Social media giveaways are a powerful way to engage your audience but people often misunderstand the importance of goal setting before undertaking the task of organizing a social media give away.
How to increase brand awareness
for my brand?
Types of Social Media Giveaways.
Increasing brand awareness is likely one of the most common reasons to launch a social media giveaway. It can help you increase your brand’s visibility and reach by encouraging your existing audience to rant and rave about you to their friends. If the goal is to increase awareness then a social media giveaway is a great way to do it.
Growing followers can be another objective to consider as a key performance indicator in your campaign. This is especially important if your business is offering a service that often people take more time to deliberate upon before they commit, like permanent makeup or cosmetic injections. With this objective in your campaign you will attract people within earshot for your ongoing offers and bring new people into the fold who will need a little more time to build their trust in you. That’s why we always tell people after a Follower Growth campaign to immediately transition into trust building campaigns like testimonials etc.
Generating what we call user-generated content is another excellent objective in a social media giveaway. By asking users to create and share content related to your service or product you will create a buzz of advocates working strategically to promote you but at the same time win what you’re giving away. While the user-generated content objective can be a bit more advanced it has some very powerful benefits.
Boosting engagement is an objective that you can almost always expect, regardless of the other reasons for launching a giveaway. Every giveaway will have excellent engagement results. While engagement algorithms are becoming more convoluted and hard to follow, even for pros, we don’t often see boosting engagement as the primary reason for launching a giveaway on social media.
How to increase sales and customer engagement for my business?
The main objective of every social media giveaway is to drive sales. Ultimately each of the other objectives will have a bilateral impact on your sales by increasing your brand awareness, growing your followers, and outsourcing user-generated content.
Having said that, let’s talk about a couple of the leading platforms and what you need to do to run a successful social media giveaway.
What social media platforms are good for my beauty brand?
Facebook Giveaways:
Hosting a giveaway on Facebook can be a powerful way to engage with your audience, grow your following, and promote your brand. However, running a successful Facebook giveaway requires careful planning and execution. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to hosting a successful Facebook giveaway.
Determine your goals and rules: Before you begin your giveaway, it’s important to determine your goals and rules. What do you want to achieve with the giveaway, and what are the entry requirements? For example, you may want to increase engagement, drive sales, or build your email list. You’ll also need to decide on the eligibility requirements, entry deadline, and prize.
Choose the type of giveaway: There are several types of Facebook giveaways to choose from, including sweepstakes, photo contests, video contests, and referral contests. Choose the type of giveaway that aligns with your goals and resonates with your audience. Keep in mind that certain types of giveaways may require more effort and resources to execute.
Create compelling visuals & copy: To attract and engage participants, you’ll need to create compelling visuals and copy for your Facebook giveaway. Use high-quality images or videos, attention-grabbing headlines, and clear calls-to-action to encourage people to participate. You may also want to consider using Facebook Live or Instagram Stories to promote your giveaway and build excitement.
Promote your giveaway: To maximize the reach and engagement of your giveaway, you’ll need to promote it across your social media channels, website, and email newsletter. Use Facebook Ads to target your ideal audience and boost the visibility of your giveaway. You may also want to partner with influencers or other brands to reach a wider audience.
Monitor and engage with participants: Once your giveaway is live, it’s important to monitor and engage with participants. Respond to comments, answer questions, and encourage people to share the giveaway with their friends. This will help to build relationships with your audience and increase the visibility of your giveaway.
Announce the winners: At the end of the giveaway period, announce the winners and follow up with them to claim their prize. Make sure to thank everyone who participated and let them know when the next giveaway will be.
Measure the success of the giveaway: After the campaign is over, measure the success of the campaign by tracking the increase in followers, engagement, user-generated content, and sales.
By following these steps, you can host a successful giveaway on Facebook that will help to engage your audience, grow your following, and promote your brand. Remember to stay consistent, stay within Facebook’s guidelines, and track your results to learn from your successes and failures.
Instagram Giveaways:
Decide on the giveaway mechanics: Decide how users can enter the giveaway. Some options include following your page, tagging friends in the comments, sharing the post to their story, or creating user-generated content related to your brand.
Create a visually appealing post: The post should be eye-catching and visually appealing. Make sure the post clearly states the rules, the prize, and the deadline to enter.
Promote the giveaway: Promote the giveaway on all your social media channels, your website, and through email newsletters. Encourage your followers to share the post with their friends to increase the reach of the campaign.
Choose a winner: Once the deadline to enter has passed, choose a winner fairly. You can use a random generator or choose the most creative entry, depending on the mechanics of the giveaway.
Announce the winner: Announce the winner on your Instagram page and tag them in the post. Make sure to follow through on the prize by sending it to the winner promptly.
Measure the success of the giveaway: After the campaign is over, measure the success of the campaign by tracking the increase in followers, engagement, user-generated content, and sales.
By following these steps, you can successfully host a social media giveaway on Instagram that will help you achieve your marketing objectives and grow your brand’s following.
Legal Stuff
When running a giveaway on social media, it is important to be aware of the legal guidelines and restrictions in order to avoid potential legal issues or penalties. Here are some of the legal limits to keep in mind:
Official Rules: You should create official rules for your giveaway and post them on your social media page and link it to your website. These rules should include the eligibility requirements, how to enter, the prize, the winner selection process, and any restrictions or limitations.
Age Restrictions: You must ensure that entrants are of legal age to participate in the giveaway. In Ontario, this typically means entrants must be 18 years or older.
No Purchase Necessary: You cannot require participants to make a purchase or provide any form of consideration in order to enter the giveaway. This means that the giveaway must be free to enter and open to all who meet the eligibility requirements.
Clear Disclosure: You must clearly disclose the terms and conditions of the giveaway, including any restrictions or limitations, in your posts and in the official rules.
Compliance with Social Media Guidelines: You must comply with Facebook or Instagram’s guidelines and policies regarding contests and promotions, including the use of hashtags, tagging, and the disclosure of sponsored content.
Taxes and Legal Compliance: You should consult with legal and tax professionals to ensure that your giveaway complies with all relevant laws and regulations, including those related to taxes, privacy, and consumer protection. Note that you can often write off the retail value of the giveaway under marketing expenses.
By understanding and complying with these legal limits, you can run a successful and legally compliant giveaway on Instagram.
Conclusion
In conclusion, hosting a successful social media giveaway requires clear objectives, careful planning, and thoughtful execution. Whether you’re aiming to increase brand awareness, grow your following, generate user-generated content, boost engagement, or drive sales, it’s important to choose the right platform and tailor your giveaway accordingly. By creating compelling visuals and copy, promoting your giveaway across your social media channels, engaging with participants, and measuring your success, you can create a buzz around your brand and build lasting relationships with your audience. Keep in mind that while social media giveaways can be powerful tools for engagement and promotion, they are just one piece of the puzzle in building a successful brand.