Are you trying to increase social media followers or increase brand awareness? Everyone loves a competition, and they are a great way to supercharge your marketing campaign.

How to Run a Successful Social Media Giveaway

To be successful, all you need to know are the correct steps to take.

Luckily, it is easier than you may think. Read on for our guide to creating a social media giveaway.

Set a Clear Objective

Before you begin thinking of your promotional giveaway, you need to define what it aims to do. The most common use is to increase a follower count, either through a Facebook or Instagram giveaway. You may also do it to increase subscribers to your email list.

It can also promote new products, easily done if you give one away as the prize. Whatever your objective, it will always have the bonus that it increases brand awareness.

Choose a Contest

The next part of your marketing plan is to determine the type of contest. Certain types of contests will work better for different objectives.

For example, to increase followers, you need to ask them to follow the page or share it to be entered into a draw.

While collecting the names and profiles of everyone who does this can take time, it is well worth it for the outcome. You can then enter them into a random generator online and record the results.

If you want to increase your email list, ask people to sign up on a dedicated landing page. You can even run online photo contests, asking people to upload pictures and tag friends to enter.

Check the Platform Rules

The worst-case scenario for your small business giveaway is getting thrown off the platform and losing your followers. This happens more than you think when people do not follow the specific rules for competitions.

Facebook asks for you to be specific about contest rules. You must say it is not affiliated with them. You can also not use friend networks, tagging, or sharing posts as a form of entry.

Instagram has very similar rules to Facebook. Twitter is mainly concerned with duplicate accounts retweeting the contest, but after this is quite relaxed.

Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is the key to success in a social media giveaway. It should define every aspect, from the prize to the type of contest you choose to run.

If you do not already know your market, go back through old research or pinpoint who your main customer is.

Choose a Social Media Giveaway Prize

You may be promoting a product, in which case a free product is always a good incentive.

You can even give out smaller prizes such as goody bags filled with branded stationery and stickers. These easy to order patches have plenty of uses.

Keep Reviewing

Your first social media giveaway will be successful if you follow these tips.

However, by looking back, analyzing, and refining your process, the next can be even better. Test some smaller campaigns, then use your knowledge for one big, final giveaway.

If you enjoyed our handy article, then visit the rest of our blog. We have everything from marketing advice to finance to help your business grow in the coming year.

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