Working a social media contest is a good way to extend engagement, followers, leads, and model consciousness. However arising with a technique in your contest could be tough.
It’s good to set the suitable objectives, give you a artistic angle, and ensure it’s consistent with your model.
After which there’s the technical aspect of issues—like organizing influencer partnerships and ensuring you’re following the competition tips of every social community.
To not fear, we’ve received you coated. On this publish, we’ll provide you with artistic social media contest concepts to get you began.
Bonus: Obtain our free, customizable social media calendar template to simply plan and schedule all of your content material prematurely.
A social media contest is a marketing campaign run on social media that encourages engagement, followers, leads, or model consciousness in alternate for prizes and presents.
You may encourage your followers to love, remark, and share your posts and in return, you may give them one thing they’ll admire. This not solely helps improve your attain but additionally will get extra folks speaking about your model.
Contests additionally encourage customers to work together together with your model in a enjoyable and artistic means. For instance, you could possibly ask your followers to share their favorite picture of your product in use or give you a artistic caption for a publish.
Your viewers will benefit from the probability to compete and win prizes, and also you’ll get pleasure from the advantages of elevated engagement. It’s a win-win!
When you’re seeking to get extra likes, feedback, and shares, strive these enjoyable social media contest concepts.
Like/share/remark to win
Folks love profitable prizes, they usually’re prepared to advertise your model so as to take action. All it is advisable do is supply a prize that your audience could be enthusiastic about, after which ask them to like, share, or remark in your publish to enter.
To extend the attain of your contest, you may also collaborate with an influencer in your business who has the same viewers to yours.
For instance, if you happen to’re a jewellery model, you could possibly crew up with a trend blogger and run a contest the place followers win a chunk of knickknack out of your assortment.
Or, if you happen to’re a well being meals firm, you would possibly crew up with a health model to offer away dwelling health club provides and wholesome snacks, identical to Sunrype did beneath. Their collaborative contest was shared greater than 3,000 occasions!
Artistic video contests
Video content material will get your viewers lively and engaged together with your contest, and brings in an entire new degree of creativity.
To run a video contest, you possibly can ask your followers to submit a brief clip associated to your contest theme, then choose a winner based mostly on creativity, originality, or no matter different standards you select.
Whereas it could be straightforward to ask your followers to submit a video of them utilizing your product, why not get extra artistic with it?
Goldfish crackers noticed large success on TikTok throughout their #GoForTheHandful Duet Problem. This enjoyable social media contest requested customers to carry as many Goldfish crackers of their arms as doable. Whoever beat the document of 301 Goldfish in hand, set by professional basketball participant Boban Marjanović, earned the title of Official Goldfish Spokeshand.
The outcomes? Over 30 million views on TikTok.
<blockquote class=”tiktok-embed” cite=”https://www.tiktok.com/@goldfishsmiles/video/6945555303253462278″ data-video-id=”6945555303253462278″ type=”max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;” > <part> <a goal=”_blank” title=”@goldfishsmiles” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/@goldfishsmiles”>@goldfishsmiles</a> <a title=”GoForTheHandful” goal=”_blank” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/tag/GoForTheHandful”>#GoForTheHandful</a> and attempt to beat Boban! <a title=”Contest” goal=”_blank” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/tag/Contest”>#Contest</a> begins 4/6. <a title=”advert” goal=”_blank” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/tag/advert”>#advert</a> <a goal=”_blank” title=”♬ Go For the Handful – goldfishsmiles” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/music/Go-For-the-Handful-6945555202674346757″>♬ Go For the Handful – goldfishsmiles</a> </part> </blockquote> <script async src=”https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js“></script>
UGC picture contests
Asking your viewers to submit photographs associated to your model is a simple and enjoyable method to encourage participation. Plus, it provides you a ton of user-generated content material (UGC) campaigns you can repurpose for future social media posts and campaigns.
For picture contests, you possibly can ask folks to:
- Submit a photograph of themselves utilizing your product
- Share a photograph of themselves doing an exercise that pertains to your marketing campaign
- Present how they used your product in a artistic means
Cooler model Yeti just lately teamed up with Traeger Grills in an Instagram picture contest. Members have been requested to publish a photograph of their barbecue setup, tag Yeti and Traeger, and use the hashtag #YETIxTraegerBBQ within the caption.
The hashtag introduced in additional than 1,000 distinctive social posts which Yeti and Traeger each repurposed on their social channels.
Use these artistic social media contest concepts to get extra engaged followers.
Tag-a-friend contests
Asking your followers to tag their associates in a publish or remark is a simple method to improve your followers with social media contests.
All it is advisable do is create a giveaway publish that asks your followers to tag a good friend (or three associates) for an opportunity to enter. You may even supply bonus entries for each good friend that they tag.
Right here’s an instance from the wholesome snack bar model GoMacro, which requested followers to tag two associates for an opportunity to win free merchandise. Their publish had over 450 feedback which implies virtually 1,000 potential new followers!
Comply with to win
Skip the chit-chat and go proper to the purpose–ask customers to comply with your social media web page for an opportunity to win.
It’s as straightforward as that!
Right here’s an instance from popular culture toy model Funko, which supplied customers an opportunity to win an unique Obi-Wan Kenobi™ toy in alternate for a comply with. Funko additionally supplied up a direct-to-purchase Amazon hyperlink for customers who didn’t need to anticipate the competition to wrap.
RT and comply with @OriginalFunko for the possibility to WIN the @Amazon unique Star Wars™ Duel of the Fates: Obi-Wan Kenobi™ POP! Deluxe! Not feeling fortunate? Pre-order right here: https://t.co/wqtlHdmxO9 #FunkoPOP #Giveaway #StarWars pic.twitter.com/06GoFd3eeY
— Funko (@OriginalFunko) June 2, 2022
Reoccuring draw contests
Whereas getting a bunch of recent followers by means of a social media contest seems to be good within the second, it gained’t matter a lot in the event that they unfollow you as quickly as the competition ends.
When you get folks following your account, you’ll need to preserve them there. This implies it is advisable supply them worth past the competition itself.
A good way to do that is to host reoccurring social media contests. This may very well be a weekly or month-to-month draw the place you give away a prize at constant intervals.
To sweeten the deal, you possibly can supply completely different prizes every time and even bump up the worth of the prize as time goes on.
The tourism sector of Newfoundland and Labrador made good use of this tactic in its #PlayItByEar marketing campaign, in partnership with Air Canada. The marketing campaign included weekly prize attracts for contestants who created songs utilizing native sound bytes. Additionally they included a grand prize giveaway on the finish of the marketing campaign to maintain followers engaged all through.
That is the ultimate week of the Play It By Ear Contest. Play in your probability to WIN a terrific weekly prize, and qualify for our GRAND PRIZE draw of a 12-Day journey for 2 to Newfoundland and Labrador. Play now at https://t.co/zG2Wg7YFfl. @maxximvacations @AirCanada pic.twitter.com/cGIKy7gAkD
— NewfoundlandLabrador (@NLtweets) Might 28, 2018
Social media contests will help you discover extra certified leads and communicate to a wider viewers. Listed below are three social media lead contest concepts to get you began.
Enroll contests
You should use sign-up contests to collect lead data in your prospects. To do that, merely ask contest entrants to enroll in alternate for a deal or supply.
This was the technique the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey crew used to increase ticket gross sales for his or her Stanley Cup playoff video games. Fb adverts have been pushed out to followers, asking them to enroll to win free playoff recreation tickets.
This marketing campaign introduced in 2,571 leads and greater than $225,000 in single-game ticket gross sales.
Supply: Fb
Direct message contests
If you would like your viewers to concentrate to your messaging, strive reaching out on to their inbox.
Nail polish model Sally Hansen used this tactic in its current Fb Messenger contest.
Customers have been despatched direct messages asking them 4 questions on their pores and skin tone, undertone, and private type. Primarily based on the solutions supplied, Sally Hansen then really helpful a customized set of coloration suggestions that contest individuals may work together with and discover additional.
Those that shared their electronic mail addresses with Messenger have been entered right into a contest to win a set of limited-edition festive pink nail polishes.
This contest introduced in 11,000 new emails for Sally Hansen, to not point out an 85% electronic mail opt-in fee.
Supply: Fb
Direct entrants to a touchdown web page
One other method to get contest entries is to direct folks out of your social media channels to a contest touchdown web page. This may be executed by means of natural or boosted posts, Or, and even only a common social media publish.
Journey model Expedia used this tactic in its #ThrowMeBack Twitter contest which let entrants revisit a trip from the previous after signing up by means of the touchdown web page.
We threw this household again to their #tbt. Submit w/ #ThrowMeBack @Expedia for an opportunity to relive yours. expd.ud/E8Z1kV pic.twitter.com/om1yZ2dDzO
— Expedia (@Expedia) July 24, 2014
Social media contests are a superb method to let your prospects or audience learn about your model, product, or service. Not solely that, however they may also be used to extend model consciousness and attain new potential prospects.
Listed below are three enjoyable social media contest concepts that you should utilize to extend model consciousness for your online business.
Collaborative contests
Collaborating with one other model or influencer in your business is a good way to succeed in a brand new viewers and get folks speaking about your model.
For instance, you could possibly crew up with an influencer to give away considered one of your merchandise to their followers. Or, you could possibly accomplice with a related model to double the prize presents of your contest.
Native Vancouver restaurant chain Nuba took benefit of this system after they partnered with yoga studio Jaybird. Each manufacturers give attention to nourishing the physique and the thoughts, so the competition was an ideal match.
This contest introduced in 7x extra likes than different related Nuba posts.
Hashtag challenges
Hashtag challenges are a good way to get folks concerned and engaged together with your model. They’re additionally tremendous straightforward to arrange as they often depend on user-generated content material. All you want is a catchy hashtag and a few prize incentives!
Colgate’s #MakeMomSmile hashtag problem on TikTok garnered massive outcomes. The competition referred to as on customers to share a video of themselves making their mother smile. In simply two weeks, the hashtag acquired over 5.4 billion views and greater than 1.6 million user-generated movies!
@zahra look how lovely my momma is :’) #MakeMomSmile @colgate_us #ColgatePartner ♬ Kids People Acoustic – BDKSonic
Branded lens/AR contests
Platforms like Snapchat now supply branded lenses and AR filters that customers can mess around with. This gives a terrific alternative for manufacturers to get in on the enjoyable and host a contest utilizing these options.
Oreo used this characteristic to create “Oreoji” themed lenses, filters, and stickers. Customers may use these options of their every day snaps, or unlock a mountain zorbing recreation the place they dodged obstacles whereas flying down a slippery slope. Gamers gained free packs of cookies as prizes.
This marketing campaign helped Oreo join with a youthful viewers and get their consideration with one thing new and thrilling.
Supply: Marketing campaign Stay
When you’ve received your contest template, it’s time to start out planning your subsequent social media contest. When you’re operating a social media contest for your online business, otherwise you’re simply seeking to improve your attain on a private account, these contest suggestions will assist you to get began.
1. Set your objectives and select a platform
First issues first, it is advisable set your objectives for the competition.
Are you seeking to improve engagement? Drive site visitors to your web site? Enhance model consciousness?
As soon as you recognize what you need to obtain, it’ll be simpler to decide on the suitable platform (or platforms) in your contest.
For instance, if you happen to’re seeking to improve engagement, Twitter or Instagram could be good decisions. When you’re seeking to drive site visitors to your web site, a contest on Fb could be a greater choice.
2. Select your prize
Subsequent, you’ll want to decide on your prize. Your prize ought to be related to your contest objectives and viewers.
When you’re attempting to extend engagement, you could possibly supply to promote them in your social channels. When you’re seeking to improve model consciousness, you could possibly supply a product pattern or swag merchandise.
3. Promote your contest prematurely
It’s a good suggestion to construct hype round your contest earlier than it launches. Be sure you give folks sufficient time to enter the competition–you don’t need it to be over earlier than they actually have a probability to take part!
You may promote your contest prematurely by :
- Posting about it on social media
- Sending out an electronic mail blast to your subscribers
- Making a touchdown web page in your web site
- Promoting the competition on related web sites and blogs
Use Hootsuite to schedule your social media posts prematurely. This may assist you to be sure to’re selling your contest throughout all your channels, and that you just’re doing it constantly.
4. Collab with an influencer (elective)
Teaming up with an influencer is a good way to get the phrase out about your contest. Be sure to decide on an influencer who has a related audience to yours.
You may crew up with an influencer by:
- Asking them to share your contest on their social media channels
- Having them create authentic content material in your contest (e.g., a weblog publish or social media publish)
- Collaborating with them for prizes and/or contest entry necessities
5. Comply with the community’s tips
Relying on the social community you’re utilizing, there could be particular contest tips it is advisable comply with. For instance, Fb needs it to be clear your contest is not affiliated with their model. Instagram requires you to have official guidelines laid out for every contest.
Not following the community’s tips may end in your contest being taken down or not being accredited within the first place. So, it’s positively price looking at earlier than you launch your contest.
6. Choose the winners
As soon as your contest is over, it’s time to choose the winners! There are just a few methods you possibly can decide winners pretty:
- Use an internet instrument like Wheel of Names to choose a winner at random
- Choose the winner with probably the most tags
- Let a choose resolve
You should definitely be upfront together with your entrants about the way you’ll be choosing the winner. That means, there aren’t any surprises when the competition is over.
7. Observe and optimize your contest
After your contest ends, it’s necessary to observe your outcomes and see what labored and what didn’t. This may assist you to optimize future contests so that they’re much more profitable.
To trace your contest, you’ll need to regulate:
- The variety of entries
- The variety of feedback, likes, and shares
- How many individuals used your hashtag
- How a lot engagement every publish acquired
- Who your winners are and the place they’re positioned
Hootsuite Analytics can even assist you to observe how a lot attain and engagement your contest is getting. Observe contest-related shares, hashtags, and extra to see how far your contest is shared.
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