How to Run a Successful Social Media Contest

Social media contests are a great way to get people talking and excited about your brand. They can help you get more followers and reach more people. But just throwing up a contest isn't enough. You need a plan. Think of it like baking a cake. You can't just throw ingredients together and hope for the best, can you? Let's walk through how to create a really good social media contest, from start to finish.

Why Should You Even Bother?

Okay, so why even run a social media contest? Here are a few good reasons:

More Attention: Contests get people involved. More likes, comments, shares... you get the idea.
Bigger Audience: Ask people to follow you or tag their friends. Poof! New followers.
New Leads: Get email addresses and info. Great for future marketing.
More People Know You: A good contest gets your brand out there. Make it creative!
Website Visits: Send people to your website as part of the contest.
Free Content!: Get people to create content about your brand. Use it in your marketing!

How to Run a Killer Social Media Contest: Step-by-Step

Know Why You're Doing This:
What do you want from this contest? More followers? More people on your website? Decide what success looks like. Be specific. Example: "I want 20% more Instagram followers in two weeks."
Read Also:How to Use Facebook Groups for Content Marketing
Pick the Right Spot:
Where does your audience hang out? Instagram? Facebook? Twitter? Go where they are. Instagram is good for pictures. Facebook is good for lots of people. Twitter is quick.
Awesome Contest Ideas:
Your idea is key. It needs to be easy to understand and fun. Here are some ideas:
- Photo Contest: Share photos about your brand.
- Video Contest: Short videos, even better!
- Caption This: What's the best caption for this photo?
- Lucky Draw: Everyone who enters has a chance to win.
- Trivia Time: Answer questions about your brand.
- Tag a Friend: Tag friends for a chance to win.
- UGC Contest: Create content featuring your product.
Easy to Enter:
What do people need to do to enter? Some ideas:
- Follow your page.
- Like the contest post.
- Comment on the post.
- Tag friends.
- Share the post.
- Submit a photo or video.
- Answer a question.
- Visit your website.
Keep it simple! Too many steps and people will give up. Like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions.
Time It Right:
How long should the contest last? Not too short, or people will miss it. Not too long, or they'll get bored. One to two weeks is usually good.
Make the Rules Crystal Clear:
Spell out everything! Who can enter? What's the prize? How will you pick a winner? Transparency builds trust. Include:
- Who can enter (age, location, etc.).
- How to enter.
- How long the contest lasts.
- What the prize is worth.
- How you'll pick a winner.
- When you'll announce the winner.
- Any legal stuff (disclaimers).
- How to contact you with questions.
Wow Them with Visuals:
Use great photos and videos. Really grab people's attention. Bright colors, clear text. Make sure it looks good on the platform you're using. Think eye-catching!
Get the Word Out!:
Don't just post once. Tell everyone about it! Use hashtags. Consider paid ads. Here's how:
- Post everywhere!
- Use hashtags.
- Run ads.
- Send emails.
- Partner with influencers.
- Announce it on your website.
Talk to People!:
Answer comments. Say thank you. Show you care. This gets people excited.
Pick a Winner (Fairly!):
Follow your rules. Announce the winner publicly. Congratulate them. Contact them privately to give them the prize.
Deliver the Goods:
Give the winner their prize ASAP. This builds trust. Don't be like that store that never has what you want in stock!
See What Happened:
After the contest, look at the numbers. Did you meet your goals?
- How many people entered?
- Did you get more followers?
- Did more people visit your website?
- How many likes, comments, and shares did you get?
- How many new leads did you get?
- How many times was your brand mentioned?
Use this info to make your next contest even better. What worked? What didn't?

Good Ideas to Remember

Keep It Simple: Easy to enter, more people will join.
Be On-Brand: It needs to make sense for your company.
Good Prize: Something people actually want.
Promote, Promote: Tell everyone!
Talk to People: Show you care.
Follow the Rules: Don't get in trouble with the platform.
Track Results: See what happened.

Things Not to Do

Confusing Rules: Make them clear!
Boring Prize: Choose something people want.
No Promotion: People won't find it on their own.
Ignoring the Rules: Know the platform's rules.
Bad Communication: Answer questions!
No Analysis: See what happened!

Examples of Awesome Contests

Here are some companies that did it right:

GoPro: GoPro has photo and video contests where people can submit their best GoPro videos. This is a great example because it shows how versatile their products are.
Starbucks: Starbucks has contests where people share photos of their Starbucks drinks using specific hashtags. This is a good way to increase brand visibility.
National Geographic: National Geographic's photo contests are popular where photographers from around the world can submit. This showcases the world's beauty and strengthens their brand image.

Get Free Content!

User-generated content (UGC) contests are great. Get people to create content about your product. Then, use it in your marketing. It's like free advertising! Plus, people feel valued when you feature their work.

Tie It All Together

Your contest shouldn't be on its own. Promote it everywhere else. Email, website, blog. Partner with influencers. The more you promote it, the better it will do.

Did It Work?

Measure your ROI. How many entries, followers, website visits, etc., did you get? Did you meet your goals? This data is gold. Use it to improve your future contests.

I asked ChatGPT, "Write me a paragraph about Social Media ROI." The results were not as good as the paragraph above because I did not include this entire prompt.

Final Thoughts

A successful social media contest takes planning and effort. Follow these steps and you can create a contest that people will love. Remember to set clear goals, choose the right platform, make the rules easy to understand, promote like crazy, and see what the results were. You can do it!