Contest marketing is a fun way to engage consumers, build brand awareness, develop or increase social following and even distribute coupons. Contests provide consumers with an incentive to enter their contest as they offer a prize or reward for entering. There are two types of contests your business can run, the first is known as sweepstakes or giveaway contest, where the winner’s name is drawn at random. The second kind is an enter-to-win contest; at TACTIX5 we are currently running a contest of this kind, called Win a Pizza Monday. Consumers are encouraged to take an Instagram photo with their favourite pizza and use the hashtag #PizzaMondays when they post on social media. Yes it’s that easy!
You may be thinking, well these all seem great, but what does contest marketing really provide me? Well, you can stand out from the rest, as well as the continuous increase in social media usage has allowed for contests to run easier and more cost effective. By running a contest you are consistently building brand awareness as people are being engaged by your incentivized offer and sharing it with like-minded people they know. You begin to gain more consumers through word of mouth and social sharing. The Globe and Mail agrees as they mentioned that contests are “Attention-getting devices, they can introduce a business to new customers, or broaden existing customers’ understanding of a business’ offerings.”
Fact is contests are a fun and easy way to engage consumers without requiring too much from them in return. Best part is, it builds a better relationship, as they trust in the company’s word and feel as though their participation has been noticed and acknowledged. Finally, contests can yield helpful consumer data, build your email subscriber list with opt-ins, ask consumers questions that will help you the marketer know more about your target audience and then you can utilize this information for future marketing. The opportunities are endless when you run a contest.
Sources
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-digital/web-strategy/want-to-rope-in-customers-run-an-online-contest/article592977/
