After spending any amount of time on Twitter, you’d be hard-pressed to go without seeing some sort contest. Whether it be to win an iTouch, laptop or free movie tickets, this type of marketing has a long track record of working. It may be time for your retail business to start using contests to increase traffic, but don’t jump in until you lay out a plan or you could be giving stuff away with no ROI.
The Game Plan
Figure out exactly what you want to get out of your contest. Where do you want to run it from, thru Twitter or also link back to your website? It has to be fun and engaging to get people to participate. Figure out your target audience and ask them to do something that is interactive and probes a high volume of views. Funny videos are always a good bet. Asking followers to vote for their favorite is an easy way to increase the amount of views.
The Prize
To give the contest the most publicity, give incentive for people to participate. The most common mistake is skimping on the prize. Take a peak at the hashtag #contest on Twitter to see what other people are using as prizes. You’ll quickly see that anything from Apple is hot, but make sure that it’s relevant and useful for your target audience. The biggest deterrer is the cost of these prizes. If you can’t fit it into your budget, its a great opportunity to reach out and find a sponsor.
Participation
Make the contest easy to participate! This cannot be stressed enough. Getting bogged down in any part of the contest is a sure way to lose potential participants. Make the rules easy to understand and you’ll have a successful contest.