Don’t Ask Too Much
Just because you’re offering an exciting prize it doesn’t mean that your public will go to any lengths to enter your sweepstakes. Ask them to carry out an action that’s in keeping with the value of the prize. For example, if you’re offering a dinner for two in your restaurant as your sweepstakes prize, you should request a simple action, such as signing up to the app, liking a post or leaving a comment (if your sweepstakes is based on a Facebook post.)
If you’re giving away a trip abroad, or another high-value prize, you could ask the participant to do something that requires more effort, like uploading a photo or writing a story. It’s important for you to keep in mind the “user moment”: the point at which the user reaches the promotion and reads the instructions for taking part. At that moment, visiting users should be given everything they need to register, otherwise they’ll leave it for later and may never return: a lost user! How should you make the most of this magic moment when the user is on the point of becoming a participant? We suggest you ask them for something they can obtain there and then: a selfie, a photo of them enjoying the summer with friends, a photo of themselves dressed up for a party… Photos, videos or memories that can be shared quickly and easily.
You could also ask users to complete a survey or questionnaire, such as this example from Renfe and the Aix-en-Provence Tourism Office. At the end, it asks participants to persuade two friends to take part in the promotion (via the “Recruiters” feature). This makes it possible to share the promotion with the help of participants, thus achieving a much wider reach for the action.
Make Sure the Prize Can Be Enjoyed by at Least Two People
Both experiences (preferred by 17% of surveyed users) and tickets to concerts, plays and events (preferred by 12%) are only valued if the prize is for at least two people. Can you imagine going to a spa alone? Or visiting a city without your partner or friends? To most people the prize is far more valuable if it can be enjoyed with someone else. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your prize is valid for two or more people.
Make this clear in the photo, title and legal bases, and when announcing the promotion across the social networks. As well as eliminating a barrier to participation, it’s a value-added feature that makes the promotion more attractive. You’re not only offering a great prize, but also the opportunity to enjoy it with someone else. This will encourage more participants to get involved.
The thing to remember about experiences is that they must be enjoyed in real time and in a specific location. It’s very important to keep this in mind when offering them as prizes because you’ll need to limit your target audience geographically. Make sure you select an experience that can be enjoyed by your target audience if you wish to avoid the following problems:
- Selecting a winner who lives far away and is unable to pick up the prize.
- Dealing with complaints from winners because transportation to the place where the activity / visit / dinner will take place isn’t included in the prize.
- Dealing with complaints from your client for obtaining a database that is too disparate in terms of region.
To limit the promotion, use the following features:
- Filter promotion display by country so that only users who’d realistically be able to experience the prize can view and participate in the promotion.
- Limit promotion diffusion to the target audience that interests you and that lives in the geographical area that you’ve established as your priority.
- Make it clear in the description, legal bases and registration form which zone participants should reside in to be eligible for the prize.
Prepare the Legal Bases Carefully
Make sure when drawing up the conditions and characteristics of the prize that all participants understand what it includes. Avoid offering big prize experiences such as holidays unless they include significant expenses such as accommodation and meals. If these are not included, it will dissuade many participants from taking part. The more accurate you are about what the prize includes, the more information users have to help them decide whether to participate:
Display all relevant information about the prize in a highly visible place, such as in the description or main image, so that participants are informed from the beginning:
Another way of making sure that the experience suits and satisfies the target audience is to give away a choice of experiences. This means awarding packages of experiences, in which a variety of activities are offered across several different geographic areas. Each winner can then choose the option that suits him or her best. This option should be used when your target audience is spread across a wide area. Experience packages can also be themed per the promotion’s target audience. For example, you can offer family experience packages or kids experience packages if your target audience is parents and the final product is aimed at their children.
If you’ve already decided on the perfect prize to motivate your target audience, begin setting up your promotion now. Your first Basic promotion is totally free!
