Business2Community informs that 83% of customers trust recommendations made by family and friends when making a purchasing decision. 70% of users trust online comments when deciding which products to buy.
However, it’s also important to remember that even if your company doesn’t have an online store, consumers are active online and often use the internet to find information to help them decide which products to buy and which stores to go to. The searches range from which products are most suitable for the consumer’s needs to which stores offer the best prices. People also search for reviews of other customers to help them feel more confident about making the right purchasing choice.
The time spent on the Internet by online users is measured in hours. We use the Internet for more and more things every day.
Why are we telling you this? Because it’s an excellent opportunity that all brands should be aware of, and because all the effort invested in nurturing and promoting loyalty to your customers online will serve as a highly effective method of attracting new leads.
Reviewing the phases of the complete Inbound Marketing cycle, we should now be in the final phase of the process – the one that closes the circle – one that can present new opportunities by attracting leads who can be encouraged to advance through the sales funnel. Don’t deliberate any longer: it’s time to define your strategy.
Online #contests and #giveaways will help you build loyalty with your clients and obtain new leads Share on XBuild customer loyalty and attract new sales opportunities
Establish an action plan for your Inbound Marketing strategy that you have planned, and don’t forget to include contests, games, sweepstakes, or polls; they’re highly effective for attracting clients while giving your followers fun content to interact with.
Most inbound marketing promotions come with prizes, and rightly so! Social media users are much more likely to participate in your contests and sweepstakes if you incentivize participation. You can offer discount codes to all registered users, or organize a random prize draw for all participants.
Apart from attracting new users and potential customers you will also reinforce the loyalty and trust of your existing clients.
Take a look at the following examples and discover what objectives you can achieve by incorporating contests and sweepstakes into your marketing strategy.
Boost engagement of your online community
Interaction = engagement. So if you provide your audience with fun and entertaining content to interact with you highly increase the chances of boosting brand engagement.
Mini-branded games are a great example of engagement-boosting content. Give your audience an interactive game to play and additionally throw in a chance to win prizes, discounts, or merchandise.
Here’s an example of a branded Timed Quiz in which users intend to answer a series of questions about health in the shortest time possible. The organizer can further increase engagement by giving users more chances to participate and therefore improve their scores, which also leads to increased rivalry among participants. You can even activate new questions in a daily trivia quiz to keep users coming back and increase their loyalty.
Capture new leads with contests and sweepstakes
Social media giveaways are the most popular type of promotion among brands active online. It’s no surprise that popular companies, as well as small start-ups often opt for sweepstakes. There’s simply no easier and cheaper way to boost brand visibility on social channels. As it happens, there is only one downside to sweepstakes – we don’t own any contact details of the participants. However, there is a way to fix it!
Instead of launching a comment sweepstakes, opt for an Entry Form Giveaway – a sweepstakes with an integrated registration form that users fill in for a chance to win.
Instead of launching a comment contest directly on your favorite social media channel, you can share a link to a promotion on a microsite. This way all your followers still get to see your contest and you get something very valuable: new leads for your future marketing purposes.
Reinforce customer trust and loyalty
Online users often feel more attached to brands that share their values. This is why it’s so important to participate in popular events and campaigns that are close to their hearts. Apart from joining big events like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Halloween you should also free up some space in your calendar for campaigns like International Women’s Day, Dog Day, World Animal Day, or even Veganuary. It all depends on your brand, product, and target audience! But keeping these important dates in mind will keep you closer to your audience and foster customer relationships.
Better position your brand and gain extra visibility
Online promotions work well when it comes to expanding online visibility and presence. They help brands in reaching new audiences, reconnecting with existing customers, and increasing their market share. Photo contests are particularly popular when it comes to boosting brand visibility, as images with products you want to promote will help you reach new segments. Take a look at the example of Mifroma’s Instant Win promotion combined with a photo contest.
The campaign generated more than 300,000 page views and over 12,700 participants.
Now, don’t waste all the time you’ve invested. You should treasure your new leads as you do your customers. Cultivate them and work with them to keep them interested in your brand. By earning their trust, you will be well on the way to converting them into loyal customers. Got any further questions? Live chat with us!
