The general steps for running a social media contest:
1. Determine the goal of the contest: Before you start planning your contest, you need to determine what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase engagement, grow your following, or promote a new product? This will help you determine the type of contest and the prize you offer.
2. Choose the contest type: There are many types of social media contests, such as photo contests, caption contests, and sweepstakes. Choose a contest that aligns with your goal and is relevant to your audience.
3. Set the rules: Clearly define the rules of the contest, including eligibility requirements, entry guidelines, and submission deadlines. Make sure the rules are easy to understand and follow.
4. Choose a prize: Choose a prize that is relevant to your audience and is valuable enough to motivate them to participate. The prize could be a product, service, or experience related to your business.
5. Promote the contest: Promote the contest on your social media channels and website to get the word out. Use eye-catching graphics and messaging to entice people to participate.
6. Monitor entries: Monitor the entries carefully to ensure they meet the contest requirements. You may need to disqualify entries that do not follow the rules.
7. Select a winner: Once the contest deadline has passed, select a winner based on the criteria you established in the rules. Make sure to announce the winner publicly and contact them privately to arrange prize delivery.
8. Follow up: After the contest is over, follow up with participants to thank them for participating and promote your business further. You may also want to survey participants to gather feedback and insights for future contests.
By following these steps, you can run a successful social media contest that engages your audience and promotes your business.
An example of a social media contest you can run:
Goal: Increase engagement and build brand awareness
Contest type: Photo contest
Prize: A gift card to your business or a product from your business’s collection
Rules:
1. Follow our Instagram page (@yourbusinessname)
2. Post a photo of yourself using our product or wearing our merchandise on your Instagram feed or story
3. Tag us in the photo and use the hashtag #YourBusinessNameContest
4. Make sure your account is set to public so we can see your entry
5. One entry per person
6. The contest is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years or older
7. The contest ends on [insert date]
Promotion:
1. Create eye-catching graphics and messaging to promote the contest on your Instagram and other social media channels.
2. Use relevant hashtags to attract a wider audience.
3. Consider partnering with influencers or other businesses to promote the contest to their followers.
4. Share the contest on your website and newsletter to reach your email list.
Winner selection:
1. Review all eligible entries and select the top five based on the creativity and quality of the photo.
2. Post the top five entries on your Instagram and let your followers vote for the winner by liking their favorite entry.
3. The entry with the most likes by the end of the voting period will be declared the winner.
Follow up:
1. Announce the winner on your social media channels and website.
2. Contact the winner privately to arrange for prize delivery.
3. Thank all participants and consider offering a discount code to those who didn’t win as a thank you for participating.
By running this social media contest, you can increase engagement, build brand awareness, and incentivize your followers to share your product with their audience.
