@heyidgroup
Latest posts by Mark Masters (see all)
- What The Iron Man 3 Baddie Teaches Us About Personal Branding - May 11, 2013
- 5 Ways To Add More Value To Your Audience Than Ever Before - May 5, 2013
- How Brand Personality Is Key To Your Success - March 23, 2013
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Do social media competitions open new doors for you?
Social media competitions can be cost effective and easy to run, but not necessarily a tool for winning more customers.
Ask yourself, is it about building a community when in reality it is not about building a dialogue, just someone wanting a prize.
So, Why Bother With A Social Media Competition?
We thought earlier this year, at The ID Group that if we ran competitions then we’d grow a fan-base. Here is why we wanted to create a social media competition:
- use social media channels in a way that was different to broadcast a message
- use alternative means to create a dialogue with people
- give prizes away that were not geographically sensitive ie. cinema tickets
- create an element of fun and build up
- build recognition to The ID Group brand
This is what we realised and looking back some lessons learnt.
- Rather than a loyal community, what takes it’s place are followers/fans who like free stuff and not much else
- By giving away prizes, whilst being aware of the geographical nature, the demographic wasn’t necessarily a wishlist of potential prospects (so doesn’t compliment the target markets)
- The majority of people are “˜engaging’ with you because of a prize, not to build a dialogue
- You may receive new followers (and looks great when others see you brimming with popularity), but the likelihood of becoming customers is pretty slim
- It becomes an almost faceless exercise. It’s great when receiving information from new people, but do we know who these people are (and to build a dialogue with)
So If This Isn’t The Best Way To Build A Loyal Community, What Is?
Over the following blog articles, we’ll highlight some examples where looking to build a community has worked in 2012. The secret, looking to provide information and value to people that they can use, share and interact with. There are no shortcuts to building a following and a competition is by no means a quick win.
Before you go and buy that new iPad mini for your next competition, have a think. If it’s to use as a tool to build a committed following to your brand, think again!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shoryabist
Hi Mark,
very nice article and topic on which we can think twice.i like your point that giving free prizes engages more people not build a dialogue.
Thank You
Shorya Bist
From Youthofest
Shorya Bist recently posted..Is there life after Death?Do you believe in life after death?
Twitter: heyidgroup
Thanks Shorya,
Giving things of value as opposed to looking for more ‘likes’ is the key trigger to building a community.
Glad you enjoyed the article.
Mark
Twitter: tricky_techno
Hi Shorya,
Giving free prizes and making Giveaway is a very good idea and I am using this from last 8 months and it has worked for me
.You should also try it.
Thanks
Mohit
mohit recently posted..Top 10 Must have Google Chrome add-ons for developers
It is very important to have a successful social media campaign. Now SEO has become way much more of Social rather than just link building.
Thanks for the post
Zubair Ahmed recently posted..Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 5 on iOS 6.0.2 already achieved by hackers
I like your article and topic. thank you for posting.
Andrew recently posted..Tally peacocking like a twat
Twitter: heyidgroup
Thanks Andrew,
First post from me, here’s to getting stuck in.
Cheers
Mark
Twitter: muscleover40
Hi exactly my thoughts. They will come up to closing date. If you want to build up a following you must go where your target audiance is and engage with them. Takes time and hard work unless you are a brand which is what a lot of people dont want to hear!!!
kevin recently posted..5 Muscle Building Foods
Exactly right! Incentives rarely work for long term growth. I have always said I would rather have a hundred followers who are interested in what I have to offer than a thousand who aren’t.
The key to building a successful business is defining your target audience and engaging those people. Otherwise, we can waste a lot of time talking to people who aren’t listening.
vickilee recently posted..What do you do with a customer that’s never happy?
Twitter: RyanBiddulph
Hi Mark,
Competitions can attract a low energy crowd. Inducing people with free giveaways can be a good thing in some respects but many people are simply after a freebie and can care less about buying stuff.
Customers buy. Tire kickers do not buy. Customers purchase. Freebie seekers never dig into their pockets, and many of these types run wildly after every contest to get neat, free stuff.
I even changed my squeeze page giveaway from “free” to “simple”, to weed out tire kickers or cheapie seekers who would simply be poor matches for my cash gifting team.
Overall, a really neat idea but you always want to visualize your ideal team member or customer before starting a contest. It also makes sense to be brutally honest about your results.
Super helpful stuff here Mark, thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..Work at Home Training – How a Fired Bum Security Guard Writes 10 to 25 Articles Daily for Months on End
Twitter: heyidgroup
Thanks for the comment Ryan, agree with your response
Using the word ‘free’ whilst creating the aura of added value can also, as you say, attract a ‘low energy crowd
To build a loyal community I’d say that social media competitions are the lowest common denominator. We all need to be creative, build trust and move on from the old way of selling to helping (there’s another blog article in there somewhere!)
Thanks
Mark
Twitter: jksingh99
Hi Ryan,
I guess you have a point here. Constant hosting of giveaways and contests can lead to repetitive behavior by the followers and this can lead to expectations of freebies every time.
Adding to what you have said, I feel that newcomers and people starting out afresh can look at this option to build their initial fan base. Although, they must tread with caution and not let this become a habit for the followers. In controlled conditions, the contests method should work. It would atleast give you access to the follower and their shared connections and that’s quite a huge network to start off with.
One can even include prompts which actually coerce the participants to actually write something about in their social circles. That way, the contest owner can tap into a large reservoir of potential customers.
Regards
Jay
Jay recently posted..How To Memorize Your Memories
Good idea. Social media campaign are very important for every website/blog.
Anurag Sharma recently posted..WordPress Vs Blogger – Which is the Best WordPress or Blogger?
Twitter: berget
I have been testing competitions for my clients as well, and it gets attention, that’s for sure, but as you said, it doesn’t necessary grow a following and build a community. What I have been thinking is that if, in order to join the competition, you need to do a fairly advanced step (not just add your email), then the results might be different.
Jens P. Berget recently posted..How to measure success in 2013
Twitter: vanitacyril
as a blogger, the traffic from a giveaway is great for the traffic spike for that day(s) but once the giveaway is over, maintaining that kinda traffic on a daily basis takes good old hard work. Thanks for the post Mark, you inspired me to write one myself
vanita recently posted..Why I’m Saying NO to Mom Blog Group Giveaways
Twitter: heyidgroup
Hi Vanita,
If the article has made you write one yourself, that makes everything worthwhile.
One thing that is important is that whilst I say competitions ‘suck’ , there is a huge onus on not ignoring the value of those who interact with your business everyday ie. your customers.
Thanks
Mark
This point weighs in above all for me
” It becomes an almost faceless exercise. It’s great when receiving information from new people, but do we know who these people are (and to build a dialogue with)”
Well written Mark, I think social media is most useful when engaging and keeping existing customers and clientele.
Lori x
LoriMkhize recently posted..8 Signs That You Are Turning into a Woman, Seriously!!
Twitter: ChuckBartok
I agree with the premise about the “free” junkies.
BUT we have been very successful in building solid relationships with new and existing customers by offering valuable “prizes” through “drawings’.
the criteria for entry typically signing up for newsletter or ordering product.
We just completed two such campaigns.
One offered two prizes. Grand prize $2,000 gift certificate form one of our Corporate partners.
The results brought an increase of 1,050 Active Newsletter subscribers (based on click through)
The other campaign offered a “Clinic” with a nationally known person and generated over $60,000 in new retail sales over a 90 day period.
Only requirement for entry there was the order.
It was publicized only through the fan page.
Of course my clients market in “narrow niches” and the participants are avid fans of the Niche.
Chuck Bartok recently posted..Jessica Mather Marketing, Specializing in the Equine Industry
Twitter: LovAndLyfstle4u
Hi Mark
I completely agree with what you said. Just a few days back , i found that one of the Techblog I write for had only 200 facebook likes and twitter followers and now they have organised a Nexus 7 giveaway and now they have a huge fan following- more than 2.5k facebook likes and Twitter followers. This has indeed increased their fan numbers but I have the same doubt- How useful they are going to be for the blog owners?
Thank you for sharing the article.
Sanjib
Sanjib Saha recently posted..Top 5 Upcoming HTC Smartphones of 2013
Twitter: HotBlogTips
Hi Mark, Like Ryan mentioned, the same can be said with other areas of interaction like list building and blog traffic. But here’s the thing I’ve seen over the years…
Most of those that pushed forward with their free e-books, giveaways and popups are enjoying high traffic blogs and, in many cases, decent income. In the mean time, those that were writing against these same tactics are either long gone, doing it themselves now or still writing their protests with few people reading them.
We see the same thing with social media followings; let’s take Twitter, for example. I know people that year after year complained that those building massive followings can’t possibly interact with them and those numbers mean nothing. Years later those with the huge followings are bigger than ever on various networks and often earning a full time living online. Those insisting a small network with like-minded people are the way to go? Still small and still broke but probably enjoying their daily interaction more.
I’m not an expert by any means and I’m not saying you are wrong but it almost seems like a continuous circle/discussion. I’m looking forward to your future posts on using better methods of building a following a community.
Brian Hawkins recently posted..How To Find Views For A Google Plus Hangouts On Air (HOA)
Twitter: jksingh99
Hi Mark,
Welcome to the ComLuv network. Pleased to see you here.
The topic of discussion is all about choice, in my opinion. The free giveaways and contests can be good for people who have started out and need a fan following or a subscriber base. The point here should be that such contests should be used sparingly.
As many of the other people before me have said, the Internet is all about social networking now. With such a huge population of Facebook and Twitter, one cannot afford to miss out such a huge mass market. You may not get immediate customers in the form of the contest participants but you will get access to their networks which might consist of your customers.
So, go ahead and organize contests and giveaways but do so in limitation.
Happy New Year Mark.
Regards,
Jay
Jay recently posted..Turn Off The Lights
Twitter: heyidgroup
Writing the article was intended to demonstrate that begging will never build a business, by the grandeur of winning prizes.
To take this further and a quick aspect to think about is when you look at your Twitter community, do you see ‘followers’ or do you see an ‘audience’?
This is what building a community comes down to, it’s about nurturing an audience that knows, likes and trusts you. You will never do this by promoting a competition with your fingers crossed.
Similar to what Kevin mentioned the key is engaging with audiences and setting your sights on a specific audience and then identify how best to serve them.
Brian – I’ll look to feature other posts on how to build a community, it’s what the whole aim of our business is all about, in terms of positioning people as the ‘go to’ resource in their industry. Will keep ‘em coming!
Twitter: GeekandJock
Good post, Mark.
There could well be a spin-off to this though. Wouldn’t you think that while the intiial audience are tyre-kickers that are just out for free stuff, the by-product of a competition is the typical viral share to people your brand wouldn’t normally ‘touch’.
Don’t you think a certain percentage of those ‘might’ be interested in your brand and you have an opportunity to engage that you might not have gotten previously?
Martin recently posted..Grab Some Free Advertising!
Twitter: heyidgroup
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your response, and do agree with your point. It’s those who ‘might’ be interested become the ones to focus on.
The size of your audience doesn’t matter. What is important is that your audience is listening and this is the secret to building a loyal community and business success.
Thanks
Mark
Twitter: davidbennett
Provocative, might be right – How do I make sure I don’t miss your ‘reveal all’follow-up articles?
Wot, no capitals?
idg design ltd
lorne park house
1 lorne park road
bournemouth
dorset
bh1 1jj
David Bennett recently posted..Protected: I Want My Own Website Running WordPress. How Do I Do It?
Twitter: heyidgroup
Capital letters are so last year David!
The blog posts are all intended on helping businesses to be seen as the experts in their field (and from what we’ve learnt). I’ll keep the submissions to ComLuv but feel free to look at the blog.
Thanks
Mark
Twitter: davidbennett
Just read your audience and influence article at
http://www.theidgroup.co.uk/blog/2013/01/do-you-have-an-audience-or-an-influence/
and signed up to get your posts in future.
David Bennett recently posted..The Blogsherpa Era Comes To An End
Twitter: heyidgroup
Thanks for signing up to the blog posts David.
Have a good Tuesday
Mark
Mark Masters recently posted..Do You Have An Audience Or An Influence?
Great article, social media is the main drive of attracting new visitors and future customers. Every webmaster who plans to get their website in higher position should consider media appearance.
Twitter: heyidgroup
Thanks Simeon, glad that you liked the article
Excellent post and well said dialogue doesn’t engage people more successfully that it done by freebies.
Kevin recently posted..Fundamentals of Competitive SEO Analysis
Hi Mark,
Good post! enjoyed reading. Thank you
Jamie recently posted..Important Ethics in Internet Marketing
Twitter: It_Freelancing
I think you’re right, you’ve explained the correct story of Social Media sites.
Pankaj recently posted..Mobile Recharge Software
Twitter: fionamaclean
Isn’t it partly to do with the nature of the prize and the method used for the competition. For example, if I have a mass market product launch (say a new type of potato chip with lots of exiting flavours) and I offer a case of chips and ask people to check my facebook page and then say what flavour they prefer, I’m raising awareness of the flavours and the product to the correct target market (everyone who likes chips).
If I’m a lawyer dealing in commercial law and I offer a free iPad in return for a like of my facebook page, then I’m addressing the wrong audience (those who want a free iPad) and doing little to raise awareness of the services I offer in my target market
Fiona Maclean recently posted..5-2 Diet Tips Part One
Twitter: heyidgroup
Hi Fiona,
Agree with your comment and well put. The key is building a dialogue with an audience that will listen and interact, not just a cheap way to build followers and fingers crossed you gain influence.
Thanks
Mark
Mark Masters recently posted..Do You Have An Audience Or An Influence?
Thanks for sharing your post Mark, I agree with you that the secret of successful blogging is to provide information and value to people that they can use, share and interact with.
This is such a good information to everyone.
Excellent post!
Jules recently posted..How To Make An Inbound Marketing Plan
Twitter: heyidgroup
High five to you Jules
Mark Masters recently posted..Do You Have An Audience Or An Influence?
A good read Mark, very important information for business owners. Also nice to read that there are people measuring their marketing efforts. Too many people wast money and time because of a lack of it. Its something we teach people in our business club all the time.
mark recently posted..Ronde tafel Business Club bijeenkomsten Arnhem/Nijmegen
Twitter: primejuicers
Hi Mark,
I think you hit the nail on the head. I don’t see those giveaways being much help (in most instances) in building a fan base either. I’m interested in what you’ve learned from your experiences and I look for ward to more of your posts. Thanks!
Rich Donahue recently posted..Juice Cleansing That Works Part I
Twitter: heyidgroup
Thanks Rich,
One thing we all want out of business, is to build advocacy with our audiences, what I wrote about is something we undertook, took a step back and thought ‘wow…this is a pointless exercise.’
Have another post scheduled on this site soon, so hopefully keep on providing articles of some interest.
Thanks
Mark
Mark Masters recently posted..Do You Have An Audience Or An Influence?
Not only are giveaways only good for a short period of time, the audience is completely uninterested in anything beyond the chance to win something. If you can actually keep a regular giveaway schedule then it seems like it would be a decent strategy. For most it’s unsustainable.
Robert Koenig recently posted..Subway Operators Expect to Hit 1 Person in 5 Years
Twitter: heyidgroup
Hi Robert,
I think that rather than give things away we look to target our audiences where we can help and provide things of interest, that not only positions us as experts but also seen as willing to help, not necessarily sell.
Thanks
Mark
Mark Masters recently posted..Do You Have An Audience Or An Influence?
i am agree with you social media is very ppowerful by its we get more customers and earn money i am also earning money by my blog on sharing data on blog,
Rahul recently posted..Blogging Goals of 2013 to Make More Money
Twitter: blogillitis
i would like to disagree with the statement a little.
as a new blogger i read that social interaction is one of the best ways to gain long term traffic so i gave it a try. with this i found that yes most of the small and even the most used social media networks don’t offer the niche specific groups which have enough interaction for one to bother with but there is one great social media site that links the right people with one another allowing targeted advertising and building of a sustainable community.
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Twitter: EnviroEquipmnt
If you believe the tried-and-true theory that building customers requires first getting their attention and then working through the sales cycle until finally they plunk down their money and purchase your goods/services, you can’t help but shake your head at those who run gimmicks like social media competitions, contests, etc.
Granted, I’m biased towards the old-school theory of customer building as our business revolves around a long and arduous sales cycle with prospects who are technically oriented and are less likely to be persuaded by gimmicks and hyperbole, but I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest that I am wrong on this point. None.
Ken recently posted..Carbon Injection Technology Shows Solid Potential to Remediate State Petroleum Sites
Twitter: ArdivJauhari
Hi Mark,
I definitely agree that building a following through social media and acquiring customers are two different things even though your following will convert to customers in the long run. Would you agree that paid media is the fastest way to get customers?
Ardiv Jauhari recently posted..Social Media Revolution For Home Based Businesses
Twitter: turtlers_com
facebook will be all ours if we have followers! its just the propotionality that matters ! facebook – likes,twitter – followers . ! every thing ned attention and time !
harshi recently posted..Everything to know about free sim cards deals and why you should be careful !
Twitter: nextfly
Although I do agree with you, having competitions also spreads the word about your existence on social media to people that may be fans of your company, that just didn’t know you were ON Facebook/Twitter.
Yes, some people might just “like” or “follow” you based on the initial competition and then delete you, but you still might gain a huge following of people that genuinely DO like your company and have a desire to stay connected into your “goings-on”.
Julie recently posted..Super Bowl Ad Teasers Leak Online
Twitter: @rommysunnyblog
i am completely agree with above points after sometime followers turn into cutomers and regular visitors .thanks for sharing
Rohan Mod recently posted..5 Proven Methods For Google Adsense Approval
Twitter: googlai
Hi Mark ! you are at the right point. it is not competition but building more relation with global people. when we talk about social media optimization, it really important to come over form low traffic rate to viral traffics. in this competitive internet ages, social media plugin can help to move one step forward and easily monetize the ideas. when we think innovative ideas then it need to share with other people also need to learn from them.
its time to share and get care from others. social media interaction became the habitual food for every guys and they want to get more features from it and social media also adding different features to engage more time in their site.
it help to blogger and web site publisher to get lots of readers to their site. so that effective and positive interaction in social media can be fruitful.
Googma Sansar recently posted..Social Media Optimization (SMO) Strategy
Twitter: kar3n2
There are millions of people who are addicted to entering competitions for prizes and they are not going to stay loyal to a brand just because of one prize. They simply move on swiftly to the next prize offering somewhere else.
I don’t think its worthwhile running comps on social media sites just for a few likes (I believe Facebook isn’t tolerant of such comps and likes any more either). If you are going to run a comp then why not generate subscribers to your own site or newsletter? Then you could have them perform an “action” on your site like uploading a photo or adding phrase or comment to a post.. in order to be in for the prize that’s up for grabs.
Granted some might subscribe then never return but at least you have their information and might be able to reach out to them easily later on with other tempting prizes and offers?
Karen Maskall recently posted..Pledging for Change Competition Swoops
Twitter: Techblowup
Social media is very important while it comes to building new customers. We should use social media effectively.
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Twitter: mchhimwal
yes Free is a magical word.It is really catchy and able to attract everyone.Giving something in free is really a nice idea. Giveaways are the best for doing this.Thanks for sharing this nice post with us .
Mahendra recently posted..List of best torrent sites for movie download
Hey Mark,
Nice post and Thanks for sharing these tips with us. Yes, organizing contest and free reward really help in building relations. Social media sites are very important factor in blogging and helps in making new relations.
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