Businesses are using Instagram more and more to extend their reach and bring awareness to their Brand with local, regional and national audiences.

Local businesses have learned that Instagram is all about bringing people and communities together that share mutual interests, and they’ve discovered that Giveaways work especially well for them.

When launching a new product or service, a Giveaway is the perfect way to draw attention!

Steps for Planning a Contest on Instagram

Define Your Goal
Determine your reason for holding the Giveaway. You’ll want to compare your definitive goal to the analytic end-data to determine if it was a success once the Giveaway has completed.

Establish a Time Frame and Budget
Select the dates you’re Giveaway will begin and end. Decide what the overall budget will be.

Designate What the Entry Method Will Be
What do you want people to do to enter your Giveaway?
Make it relatively easy and not too time consuming.

Suggestions:

• Follow you and create a post.
• Tag your Brand in a post.
• Tag their friends in the comments of your post.
• Like or comment on one of your posts.
• Post a photo with a specific #hashtag.
• Caption a photo you post.
• Ask a Brand related trivia question.

Specific example:  Like this post, follow my page, tag 2 of your friends.

When the winner is announced, list a “consolation” discount code – so those who didn’t win will get a discount on your product/service (which will motivate new sales).

Create Giveaway Campaign Images and Content
Organize and set up text content, graphics and/or photos you want to use for the Giveaway. Make sure they’re all compatible with your other social media platforms, email newsletter and website for cross-promotion.

Choose the Perfect #Hashtag to Use
The #hashtag creates the connection between the giveaway and the content, promotes recognition, and is the way for people to share and drive overall participation.

Suggestions:

• Should be short and easy for people to remember.

• Should be relevant to your Brand, product and/or service.

• Should be catch and easy to type.

• Shouldn’t already be used by others.
  Do a search to see if the #hashtag you want to use, has been used previously.

Set Criteria for How the Winner Will be Selected
It’s up to you how you choose the winner. Just be sure it’s a fair and non-biased selection.

Include a short blurb in your contest rules about how the winner will be chosen, so people are aware before they enter.

The Prize
The Giveaway prize should be relatable to your business and Brand, and should appeal to the interests of your current audience, customers and future customers.

Let the Rules be Known
Be sure to include all the rules in your Giveaway content such as:

• Dates of the Giveaway.
• Promoting Brand information.
• Who can enter (include any restrictions).
• How to enter guidelines.
• How winner will be chosen.
• Date and method of how the winner will be announced and notified.
• Time period for winner to respond, and claim the prize.
• Prize delivery specifics.
• Advise the Giveaway isn’t endorsed, sponsored, associated with or administered by Instagram.

Promote the Giveaway
Places you’ll want to run announcements, info and promotion include:

• Automated Email campaigns.
• On your Website.
• In your Blog.
• All your Social Media platforms.
• In your retail location, if applicable.

Monitor Entries
Depending on what criteria you’ve set, you’ll need to keep track on a daily basis of the metrics for determining a winner.

If your audience is small to mid-size, metrics can be visually inspected in your Instagram reports on a daily basis, and a log kept. Or use an Instagram friendly tool such as Iconosquare.

If your audience is larger, then specific tools can be used to auto-analyze according to criteria you set up, such as:

Wishpond

Shortstack

Gleam

RaffleCopter

Instagram is definitely a social media platform to include in your overall marketing strategy. They enjoy well over a billion monthly active users, and giveaways (contests, sweepstakes) have become one of the best ways for companies to drive website traffic while generating new followers, and customers.

 

More to Explore:

Instagram Guidelines for Contests, Sweepstakes, Promotions

 

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