Top 10 Marden-Kane Blog Posts of 2013

 

Here are the most visited, shared and read content from the 2013 Marden-Kane Blog in order of popularity.

1. Changes to Florida Sweepstakes Registration and Bonding Requirements

Florida Registration changesOne of the core administrative services necessary when a sweepstakes prize structure exceeds $5,000 is the registration and bonding of the promotion in Florida, New York and potentially Rhode Island depending on the nature of the concept structure.  Much to the chagrin of marketers in for-profit companies, the recent revisions to Florida’s Game Promotion statute which became effective April 10th does not absolve marketers of this requirement. The revisions were created for an altogether different purpose.  Continue reading →

2.   Are You For Real? 5 Reasons People Don’t Claim Their Prizes

Are You for Real?We get this all the time. Are you for real? Is this a scam? Makes me think of the book, “Are You My Mother?” In the story a baby bird hatches while his mother is away and has no idea what to do. He asks everyone from a dog to a plane to finally a steam shovel before he finally finds her. He has no idea what he is looking for – and he gets close to real danger before he finally finds the real deal. Continue reading →

3.   3 Things To Consider Before Running An Instagram Promotion

3 Things to Consider for Instagram PromoEveryone is on Instagram! Let’s run an Instragram contest! It will be super easy – just ask people to post a photo and we can decide on a favorite and …… Whoa!!!! It’s not that easy. Yes, Instagram is very popular right now and it’s easy for consumers to post content and to set up a promotion. But keep in mind that any sweepstakes or contest you run is still subject to laws and regulations for your company. And there are issues with the platform that you need to consider before running a promotion. Continue reading →

4.   Facebook Hashtags: 6 Things to Be Aware of When Using Them for Your Brand

Hashtag Over the last week the social media marketing buzz was about how Facebook incorporated hashtags into their search. The majority of news articles and blogs out there proclaim this a huge victory for brands in terms of being able to promote your products and services, and for searching and finding topics within Facebook. But hold on. Facebook hashtags are in place but they are still in the infancy stage. They are not ready for mass implementation in your social plan just yet. Simply type any promotional marketing buzzword or brand name into Facebook search and see what comes up. Not … Continue reading →

5.   How Fortune 500 Companies Use Promotional Marketing

Run Your Sweepstakes Like a Fortune 500 Company

Fortune 500 Companies use promotional marketing to engage customers. And because these are some of the most recognized brands in the world great care is taken to ensure they support the overall brand image.. Continue reading →

6.   5 Creative Snapchat Promotion Ideas

Snapchat logoQuick. Look at this message before it disappears. It’s a coupon for a free…. Psych. Too late. Your Snapchat message already disappeared. The idea behind Snapchat is that you can privately message someone and set the message to delete after 1-10 seconds. And while many marketers may think that this platform does not lend itself to promotions because of things like disappearing coupons, with a little creative strategy you CAN utilize Snapchat to run offers, sweepstakes and contests that will drive brand awareness and increase sales. But first, a little background on Snapchat. Snapchat is a social platform that … Continue reading →

7.   Is Your Promotion Ready for the COPPA Rule Changes? We Are.

Let People Erase Their DataIn December the FTC issued amendments to the COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) Rules. We posted a link to the FTC’s FAQ page in April to our social media channels and we have received a few inquiries since then about whether this impacts our business since the changes are set to go into effect on July 1, 2013. The answer is that no, it will not affect our business. Marden-Kane has been ready. Our Privacy Policy, Security Policy as well as our data and security practices have always taken a very conservative approach to data collection and retention when it … Continue reading →

8.   Facebook Promotions Made Simpler with a Few Guidelines Change

Facebook Promo GuidelinesSo here is where I would usually rant about how, in typical Facebook fashion, Facebook announced a major change with no warning or regard for the promotions industry or Facebook developers. But this change is too good to really complain about from a client perspective. This time they have totally shifted the mindset for running promotions on Facebook and made it simpler and easier. Continue reading →

9.   5 Easy Rules to Follow for Pinterest Promotions

5 Ways to Use Pinterest for PromotionsA recent study by web analytics firm Simply Measured reports that more than two thirds of the  world’s most recognized brands now have a presence on Pinterest.   Many brands are being managed by individuals who signed up as themselves instead of the business they work for as a by-product of early adoption of the platform.  These individuals who are often working under the radar of their internal legal team’s radar may or may not be aware of the rules of engagement when it comes to using sweepstakes and contests on Pinterest. Very quickly the 5 major “don’ts” when directing users … Continue reading →

10.  5 Social Media Sweepstakes Best Practices

Social Media Platforms

Social media is a great place to run a cost effective sweepstakes that will reach more people than with traditional media. But please do your homework and follow these simple tips for social media sweepstakes success. 1. One social media platform at a time. We get a lot of emails from clients wanting to have a Sweepstakes run on multiple platforms. Many clients want a sweeps on “all the social media.” While this may seem like a good way to get out there, this can be confusing to your typical consumer. Best practice is to try running a … Continue reading →

 

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