We get it, sometimes social media can feel like taming the Wild West. However, launching your social platforms with a contest is a fun way to get people excited about your brand and attract new followers.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Running a Social Media Contest
Knowing what your audience likes, a sprinkle of creativity, and a little fun can make your next social media contest reap huge benefits! However, there are some items to be cautious of when running your contest. We outline The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Running a Social Media Contest.
The Good
Why you should have a contest:
- It’s fun! Social media contest can bring some excitement and buzz to your social media.
- More Fans! It’s a great way to re-engage fans and NEW fans.
- Collect Data, with some third party apps you can acquire emails addresses, phone numbers, and more.
- Free Promotions, many people who enter will share it among their friends or their activity will be highlighted in their friend’s newsfeed.
- Viral Marketing – If your contest does well, it has the potential to go viral and catapult your brand!
The Bad
Turn a negative into a positive!
- Budget – It may be tough to run it without a good prize, but the old saying runs true— sometimes less is more. With some creativity and highlighting your client’s greatest assets, you can garner some great results for everyone.
- Not Enough Submissions – Promote your contest more through other social media outlets or use paid ads like Facebook promoted posts to get more visibility.
- Prize – A poor prize can also negatively impact your amount of entries, make sure it’s something of value to them and worth the while!
The Ugly
How you can avoid a poor contest design!
- Know Your Audience – Like cheese and wine, make sure that your contest pairs well with your audience and it’s something that’s engaging, fun and relatable.
- Find the Right Platform – An easy one, but a biggie. Know where the bulk of your fans are hanging out. Are they on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter?
- Designs- Create an eye-catching design that features bright colors and great photos. Don’t forget to use your cover photo to promote it. That’s valuable real estate!
- Over Complicated Contest – A contest that is multifaceted or has too many guidelines will be a turn off for fans. Make it fun, but keep it simple.
- Social Media Terms of Service – Make sure you’re abiding for the social media’s terms of service. Look it up! Facebook recently updated theirs!
- Entry process – Also make this very easy. Again, less is more. It’s important they don’t have to take too many steps to enter. They may abandon their entry because of an over-complicated submission process.
