Happy September!
We can all take a deep breath of relief and be thankful we officially made it through the worst of what turned out to be the hottest season the Midwest has ever had.
As we learned in the beginning; social media can be a powerful business-building tool, but only if used correctly.
Over the last few months, my columns have focused on the ins and outs of running successful social media contests; we’re creating a strategy that every business model can emulate and see positive results. In the August column, we detailed each of the first four steps in the eight-step guide to success (according to a Shoutlet Webinar: “Facebook Contests: An 8-Step Guide for Success”). Here is a brief review of those first four steps:
Step 1: Set Goals
Step 2: Define the Details Step 3: Get Compliant
Step 4: Promote & Start the
Conversation
Once you’ve completed the first half of the eight steps and feel confident in moving forward, it’s time to launch your social media contest. In fact, Step 5 is just that:
Step 5: Launch Your Contest
It’s “Go Time!” Whatever type of contest you choose (i.e. video, photo, essay, etc…) you’ll start to see responses almost immediately if you’ve followed the first four steps correctly and given the proper attention to the details. Good luck!
Step 6: Manage Your Contest
This is one of the most important steps. Stay up-to-date with feedback from your audience. Answer questions in a timely manner, as well as be able to monitor and make sure that everyone is following the rules and not misusing or abusing the contest’s content regulations (i.e. posting vulgar or disparaging comments).
Step 7: Analyze the Results
Did you reach your goals? This is why Step 2 is essential to success. How will you know if you’ve been successful if you don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish? Measure your success and then determine how you can make it better next time.
Step 8: Continue the Conversation
You now have a captive audience – keep the conversation going! By doing this, you’ll generate trust, gain credibility, create value and brand loyalty, and ultimately, increase sales!
Congratulations! You’re now ready to conquer the world of social media contests. As we learned in the beginning; social media can be a powerful business-building tool and resource, but only if used correctly. Follow these eight steps to guide you to success in running your social media contests, and you’ll start to realize the instant impact they’ll have on your business.
