Social media contests are online promotions that offer incentives like rewards and special access in exchange for participants’ participation.
You can reward your followers for showing interest in your postings by providing them with something of value. This is a great way to get people talking about your brand, which in turn helps spread the word about your business and expand your reach.
Users can engage with your company in a more lighthearted and imaginative way by entering a contest. You may, for instance, challenge your audience to submit their favorite product photo, to write a clever caption or even posting photo contest ideas for holidays!
Having contests with prizes for participants is a win-win situation; both you and your audience will have more fun. This is a situation in which everyone benefits.
The holidays are some of the best times to reach out to customers new and old. A great way to reach out to those clients is to have them interact with you on social media through contests and giveaways, after all this is the season of giving! Here are a few ideas for contests during this holiday season.
- Holiday recipes: Ask your Facebook fans to post pictures of their best holiday dish and the recipes that match them.
- Ugly Christmas Sweaters: There are parties dedicated to ugly Christmas sweaters so ask your clients to send in pictures of themselves in their ugliest Christmas sweater.
- “Elf on the Shelf”: This has become a fun Holiday tradition for kids and adults. Ask your clients to post pictures of Elf on the Shelf sightings in their house and pick out the best one!
- Family photo contests: Whether you want to go the awkward family photo route or the very adorable portrait way, have your clients send in their best holiday family photos, past or present.
- Holiday Decorations: These can be pictures of a tree or pictures of the crazy neighbors holiday extravaganza on their lawn. Ask clients for pictures of their holiday decorations around or on the house.
Tips for Organizing Viral Online Contests
Brands may let their imaginations run wild with social media contests. However, established practices should still be adhered to, even if you intend to test out a novel concept. This way, you can avoid issues with the platform’s rules and ensure the most excellent possible outcomes from your event.
Avoid Banned Activities
Twitter giveaways often include hashtag challenges, and Instagram uses tag marketing. Therefore, these contest entry rules will only work on some social networks. Each social channel has its list of prohibited acts, which you cannot ask giveaway entrants to perform. Review each platform’s contest rules to avoid account strikes.
Instagram doesn’t allow marketers to ask users to tag themselves in the content they’re not in. Likewise, Facebook bans tag campaigns and timeline shares. Since Twitter prohibits duplicate material, marketers should refrain from pushing users to share the same tweet.
Unique Hashtags
Hashtags help collect contest entries. This strategy does not require a third-party tool because Twitter and Instagram allow hashtag searches. If your contest hashtag is familiar or has been used, you may need help distinguishing entries from irrelevant content. So check your hashtag before advertising your giveaway.
The use of social media contests is an excellent method for accomplishing lofty marketing goals without spending money on advertisements. You may enhance brand exposure, develop your audience, generate more user-generated content, boost loyalty, and meet other goals with a giveaway that is suited to the season, your brand, and your audience.
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