Remember when every dry cleaner or shoe repair shop had a great big glass jar filled with business cards on the counter? “Add your card to be selected at random to receive FREE dry cleaning for life!” The business collects contacts, your name is added to the pool of local professionals, and there is the potential to win a prize on top of it. Who doesn’t love a contest?
Old Tactic, New Media
Facebook brings that old warhorse to a 21st century digital marketing framework. It’s easy to increase outreach and gain sales while keeping your followers entertained, awaiting your next move. We’ll show you how to increase sales through Facebook contests.
Keep It Simple (Simon)
Facebook users know how to waste time efficiently. But we’re all adults with bosses and kids looking over our shoulders, right? Make sure your contest is easy to enter without too many hoops to jump through.
Follow the Rules
Every good game has rules, especially on Facebook. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the guidelines before getting started. Use a 3rd party company to mediate the contest and notify the winner directly before making a public announcement via social media.
Taking Names and Numbers
Lead generation is the most compelling reason for running a Facebook contest. Build your mailing list by collecting new contacts through game-ification. Everybody wins. In an informal contest, you can ask your followers simply to like or share a post in order to be entered to win. A more formalized contest has the Facebook audience sign up on a landing page to win. Typically these require an email address to enter. Adding a question can help segment the list for follow-up contact.
Eye On The Prize
No, you don’t have to give away an iPad. And no, there are no such things as virtual T-shirt guns (not yet, anyway). There’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving away your own product where applicable. If you’re running a small, local business , make your unparalleled service part of the package. This gives you the opportunity to show off your stuff. This can be especially valuable for new businesses that want to prove their concept.
Call To Action
Tell your followers what to do to enter. Tell them again. Increase traffic to your site with a key message and reminders to click through to your website for contest details and to check back to find out the results. Don’t forget to promote the contest through all your various social media and web outlets.
If you know that Facebook contests are a boon for your business but don’t have the time to run one, allow us. At The Light Digital we offer creative digital solutions for all your marketing needs.
