Contest Marketing - Big Zero?

Contest Marketing – Big Zero?

 January 16, 2015      Michael Bickerton

One of the most interesting things we encounter with clients is how they deal with the results of a contest marketing program. We find next steps can be more challenging to move forward on then initial steps. Clients are initially engaged, love the concept, and love the engagement, the measurement of a contest. They promote the winner, hand out the prize and then the BIG ZERO. Nothing!

At minimum contest marketing will provide the following:

  • Brand Awareness
  • Build Email List
  • Develop Social Followers
  • Gather Customer Data
  • Download, coupon, voucher, invite etc.

The data you should anticipate for a good platform:

  • First
  • Last
  • Email
  • Gender
  • YOB
  • Location

Some contests depending our your program and goals may leave marketers with the following:

  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Essays
  • Comments

As such, marketers have to ask what’s next more importantly, should you be leaving your contestants, prospects and customers with the BIG ZERO? Running a contest is critical to building and developing leads (or what we call lead generation), however, the next step may be the most important.

Here are some ways to avoid the BIG ZERO:

  • Social posting – sharing, comment, click and reward
  • Promote the results – social ads, social posting, add to newsletter
  • Email – share the results via email, invite them for a social LIKE
  • Offer – why not prepare a special offer for participants?

As noted the BIG ZERO is not acceptable. No different than having a great evening out with a date. The night ends in a KISS and then nothing? It’s not the way things are done; everyone expects a call after the Big Kiss, don’t they?

Since you’ve done all the work, you’ve engaged with awareness, built an email list, got some social followers and even have some information it’s time to start the real work. That’s the reason we refer to contest marketing as a pre marketing program.

Marketing is always about the next step and contests provide you with the starting place. Marketers need to take that next step … no one likes to be left waiting.

Michael Bickerton, Raven5 Ltd January 2015

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