Strategic social media contests to supercharge your brand’s growth
If you’re looking for a quick way to boost your brand’s engagement and following, a giveaway is one of the easiest ways you can achieve that. Beyond the allure of winning stuff (everyone loves free stuff), contests present small businesses with a golden opportunity to supercharge their engagement, and even create some organic buzz around their brand. But, you need to have a plan in order to execute an effective giveaway. And because I’m feeling charitable (it is the holiday season, afterall) I’m going to tell you what to do.
Define Your Objectives: Before you launch a contest, you need to outline your objectives. Whether it's increasing brand awareness, growing your social media following, or driving website traffic, getting extremely precise on your goals ensures that your contest aligns with your broader marketing strategy.
Choose the Right Platform: Different social media platforms cater to distinct audiences. Tailor your contest to the platform most frequented by your target audience. Instagram may be ideal for visually-driven contests, while TikTok could be the best option if your target audience is under the age of 30.
Engaging Entry Mechanisms: Simplify participation to maximize entries. Whether it's liking, sharing, commenting, or creating user-generated content, the entry process should be frictionless. Encourage participants to spread the word by making entry mechanisms shareable.
Amazing Prizes: The actual prize itself is what is going to make or break how successful your giveaway is. Because let’s face it. No one cares about you. No one cares about your brand. They just want to win free stuff. 8 times out of 10, they’ll be too lazy to unfollow you after the contest ends, OR they’ll see your ensuing content and decide to stick around. But back to the prize. Ensure your prize resonates with your audience, aligns with your brand, and generates excitement.
Fab Collabs: Consider collaborating with influencers or partners to elevate the prize appeal. If you’re doing the giveaway on Instagram, collab with a partner, so you can leverage their following and hopefully convert their followers into your followers, too.
Leverage User-Generated Content: User-generated content (UGC) is massive on social media right now, and if you can figure out a smart way to incorporate UGH into your contest, you’ll be laughing all the way home. For example, if your giveaway platform is TikTok, you could ask participants to create content related to your brand, turning them into brand advocates and generating authentic, shareable material.
Speak to Your New Followers: After your giveaway wraps, you NEED to be extremely thoughtful about the kind of content that you’re sharing. This is your opportunity to convert these temporary new followers into lifers. They’re at the top of funnel stage of their customer journey when they enter the contest and start following you. How informative, engaging and valuable your content becomes after the giveaway ends is what will move those customers from top of funnel to mid and bottom of funnel.
Social media contests, when executed strategically, can be a great way to build your brand. They’re a dynamic tool for fostering community, amplifying brand reach, and driving meaningful engagement. Before you plan your next giveaway, remember that the true measure of success isn't just the number of entries but the lasting impact on your brand's digital footprint.
Ready to launch an unforgettable giveaway on social media? Let's chat! Book a free strategy session today.
