The 3 Critical Components For Businesses to Execute a Massively Successful Online Giveaway

You know what everyone likes?

Free stuff.

As a marketer, this is something you can definitely use to your advantage.

An online giveaway can be a great way to build an email list, get more engagement, generate some buzz, and cultivate the brand awareness your company needs to succeed.

But as with anything, planning is key.

You need to understand what you're trying to do, and you need a clear road map before you get started.

If your prize isn't appealing, or you're targeting the wrong people, your campaign will fall flat.

To sign up for a chance to win, people will need to take time to do something for you. It could be giving you their email address, following your Twitter, or filling out a survey.

No one's going to bother to do any of that unless you make it worth their while.

You need a prize to be something really tantalizing, something your audience will really, really want.

In a recent post at Quicksprout, Neil Patel breaks down exactly what you need to do to create a successful giveaway.

1. Determine your specific goal

Before you can figure out the logistics of your campaign, you must first decide what you’re trying to accomplish.

Here are some examples of common campaign goals:

• Get new email subscribers
• Increase social media engagement
• Get more social media followers
• Increase blog engagement
• Get more backlinks
  

Knowing your specific goal will dictate the specific approach you take later on.

2a. Choose a prize

Coming up with an idea sounds pretty straightforward.

But I feel this is an area where a lot of brands drop the ball.

One of the main mistakes I often see is giving away something irrelevant to the industry.

As I said before in another guide on Quick Sprout, not every contest should consist of an iPad giveaway.

Please. Can we stop with the iPads already?

What you want to do is offer a gift that represents you.

For instance, Airbnb might offer a free stay at an awesome location.

A clothing brand might offer a free t-shirt.

An outdoor gear company might give away a sleeping bag or tent.

You get the idea.

Why is this so important?

If you’re gathering email addresses as part of the online giveaway, you want to ensure you’re getting people who represent your demographic.

Otherwise, you’ll have a junk list of unqualified leads who will probably never convert when you attempt to move them through your sales funnel later on.

2b. Consider bundling items

Wishpond also makes another interesting point.

They say offering a bundle of items can have a bigger impact than offering only one item.

It seems that a bundle is deemed higher value (even if it’s not, necessarily) than one single item. Plus more variety appeals to a wider audience.

This logic makes sense to me.

Most people have a tendency to think more is better.

So, even if you offer three gifts that combined are worth less than a single gift, the perception would still be that the three gifts are of a higher value (even if they’re not).

This isn’t to say that you have to follow this formula, but it’s definitely food for thought and could help you increase your number of entrants.

2c. Consider offering multiple prizes

Let’s be real.

What are the odds of winning a giveaway with only one grand prize?

Pretty microscopic.

And people know this. They won’t jump through a bunch of hoops just to enter a contest where the chances of winning are slim to none.

But when there are prizes for first place, second place, and third place, the odds of winning increase a bit.

I suggest you offer smaller prizes for runner-up entrants in addition to the grand prize.

This makes people feel like they do have a chance, and even if they don’t win the grand prize, they can still get something.

I’ve found this to serve as motivation for people to sign up.

3. Contest duration

Okay, so you’ve got a goal, and you know what prize you’re going to offer.

The next thing to determine is how long your giveaway will last—its duration.

Now, there can be a huge variation in terms of duration.

But according to Kontest, the best duration for your campaign is either 25 or 60 days.

Research has found that these two lengths of time are the “sweet spots,” allowing you to get the maximum number of applicants.

But if it’s your first campaign and you’re still getting your bearings, I would definitely suggest sticking with 25 days initially.

Go any longer, and you might minimize the impact because some entrants may forget about the giveaway.

There’s a fine line between too short and too long. You’ll be able to pick the right duration based on how much exposure your giveaway has.

Want to learn more about running a killer online giveaway? Head over to Quick Sprout and check out the full article.