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One of the biggest challenges for marketers is accelerating their brand’s growth, by increasing online awareness and engagement. Online promotions such as contests and giveaways are some of the best marketing strategies you can use to increase excitement around your brand and build a strong relationship with your customers.
Many businesses think that by giving away anything for free they will automatically get a flood of new visitors, email subscribers, Facebook likes and sales; unfortunately, without a clear, defined goal and a solid marketing plan, this is hardly ever the result.
Picking the appropriate social channel for your promotion is key to reaching the type of audience you’ll be addressing, for instance, if you are targeting consumers between the ages of 20-35 who are photo enthusiasts then Instagram is your platform.
Having real incentive is important as no one will care about your promotion or contest unless there is a real goal at the finish line. Choose an incentive that is cost effective, and reinforces your brand.
1. Make It Simple:
Online promotions are an effective marketing channel to help grow your business, generate more leads and increase sales. In order to maximize the success and participation of the promotion it is vital to make it easy and accessible for consumers to participate, by removing as many barriers to entry as possible and giving consumers extra steps like having to log in to access your promotion or having too many fields on the entry form; decreases the chance of their entry.
2. Incentifise Sharing:
Not only do customers love to look at appealing images, but they also love to share what they like with close friends and family. Increase and encourage engagement by asking participants to take action by sharing a photo as part of entering your promotion or contest.
3. Make It Gen-Z and Millennial Friendly:
Everyone is now on the go especially, Millennials and Generation Z; consumers nowadays want to do everything on their phone from listening to music to getting their groceries through an app, therefore your promotion has to be easily accessible and doable with simple steps for them to participate with minimum effort. Moreover, you have to put into consideration how these promotions will look and feel on all mobile devices.
4. Increase Your Social Recommendations:
Don’t be afraid to ask family, friends and even staff members to share your promotion with their own networks; remember sharing is caring. Also don’t hesitate to ask your consumers to tag more friends in the comments on Instagram or adding a sharing button if you’re on facebook.
Use a secondary social channel to drive awareness, by using other social channels to increase awareness around your promotion and driving your consumers to your main promotion platform. This will allow your contest to go viral which in the end, will make the difference.
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Spend On Ads:
Invest in the success of your promotion by advertising it through paid Ads on the platform of your choosing. Social promotions are a key tool for any digital marketer, use them to ensure that your promotion is shareable, engaging and reachable to your consumers so you can increase your chances.
In conclusion, the most successful promotions are those that are creative and intriguing to consumers. Don’t over complicate the process of participation and remember that the more engaged your audience is, the higher your chances are at reaching your goal.
And don’t forget to carve out a spot on your website, post giveaway details in your newsletter, and regularly spread the word on your social media platforms.