Running a giveaway this festive season is one of the best ways of connecting with existing and potential customers. Millions of people are aware that companies offer discounts during this time of the year and are willing to take advantage of them.
Not all giveaways are successful; here are some expert tips to help you run a profitable giveaway this festive season.
Determine What Kind of Contest is Ideal for your Brand
The first thing that you need to note is that promotional contests are different. Here are the three main ones that you can run to boost your brand awareness efforts.
- Lottery
- Sweepstakes
- Contests
Contests mean that the participants will need to do something to win the prizes. For example, you can request them to take a photo holding your product and share it with all their social media profiles. Sweepstake requires no skills or prior experience. Winners are randomly selected manually or using a computer program.
In a lottery, the contestants are required to make a purchase or contribute to the course to participate. There are state and federal laws that govern all these three contests. Familiarize yourself with them to avoid lawsuits.
Giveaway Should Have a Deadline
One of the easiest ways of encouraging more people to take part in the contest is by setting a deadline. It will create a sense of urgency and lure them to take action. If there is no deadline, some of the potential participants will think that the period has already elapsed and you have already awarded the prizes to the winners. The timeline will also help to minimize late entries so make sure that it is indicated in the ad to avoid such issues.
The Rules Should be clear
Just like there are federal laws that govern giveaways, you need to have your own set of rules that all participants are required to abide by if they are to win the prizes. The rules should be apparent to prevent any form of confusion and also promote transparency throughout the giveaway. Note that if there are no rules or they are not clear, some of the disgruntled participate may post negative reviews and comments online thereby hurting the reputation you have worked so hard to build.
Choose the Prizes Wisely
The prizes need to relevant or worthwhile to the target customers. Otherwise, they will not feel obliged to take part in the giveaway. For example, if your company sells snowboarding equipment, you can decide to fly the winners to a famous ski lodge and footing all the expenses. If the award is a physical product, take a photo of it and include it in the ad to encourage more people to take part.
Finally, since most of your customers are active social media users, use the various platforms to popularize your giveaway. Go an extra mile and create a hashtag that is different from your competitors to promote it further. Be sure to monitor the progress and calculate the sales garnered after the giveaway to get insights on what to improve on next festive season.
