Are you thinking of running a social media contest to boost your brand’s visibility, attract new customers and generate excitement in your store and online? Here are the do’s and don’ts you’ll want to keep in mind:
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DO: Get ready for your audience to grow. According to Hubspot, new campaigns can result in an audience increase of up to 34%. As you’re planning your social media contest, make sure you think about how you’re going to build strong relationships with the new customers you attract.
DON’T: Neglect to read the terms and conditions Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms have in place regarding contests, sweepstakes and giveaways. Depending on where your business is located, your contest may also be subject to local laws. The time to investigate this question is before you launch your contest!
DO: Embrace the Branded Hashtag. If you’re putting the time, energy and resources into running a social media contest, you’re going to want to be able to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. One way to make this easier is to create a hashtag specific to your contest and make using this hashtag a condition of entering the contest.
DON’T: Forget to promote your contest strategically. People don’t enter and win contests they don’t know about. Contest promotion can include social media posts, information on your website, in-store signage, and advertising.
DO: Consider regularly recurring contests as a way to customer engagement levels high. Ideal timing between contests is a week to two weeks. When contests are frequent, prizes are generally smaller.
DON’T: Forget to choose your prizes strategically. Remember that one of your objectives in running a contest is to establish your identity in the players’ mind. Choose prizes that reflect what you want to be known for – for a retailer, that’s merchandise, while the local pizzeria offers up their most popular pie.
