1. 3 Tips for Effective Social Media Contests
According to Palmer, contests and giveaways are effective at bolstering social stats,
like the number of followers. The problem is that these followers turn out to be less
likely to engage with the page again. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Social contests can be highly effective, if they are done correctly, and under the
right circumstances. Here are three tips on how to ensure that.
1. Have a Goal
As is the case with nearly any marketing effort, social media contests must have a
clearly defined goal in order to generate any value at all. Most marketers think they
know their goal, and it usually follows the formula of, “I want to raise my followers
on social by X amount.” Unfortunately, this approach is fundamentally wrong, and
few companies seem to know it.
While it is nice to have a large number of followers on various social channels, it
should almost never be the end goal of a contest. Companies need to delve a layer
deeper. As Justin said, followers gained from contests alone are unlikely to have
much interest in the business beyond the prize.
So, what do you ultimately want out of your contests? In most cases the answer is
money. That’s why you need to measure your actual ROI in terms of new leads or
conversions from the contest. Other goals could include, conducting research, or
revealing a new consumer base. The point is to determine what you ultimately want
to achieve through your social efforts and measure the direct impact of the contest.
Bullet Point Branding CEO, Bryan Fulton, had a lot of followers on social media, but
needed to find out more about his niche customers. In particular, he wanted
information on potential leads in the cosmetic field. He offered a free lipstick pen to
the 500th follower of a contest. Based on the specific nature of the prize, he was
able to determine which clients were interested in the product. He had a clear goal
and was ultimately able to meet it.

2. 2. Develop a Target
Having a defined target is just as important as your goal. Many social contests cast
a wide net hoping to draw in as many people as possible. This is counterproductive
because it forces the business to cater to an audience that either only cares about
the prize or doesn’t really care at all. It is more effective to align a target audience
to a specific goal and market the contest to them.
For Volusion — an ecommerce platform — most successful contests were the result
of the specific nature of Volusion’s targeting efforts. In this case, the audience was
“mompreneurs.” Volusion knew that this was a growing ecommerce audience, and
that many of these women would appreciate sharing their stories. Part of the
contest involved having the women describe themselves and the reason they
started their business. Many moms participated in the project just to tell their
stories, and one participant even described her entry as “therapeutic.” Because of
Volusion’s successful targeting strategy, they tapped into a rapidly growing market,
and gained many faithful clients.
3. Pick the Right Prize
Most contests feature a prize that can best be described as shiny. Think the latest
tablet, vacations, or just good old-fashioned money. Marketers assume that a lot of
people will be drawn to this, and they are correct. The issue is those people just
want a shiny prize. In general, there are three types of prizes that companies offer
in contests: third-party prizes, a product from the business running the contest, or
intangibles.
For more information visit: http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/tips-effective-social-
media-contests/