If you want to shake things up for your company website when it comes to making sales to customers, which would then build its social media following, email list, and brand presence, then we would suggest utilizing contests and giveaways to your advantage.
Hubspot writes that nearly 33% of contestants agree to get information from brands, allowing you to then remarket to those customers in order to conduct a sale. The best times of the year to host contests are June and November. Keep in mind that the best campaigns usually last between 25 and 60 days.
Here’s what you can do to boost your earnings with contests and giveaways:
- Try Advertising Your Contest
Hubspot stated that those who used paid advertising to promote their contest got more than 10 times the number of entrants. This is especially helpful if you wish to grow your email list or social media following since it also lets you remarket to the contestants after the contest has ended.
One great way to catch the attention of customers and visitors alike to write ‘CONTEST ALERT’ or ‘GIVEAWAY ALERT,’ if you’re promoting your contest on social media. This is especially effective in boosting social media engagement.
2.Run the Contest on Your Website
Some companies choose to run contests on their own website as they can retarget customers with products that were purchased from their store. Sure social media is still an option if you’re looking to increase your following, but contest details and entry forms should only be exclusive to your store’s website.
Though you can still use social media to drive traffic to your landing page. You can add your contest at the top of your website’s navigation bar for maximum views.
3.Offer Prizes for Runner-Ups
Now the winner of the contest obviously walks away with the biggest prize that your company has to offer, but that doesn’t mean that others who participated get nothing for their contribution.
For the runner-ups, you can offer something as basic as a discount for entering and competing in the contest, or a gift card for a small amount that can be used only for your store. It could also be a free plus shipping product.
When this method is properly executed, it could boost your store’s sales considerably. And when you send an email to the runner-ups, make sure that the subject line is appealing. You can write something like “Congrats! You’ve Won (Brand Name)’s Complementary Prize” or “(Brand Name) Contest Winner.”
4. Pick the Best Prize
If you want to make your contest a big deal, then you must not give away prizes that offer only a minute’s worth of compensation, enjoyment or satisfaction. What we mean is, the prize should be more than just a free brand T-shirt or a pen, it should be like a gift basket of some of your most popular products.
We believe it would be best to have the prize be one that’s medium-sized and a couple of small ones to make customers really feel that they have a good chance of winning. Ensure that the prize is relevant to your products, niche, and brand. And while you’re at it, be sure to sell the prize the way you would your products.
5. Have Your Contest Go Viral
Making something go viral doesn’t happen when you want it to, but when it does, it can drastically save you a lot on the money that you would have otherwise spent on traditional means of advertising.
Fortunately, there are lots of contest tools such as ViralSweep, Rafflecopter, WalgreensListens, and Gleam which you can use to spread the word about your contest surely and quickly.
Photo by Justin Lim on Unsplash
