We have seen it many times before: brand and agency agree that they are going to run a contest promotion. Promotion launches, all hell breaks loose in a flurry of complaints, negative Facebook wall posts, accusations of cheating, software failure and worse. Brand and agency hang their collective heads in defeat, wishing they could go back in time.

The best "kick ass" image I could find in a Flickr search

Why did it go down this way? Because what seemed like a good idea to generate online engagement, actually was not. By missing or devaluing any one small part of the contest process, you could create a disaster where a success would have been easy (given the right plan).

Rather than make the (easy) list of “what not to do,” below you will find 10 ways to make your social media contest or promotion kick ass. For these tips to work though, you have to define what “kicking ass” means to you. This is the biggest mistake I have seen agencies and brands make; holding a contest or creating a promotion idea without first considering WHY they are doing it. What are the goals of the campaign? Only once you know that can you make the right decisions about how to proceed.

If you have a goal picked out (more sales, more Facebook Likes, some good video content for your site, brand “visibility”) you can begin with a well-planned promotion. These tips should help get you started.

1. Make it About the Experience

Ultimately, you are asking someone to share information with you, or spread the word about you, in exchange for an incentive (prize or coupon). That said, the “experience” involved here can be fun; a good theme for the right audience can make all the difference.

Example: Let’s pretend you are having a Facebook photo contest to promote your popular adventure tourism company. You could list your prize as “Two skydiving vouchers and a lunch for two,” or you could add a little sizzle:

Enter to win “The Most Thrilling and Romantic Date Experience for Two” featuring memories that will last a lifetime. Have you got the guts? Take the plunge and enter now. 

Do you see what we’re getting at here? Make it a fun experience right from the start, and the entire campaign will reflect more positively on your brand.

2. Make it About Your Community

This is an easy one to get wrong. Too often, marketers assume that because there is some level of incentive with social media promotions, that they can ask more of participants. Unless you have the brand loyalty of the likes of Apple, try to center your campaign theme around your community and the individuals in it, don’t make the mistake of making it about you.

Example: You’re a pizza restaurant chain, having a video contest with the prize of “pizza for a year.” Naturally, the promotion will attract your brand’s biggest fans. You COULD ask them to and tell you in a video what they love about your pizza, and you will get a limited number of (likely similar) answers. Or, you could ask people to simply express what they love about pizza; their favorite toppings, etc. In the second example, you will receive more entries and (I would argue) more truth in the responses, which you will find more valuable in the end. If you are having trouble agreeing with me on this, read the third paragraph of this post again. If you still like the first option given here, as it is more in tune with your goals, then you’re absolutely right and you may proceed. The point is just to give this some consideration with your community in mind. Make it about them.

3. Make it Fun

No need to go into great detail here, this one should be obvious. Of all the marketing that you do, your Facebook promotion or social media contest should be among the most fun. Step just a little bit outside your comfort zone; let your hair down (so to speak). If you have followed the rest of the pointers here, you should be safe. Yay!

4. Make it Easy

Easy is relative. What is the prize you are giving away? Is it a new car? You can ask for a little more (of the right audience) if it is. Is it a dinner voucher or coupon? Then  you’d better lower the barrier to entry, so it is as easy as possible. Asking for anything more than a few clicks and an email address could limit your campaign success considerably. Limit the number of form options/survey questions to only what is necessary. Also, for photo and video contests, try to choose themes where entrants might already have a piece of content that will work.

Example: You’re a spa, promoting a weekend getaway package with a photo contest. You could ask: “Take a photo of yourself during your chaotic day, for your chance to win,” but that requires that I plan, stage and shoot a picture, get it onto my hard-drive and then upload it to your contest. I’ve got two kids, and you’ve just made my genuinely chaotic day even worse with your challenging request! Ask instead: “Enter your photo that shows what “peace” means to you, and you could win a peaceful weekend getaway…”  Now, the entrant can upload that sunset photo they already have that they love, or the pic of them doing yoga on the beach. This dovetails with point 2: Make it about them. They love that picture already, and now they already telling their friends about it in your contest, collecting votes, etc. Ya dig?

5. Make it Pretty

Design counts. Not only does a good UI (user interface, or user experience, if you like) mean a greater chance of success because things look nice and easy, but an investment in great design “looks good on you.” That’s what much of this effort is all about; making you look good in front of your community. We encourage brands to have a campaign-specific design*, but to incorporate  their existing branding, colors and themes for familiarity.

*Typically this takes the form of a custom CSS design “skin” on one of the available third party promo applications; making it easy to implement, iterate and re-use designs on future campaigns.

6. Make it Fair

Rules matter. They can be boring and tedious, but we need them. All the details about how prizes will be awarded, eligibility, contest terms, all of that. But, in the case of a contest with voting, you need even more. Be explicit about the rules of your contest. Your software applications will be helpful here, certainly, but knowing in advance what to do, say and where to point people to when the first accusations of cheating arise can make all the difference.

Because like it or not, even if you have followed all of these tips and created a fun contest with a desirable incentive, people will cheat, and they will accuse each other of cheating. Why is this of little concern? Because of tools like Strutta’s Fraud Guard, that let you track and identify any voting that is deemed repetitive or suspicious. Since you have been warned, you can pre-write your statement about how cheating will be dealt with, and include it in your contest rules. (Pro tip: Ask how we deal with specific methods of cheating, and how we can host fair contests without ever accusing anyone of cheating, ensuring a crisis-free experience).

The point of “Make it Fair” deserves its own post; there are a lot of issues we could discuss here, so we will explore this one in more detail soon.

7. Make Money $$

Why not, right? Here you are, you’ve gotten people to engage with your brand on Facebook; you have their attention. Build a sales strategy into your promotion that you can track the success of. A coupon offer, gift registry invitation, newsletter subscription opt-in, or even something as sanguine a referral link to your online store can help boost business. Take names!

A note about Coupons: Not all brands agree with devaluing their product or service by reducing price, and that’s fine. The goal is to offer some incentive, so a giveaway (could be added service, etc,) loyalty program, gift registry, wishlist or any of the above can be a suitable substitute for a discount coupon.

8. Make it Count

Well done, marketeer. Your campaign is done, and you can start the follow-up process and start planning the next one. The first thing we always do is export all of the mailing list “opt in” folks and add them to our client’s mailing list. Wait, what? You didn’t ask for permission to contact people via email after the promotion? We are fans of asking of contestants only that which is very important. In our minds, nothing is more important than an attempt to establish an ongoing relationship. That’s why we encourage email lists and extensive analytics tracking, in addition to the “up front” ask of a “like” on Facebook.

Campaigns like these are great for visibility and engagement, but visibility and engagement alone don’t keep the lights on.

9. Make it Stick

If your contest theme idea is good enough, you should be able to repeat it each year with a similar level of success. It will get easier each time, and you can build upon the success of previous campaigns by reconnecting with your community via Facebook, Twitter and of course your email lists.

10. Make Us Do It

The administration of an online contest need not be a scary thing. We assist brands and agencies with the execution of promotions of all sizes. We would love to hear from you if you have questions about how to create a kick ass social media promotion, either on Facebook, or attached to your existing site.

My kids have just turned three and one, respectively. For the first eight months of my daughter’s life, I was at home caring for both her and my son full time. It was the most challenging, and at the same time the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

As a “stay at home” parent, you are blessed with a lot of time to wander off in thought, but cursed with a lack of time to act on anything but pressing kid emergencies, and hopefully the odd shower. (You will thank me for sparing you the gory details of parenthood, all ye non-breeders). This is not a job for the faint of heart, but if you are full of heart, there might be no better feeling in the world than to care for one’s family and watch them grow. To see yourself reflected in your children’s eyes, literally and figuratively, is a pleasure that I cannot express with mere words. My wife and I thank each other every day for this blessing, and for each other’s support.

In observing them playing together: the inevitable hair pulling, push-and-shoves and tantrums eventually give way to hugs and sharing. They enjoy themselves so much more during those times, and it is much quieter in the house. It’s a bit funny to me, that observing the actions of toddlers has given me some insight as to how to be a better man.

This time of reflection has helped me realize a lot about myself, what is important in this world, and what I want out of this life. For one, I too am happiest when sharing, so I have committed to spending more time helping others, whenever I can. It is this same commitment to a life of service that helped me realize it was time to return to my business as well. This is where I am at my best; helping companies discover their “voice” and tell their stories, and getting tangible results that we can bring to the bank. Sharing is at the heart of what I teach, and I am committed to “walking the talk.”

My years at Strutta were fun, educational and above all, by virtue of all of the entrepreneurial activity happening around us, inspiring. I owe a debt of gratitude to every team member and office mate, past and present, and every client I had the pleasure of working with. Thank you for everything you taught me; for the opportunity to put so many of my ideas into action with some of the world’s most famous brands, and to work alongside some of Vancouver’s most promising startups. I have made friends that I will certainly keep for life, and that is what is truly important.

And so, to make good on my words about sharing and a life of service, I offer myself to you, dear friends. If you have a question about something I can help with; be it about social media, online business tools, parenting, how to bake and decorate a kickass birthday cake, where the fish are biting, or even how to cope with the onset of grey hair, drop me a line. Ring my phone (778.840.8355), send me an email, leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter. I’m back, and I look forward to connecting with you.

As always your friend,

Jordan

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It is a question we hear a lot. We usually say that this question is akin to asking: “What is the ROI of customer service?” Because effectively, they are one and the same, and every business will have a different answer.

“Social media” is our current term for the tools that we use to communicate on the internet. That’s it and that’s all. Yes, there are certain etiquette to follow, and each tool comes with its own learning curve, some even with their own syntax. But if you are looking for a strategy as to how to use those tools, the safest way is to simply create the digital equivalent of your company’s existing customer service policies. It sounds simple, because it is. Social media is, after all, real life. ‘Xcept on the internet. When you talk about yourself too much, people get bored of you. Put your own interests ahead of your customers? A competitor is gonna eat your lunch. Got caught in a lie? Time to make good, right now. The rules are the same, only the tools have changed.

With that aside, we have the great pleasure of being able to tell you that if you want it to, social media can help have a direct effect on your bottom line. Not unlike the way great customer service strategies can help boost profits, a good social media plan can lead to more sales, leads, referrals, testimonials or whatever goal you set for your business. But you have to do it right.

Offer Value First, Get Loyalty in Return

So how do we use social media to make more money? To put in the simplest of terms: we take advantage of the scalability of these to tools to offer a lot of value to a lot of people. We offer so much value, that when we ask for something in return, we get it. And what’s more, we stay connected to our entire community, especially those that want to hear from us on the regular. That builds loyalty, and loyalty leads to evangelism, referrals, and repeat business. And let us not forget that these tools can be used for sales prospecting and follow-up, coupons, monitoring competitors, online contests, and promotions of all kinds. Let us also bear in mind that these days, customers expect to be able to connect with you online. If you are silent, your are conspicuous.

Taking that first step to a more active online presence can be a bit scary, and if mishandled, truly risky as well. But if you have a plan that includes offering value first, you can win at this game we call social media.

Have questions about how we can help? Hit us up in the comments, or contact us.