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How to Use Contest As An Effective Inbound Marketing Tool

April 30th, 2010 ::

I love participating in contests.  The idea of getting something great for free has a magnetic pull on me, as it does for many people.   You can sponsor a big contest (Win a Trip to NYC and a $1,000 Shopping Spree!) or a small one (Win a 30 Minute Massage!)—it doesn’t really matter.  As long as you are giving away something people want, a contest is a great way to drive leads and boost your inbound marketing program.

To get the message out as widely as possible, cross-promote your contest on your website, in your e-signature, on the social media platforms you’re using, and in your newsletter and/or blog.  People have short memories, so be sure to mention the contest fairly often.  And remember that the whole reason you are giving something away is to attract new customers.  You’ll want to capture their name, company name (if applicable), address, phone number, and/or email address so you can add them to your database.

I have shoes on my mind as I write this, so let’s say I own a children’s shoe store that specializes in high-quality European and American-made shoes.  I am going to give away a different pair of shoes every month.  Here’s what I’d do:

Set up microsite. I’d add a microsite to my website and use it as the contest page.

Follow me. From my microsite, I’d ask people to follow me on Twitter and Facebook, even though those badges are already on my website.

Subscribe to newsletter or blog. Right under the form that people fill out to enter the contest, I’d ask people if they’d like to receive my e-newsletter and/or blog.

Spread message to friends on FB or Twitter. Once people have submitted the contest form, a new page would open up and I’d ask them if they’d like to tell their friends on Facebook and Twitter about the contest.  I’d provide links to both social media platforms that includes the link back to the contest microsite.

Link contest page to website. When people are done telling their friends about the contest, I’d add a “Finish” button to the page.  When they click on it, they’d be automatically redirected to the home page of my website.

Publicize results of contest. Without revealing too much information about the winner (first name, city, and state at most), I’d publicize the results of the contest everywhere and include a quote from the winner.  Great way to build community!

The views expressed here are the author's alone and not those of Network Solutions or its partners.

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Branding, Marketing, social media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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