Win Competitions Online : A Competitors Guide

Create great lead-gen campaigns

---

For general contests, two or three weeks is a good general figure, giving you a decent amount of time to spread the message with less risk of the contest going stale. A month-long entry period can work if the competition is tied into a larger marketing campaign such as a Christmas promotion, for example.

Meanwhile, particularly short contests a few hours to a week can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, which can easily turn into social media buzz. Whatever you choose, remember to announce the winners as close to the end of the entry period as you can. Terms and conditions work both ways — they not only protect you, but will also reassure on-the-fence entrants who want to know they can trust you before they submit their personal information. For larger contest campaigns, you might need to think about web graphics, blog content, prize and winner photography, social media promotion, judges, perhaps web app solutions for entry systems and more.

Smaller competitions, meanwhile, can probably be hosted on your social network profiles, with minimal supplemental material. When and where will you promote your giveaway? Once a winner has been chosen and announced, make the most of the promotional opportunity with content built around them, and encourage them to post about you on their social media by including a personalised letter or something equally unexpected in the prize package. Define your goals First, decide what you want to get out of your competition.

Competition-mad Chantelle Rau in Fiji with her mum Marilyn, who shares her passion. After hearing the story of the student who won just four, underwhelming prizes from entering competitions, the experts got in touch to explain where he went wrong. Her first win was two tickets to the premiere of Legally Blonde , and she spent her teenage years scoring concert tickets for her delighted mates.

Skint Dad Competitions

She took her mum, and paid for her dad to come too with her travel voucher. Chantelle says her knack for competitions comes from her mother Marilyn, who also plays the game, winning them tickets to see Turandot at the Opera House just this week through an online form.

I mainly enter product competitions and will stock up if a prize is worth buying more, swapping brands for an entry; online free entry and a few puzzle mags. But I try to spend a bit of time entering each night. She spread it across two trips with her husband and children — one to Disneyland in LA and one to London and Paris.

The savvy comper even converted several prizes into money to do up her home.

So I took the cash and that paid for our bathroom renos. Kerry won plenty of small prizes, too: Choose a winner, and let them know: Share the win on social networks: Mention the winner s and prize s on your social sites. This gives you one more opportunity to talk about your contest to your social connections. If you have UGC - showcase the winner s and runners up: Use your new photos, videos and essays and post them on your social sites and website.

Send a follow-up email: Send an email to all of your participants.

Thank them for participating in your contest - and invite them to your next one. You could even offer everyone a small discount just for participating.

Lucky country: Australia’s biggest winners

Here's an example of a follow-up email sent automatically from Wishpond's email tool with a discount: Run your contests every week, for example. This builds habits in your consumers, and momentum for your contests. What do you think? Have you hosted a contest, sweepstakes or group offer on your blog? How did it go? Share your advice in the comments below.

Online Competitions Guide | Big Giveaway

Get Started Not today. Growth Hacking Social Media. How to Run a Contest: Here are 8 top contest goals: Define your target market by: Align your contest goals with your business and marketing objectives Define your objectives to both motivate you, and give you measurable results Define your target market, so you know who you need to reach 2. Choose your Contest Type, Details and Prize The next step in our "how to run a contest" strategy is to plan out your campaign details.

Choose the right contest type: Choose a prize that is: Choose a contest type s that works best for your business goals and target market Decide on the frequency and time frame of your campaigns. Short, weekly contests build momentum and habits in your customers.

Your prize is very important. Keep them related to your brand, desired by your market, and suited to your contest ask. Build your contest You have the theory in place.

But anyway, enough about us.

• Out of Silence: A Pianists Yearbook
• Chronicles of Er-Da: Book One
• The Gift (7 Steps to a Happy and Fulfilled Life Book 1)
• DayCare Profits Report: 60 Fun-Raising Ideas for Your Childcare Center or Non-Profit Organization
• Historia de una desaparición (Narrativa) (Spanish Edition)