For businesses in 2022, a strong web presence is essential. With your consumer base increasingly moving online, you need to make sure you’re visible in the places they’re looking. This means creating an engaging and search-engine-optimised website and being active on social media.
“Engagement” is the buzzword you should be focusing on. With so much competition in the online sphere, you must work on relationship building to set yourself apart. Once you’ve managed to draw consumer attention your way, you can then focus on consolidating your efforts and turning leads into conversions.
Online competitions are a great way to draw this initial and much-needed interest your way. We look at three of the best types to capitalise on.
Instagram giveaways
Instagram is the place modern businesses need to be. As the seventh most visited website in the world, it receives 2.9 billion visits per month, which means an awful lot of traffic passes through it. It’s primarily frequented by 18–24-year-olds and is Gen Z’s favourite social platform. Importantly, one in two people uses it to discover new brands.
So, how can you make sure you’re among them? There are lots of ways to gain Instagram followers organically, but one of the most successful is to host an Instagram giveaway. These usually follow a relatively simple framework.
Firstly, you ask people to like your post, follow your business, and share your competition with their stories. This counts as an entry. The winner is then drawn from your entrants at random, with your brand following boosted as a result.
Wheel-of-fortune giveaways
Another clever idea is a wheel-of-fortune giveaway. Buzz Bingo provides a great example. One of the many online bingo sites that exist on the world wide web, it’s up against the fierce competition when it comes to attracting consumers. It does this in lots of ways, from offering competitive rates to delivering an easily navigable website. Among them, it features the “hero spinner” on its homepage, which visitors can spin daily for a chance to win. Prizes include everything from free spins to bingo bonuses.
You can incorporate the same on your website. It doesn’t matter what industry you operate in – simply use the wheel to provide incentives to your client base. Not only will this ensure they keep returning to your site to see what they win, but it’s a great way of rewarding both new and repeat customers for their patronage.
Prizes for purchasers
The other way to do it is to use prizes as a reward rather than an incentive. In the two examples above, the competitions outlined are open to those who haven’t yet bought from you as well as those who have. With this latter example, entry is dependent on a client purchasing from you.
The way it works is simple. In return for a customer transacting with you, you automatically enter them into a competition or prize draw. This is the only way for them to become eligible, so you must ensure the prize is appealing enough to entice entrants into spending this initial sum.
Once they buy from you, your products can do the talking. No matter the outcome of the competition, you boost your sales and – if they’re impressed by their purchase – build up a base of loyal customers moving forward. Isn’t it time you looked at how you can use competitions to engage and interact with your online audience?