For small businesses looking to expand their online reach, running an online contest is a simple way to boost your social media visibility. If done wisely, it’s a great way to build up your customer base and brand loyalty. There are some key factors involved in ensuring that your contest is successful, and proper planning is the most crucial. Here are some tips for creating an excellent social media contest:

There are many reasons for running a contest, and pinpointing yours prior to setup is the most surefire way to make sure your ultimate goal is reached once the giveaway has ended. Common objectives for small businesses include:

• More page likes (Facebook) and/or followers (Instagram)
• Increased audience interaction
• Increased sales
• Social media presence
• Gaining a better understanding of your audience/target market
• Promotion of new products

Ask yourself what you want most from the contest, and proceed from there.

After your goal is clearly defined, the next (and most important) step is to put the contest together. First and foremost, you want to make sure that the rules for entering are clearly and easily defined for your audience in a concise manner. What information do people need to know?

• The time frame for the contest. Give a clear end date.
• How to enter. Do they need to “like” your Facebook page? Follow you on Instagram? Share your contest post on their personal timeline? Comment on the post itself?
• What the prize is – and how many winners there will be.
• How many times they can enter (once, daily, weekly, etc.).

When creating the rules, keep in mind what your goal is, and don’t go overboard with requests. The more you ask followers to do, the less likely they are to enter. If you’re looking for more page likes, having entrants share your post with their friends will increase your numbers. If you want more audience interaction or a better understanding of your followers likes, ask them a question and make commenting with a response the key entry rule.

Once the contest is up and running, make sure that visibility is maximized by promoting it across all of your social media platforms. Use an eye-catching graphic for the contest and alter it to fit the dimensions of all your platforms (Facebook cover photos, Instagram posts) using an app like Canva. If you have a website, post the contest to your blog as well. Also, make sure to send out reminders to your followers regularly, in case they didn’t see the original post.

Once the contest has ended, choose the winner(s), and announce it to everyone across your social media accounts, while also thanking everyone who entered for their participation. Contact the winner directly, or tag their name on your original contest post and ask that they contact you within a set time frame to claim their prize. Once you’ve received their mailing address, let them know when you’ll be shipping out their prize.
With a clear plan and a healthy dose of determination, a successful social media contest can be as simple as it is rewarding. If you know your goals and audience, and you make it a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone involved, you’ll be a social media contest pro in no time!

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References:
http://corp.wishpond.com/instagram-marketing-resources-for-businesses/social-media-contests-5-steps-running-a-successful-contest-on-instagram
http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/12-tips-to-running-a-winning-social-media-contest/
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/13-ingredients-in-the-perfect-social-media-contest/
https://www.canva.com/