I remember when companies first started using social media for competitions. The resistance from compers at the time was understandable. Nobody wanted to sign up to Twitter, Instagram or use a personal Facebook profile. The entries for theses competitions were relatively low.
How times have changed. Now with the rise and the clear power social media has, companies have pounced and these types of competitions have become standard. So how do you enter these types of competitions and is it worth it? Here I break it down:
Facebook Competitions
Facebook competitions are the most powerful of all social media competitions. There are two types of competitions. They can run on a timeline or on an App. Timeline competitions are the easiest to enter. Apps are like embedded forms and are usually used by bigger companies. Big companies favour them because they can access all your friends and family and effectively spread their message like a spider web. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Lots of competitions now have bonus entries for just sharing on Facebook and once you get the hang of it, they are relatively simple to enter.
Twitter Competitions
Twitter tends to be the noisiest of all the social media platforms. The problem with Twitter is that there are allot of international competitions on the platform or ‘Sweepstakes’ as Americans call them. Be careful with entering international competitions. You don’t know if the promoter is reputable and check the Terms and Conditions. You can find competitions or spread them by looking up Hashtags such as #Win, #Sweepstakes, #winitwednesday, #giveaway, #contest, #Comp, #free. Is it worth it? It’s helpful to have a Twitter account to get bonus entries but if you’re not interested in ‘Tweeting’ or ‘following’ people its probably not worth it.
Instagram Competitions
Facebook owns Instagram so the platforms tend to be linked when promotions are running. Instagram is a visual platform for images and works much the same as Facebook. You can ‘like’, ‘Comment’ and ‘share’ photos and video. The users are mainly on mobile although you can use it on your desktop. Promoters will usually have a task like Tag or Share a photo of their product and you can use hashtags much the same way as Twitter. Is it worth it? If you love taking pictures and like a challenge this platform is for you. Just remember to put your profile on public so promoters cans see your entries.
Social Media is becoming increasingly popular with promoters. They are a powerful way to create and spread competitions. Posts, tweets and images can go viral. Competitions have the ability to make or break marketing strategies. As businesses are competing for exposure, prizes will get bigger, entries easier. Decide which platforms work for you and spread your net far and wide.
