.
How to Promote a Giveaway?
There is nothing too complex in promoting your giveaway if you have a concrete plan for doing this. Here is a basic one that can be modified nearly for any concrete case:
1. Determine and write down your objectives
This objective(-s) should be clear for you in the first turn. That is highly important because, without a clear plan, your campaign will be vague with the same results in the end. You need to write down the expected results. If you modify such objectives within the process of preparation for your campaign, all other measures should be adapted too. So, what are potential goals for your marketing campaign in this form:
- You want to pick user-created content
- You want to create new sales opportunities
- You want to expand your traffic
- You want to test market responses only
- You want to increase the number of email subscribers
- You want to add new fresh good emotions to existing users
This list is unlimited, of course, and you can have more than one goal to realize during your campaign. Simply remember that if you have a couple of goals to achieve, you should range such according to their priorities and make them coherent.
2. Determine concrete indicators you want to reach
That may only sound complex unless you decide to accomplish that. In this case, we advise you to have preliminary indicators for those you want to get. Sometimes expectations may exceed actual opportunities at the moment. So, to avoid any possible disappointment, we suggest you review the Internet, research relevant consultants, or correct such indicators on your own. Here is one example. You may want to attract a 20,000 active audience. But, at the moment, you have the resources to involve only certain influencers in this campaign. If you look through their previous stories and stories of people/companies with whom they cooperated, you may find that they involved around 12,000-15,000. So, it is desired to correct your expected indicator to get the desired better results.
When launching any campaign, you should know the exact costs of involving potential users, the costs of your goods or services you sell, and the average amount of time required from the time of the first contact with an interested person for making him/her your lead.
3. Choose a relevant prize
Here we advise you to orient on a product that raises the highest interest for potential users. In most cases, these are various devices. Still, the exact present will vary depending on the age, gender, and other parameters of your target audience. You can also make your present related to your brand. For example, an essay writing service may easily present some generous offer of a certain number of free works or discounts. Another suggestion is to think about some positive emotions or experience a certain prize may guarantee to your potential users. Travel opportunities may perfectly serve as the potential sources of such positive emotions.
4. Choose the style for your future campaign
This aspect will be determined by the concrete product you offer and your preferences. There is no one universal scenario for all cases. But, we will share with you options to choose from:
5. Style Giveaway Campaign
This type is focused mainly on numbers. You can propose something that costs more, usually more. For instance, you may promise to present a thing that normally costs $1,000. You can make your campaign dedicated to a certain event, like the New Year. For instance, writing services may offer free assignment help during this so-called “high season,” and this will surely increase the number of your potential users. You can make this present an ordinary part of your corporate policy. Make sure you present this gift and describe it with pleasure to meet the expectations of your customers. That will work, you may be sure.
6. Contest Giveaway Campaign
That can sound and be interesting. Set some conditions for winning certain prizes. The participants may like your posts, share them, involve associates, etc. Everything of this kind will work well in this case. Your task here is to make conditions engaging. Think about prizes here especially. They should be valuable.
These are only three basic types of strategies you may apply to get the results you want. Still, the range of options is not limited in this case. You can make photo/video contests, writing referrals contests, essay writing, making challenges, etc. Use your imagination in full for creating your unique challenge.
What Giveaway Ideas are Truly Good?
It is never enough to create a good strategy for a contest or giveaway. You should also realize it effectively. How to do this? We suggest you make the approach comprehensive. Think about your prize as this is the main perk during this contest. Such a prize should be relevant and valuable to your target audience. In any case, we advise you to show in full the value this present can bring to potential customers. This is the most serious encouragement for their active actions on your page. At the end of the campaign, you should also prove that the present was sent or provided to a winner. This will add extra credits to your product or service and show that you are a reliable partner. That is very good for future campaigns.
The giveaway post should reflect the identity and approach of your company. Think about the most suitable formulations for your concrete case. This post should always align with your concrete approach to work. It should also sound engaging and polite to the people you don’t know at the moment yet. Make it emotional and positive. These are the first things that will interest and engage your future customers.
What Methods to Apply?
The range of methods you may apply while creating ideas for a contest is not limited at all. These are basic methods you can take:
Entries to make actions:
- Ask potential users to follow your or any other related account
- Ask to like certain content
- Ask your potential target audience to post messages about a certain contest-related thing
- Ask to vote for one item or another
- Take actions to form user submissions – this way, you can grow a newsletter you have and gather emails to reach people from your potential target audience
The user-created content:
- Ask to post a photo/video – ask customers to share with their user experience or why do they love your product/services
- Ask to comment on certain things
- Suggesting games to engage your potential users
- Ask to make certain entries, like small writings
How to Promote a Contest on Instagram?
Think about how you can change your profile to make the contest even more attractive for the potential audience. The easiest way is to change a profile header to promote this contest. This should be a bright image that attracts and induces to enter a page to find out more about a contest. People like things of such a kind. So, take steps to make this image amazing.
Running ads is another good idea for any giveaway campaign. Adds and promos should be short and engaging. One of the best ways to advertise on Instagram is to involve influencers. They can help you dramatically. The best step here is asking them to share their personal experience. This always sounds more convincing and attracts more users.
Make sure there is a link on your homepage. Users should not look for the exact link they need to participate in your contest. One of the professional write my paper services emphasizes on a simple rule – users should take minimum actions to take part in your contest, and this should not be burdensome for them in any case. Including this link and information about a contest in your email, in its signature block, for instance, maybe another good idea. Also, ask your employees to share with the promo post you have.
Also, it is a good idea to send a “thank you” message to all participants. This will help you in establishing more trustworthy contacts and encourage people to participate the next time.
Use your imagination in full to create the most favorable strategy for your concrete competition and certain relevant ideas.
A Bit about Instagram Giveaways Winners
This is a very important thing to remember. You should be clear about the approach you will apply for selecting winners for your Instagram giveaway. Users should clearly understand these conditions and what they need to do. For instance, if you offer writing papers, you can promise beneficial discounts or a certain number of papers to winners who will like your post, for instance.
You should be maximally clear about approaches you will apply to choose winners. The easiest way is a random choice. Still, in this case, to make a contest more transparent, you may involve other influencers to choose a winner and make a video with the process of choosing such a winner. Post this video. That will work well.
Also, sharing information about the final winners will add credits to your profile. For example, you have promised to present some valuable prizes, like some device, or provide a certain number of free research papers. In this case, you may also film the process of sending a device or presenting a certificate confirming an opportunity for free essay-writing. Make a story from the beginning of your content to its final. Make your current, and potential users anticipate the continuance of your contest.
These are only basic things you may need to know about social media contests and campaigns. We surely encourage you to launch your contests, develop your ideas, and making this experience engaging both for you and your future followers. If you have a more or less clear vision of how to conduct these contests but unsure about the concrete ways to promote them. You may be sure that arranging such a contest will turn out to be an engaging experience that can add extra emotions to your audience and more potential leads. Have you already decided to hold your contest?