Competition. It feeds our drive. It feeds our intuition. It feeds our industry. And, everybody loves to win: especially our customers! They love exclusive offers, great deals and free products and services; all of which can help support your loyal customer base. Engaging in social media contests can ensure that both you and your customers are consistently winning.
One thing a contest cannot do is make up for poor products or poor customer service; reinforcing quality must become top priority.
According to Shoutlet, an Enterprise Social Marketing Platform, running a Facebook contest can help provide incentives for new users to “Like” your page, promote new products, build brand recognition and awareness, interact with current customers and reward loyal customers. One thing running a contest cannot do is make up for poor products or poor customer service; reinforcing quality must become top priority.
This month, we’ll begin the first of a three-part series on Facebook Contests. Each month, I’ll present a new strategy for you to utilize in order to maximize the impact of your social media efforts and give your company a big boost on several levels.
We’ll start with the basics. We already covered why you would run a Facebook contest. Now it’s time to ask, “Should you run a Facebook contest?” Before starting any promotional campaign, start by answering the following six questions. (From Shoutlet Webinar: Facebook Contests: An 8-Step Guide for Success)
Do you have the time and resources to devote to planning, management and engagement that will be required?
Do you have the budget for providing a prize to incentivize your audience to participate?
Is the contest part of a larger, integrated marketing campaign?
Do you have clear goals for this contest?
Do you have a third-party app provider that can administer the contest?
Do you have community guidelines in place and a moderation tool that can help you tackle both positive and negative feedback?
This is a great place to start. Take your time and consider each question, as they are key to the success of your promotional campaign.
Next month, we’ll cover the eight simple steps to successfully conducting your Facebook contest. Before long, you’ll be an expert and able to say that winning is what YOU do!
