Digital Marketing Archives

10 Questions to Ask Before Partnering with a Promotion Agency

A contest, sweepstakes, instant win game or other promotion concept may be a great way for your client to increase sales and build their branding efforts, but if you have never done a promotion before don’t try to do it alone. You will need an experienced, knowledgeable promotion marketing agency to partner with you to make sure you run a legal, compliant, successful promotion. But what should you look for when partnering with a promotion agency? Here are ten questions you should be asking before you select a promotion agency to partner with for your next contest or sweepstakes: How well … Continue reading →

The Marden-Kane Most Read Posts of 2017

Here is a list of our top 2017 posts according to the following categories: GOOD TO KNOW: Criteria for Judging a Video Contest Marden-Kane has provided you with information about “Good Criteria for Judging a Contest” and a follow-up article on “Criteria for Judging a Photo Contest”, well what about Video Contests? Read more… What is a Surprise & Delight? A Surprise and Delight is a marketing tactic similar to a sweepstakes or contest, where gifts are given away to fans, but instead of a posted entry period with rules and a set prize, the giveaway itself is completely unannounced … Continue reading →

20 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Contest Vendor

Before hiring a contest vendor you should ask lots of questions. Not all vendors are created equal. Some may be technically proficient but lack legal expertise. Some have the legal credentials but can’t build a web site or do registration and bonding. Here are twenty questions you should be asking before you select your contest vendor: How well do they know sweepstakes law and advertising and mobile? A top notch promotional marketing agency is well versed in national and international laws that pertain to promotions, sweepstakes and contests. They should also have legal representation and know social, mobile and … Continue reading →

Promotional Marketing Predictions for 2017

Every year at this time we discuss what the next big thing will be. Sometimes we can see it coming, and sometimes we don’t. So how did we do for this past year’s marketing predictions? Here they are so you can see! 2016 Prediction #1: Native ads will be booming – and promotions are part of that mix. Results: Native ads did turn out to be big news this year, especially because the FTC started to enforce native ad guidelines and brands became more aware of what disclosure was required. Some brands learned the hard way that disclosure is … Continue reading →

50 Reasons to Run a Sweepstakes or Contest

Looking for a reason to run a sweepstakes, contest, instant win game, rewards program or loyalty campaign? Here are 50 of them! To create an email opt-in list. To create a mobile opt-in list. To give away your products. To build your brand. To encourage brand loyalty. To encourage product try-on. To encourage product usage. To encourage product trial. To reward your loyal customers. To introduce your customers to a new product or service. To launch a new campaign. To gain new customers. To create a mailing list. To encourage user reviews of your products and services. To have … Continue reading →

2015 Digital Marketing Survey Results

In May of 2015 we ran a Digital Marketing Survey and asked respondents to answer thirteen questions about their company’s digital marketing practices, both current and in the near future. For completing the survey, we offered a chance to win $100. Our survey winner was Ruby L. Congratulations, Ruby! A few things we discovered that we weren’t expecting: 1. Snapchat may be big, but brands aren’t ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet. Only 5% of our respondents said they used Snapchat – and only 5% were even considering using it for their brand. Why this surprised … Continue reading →

YouTube Updates Contest Policies AGAIN

In March we published a post about YouTube’s changing contest policies. The changes at that time outlined specific age and platform guidelines. These changes have since been revised again, but no official date that the changes went into effect was published by YouTube. As of 8/7/15 these are the new guidelines: They can also be found here. Basically they have done away with three of the requirement we last warned you about: 1. The age 18+ requirement for your entrants is gone. 2. The restriction on not using video views or thumbs up/down for voting is gone. 3. The … Continue reading →

If You Build It, Will They Come?

So you launched a Sweepstakes or Contest yet no one is entering. While there could be multiple factors for this lack of consumer response, the first thing to check is your media plan. If you do not promote your own Sweepstakes or Contests, chances are no one else will. You must use media to drive awareness and traffic to your website or Facebook page. Here are some examples of different media tactics – both online and off – that can be used to promote a Sweepstakes or Contest. Online Media Tactics -Google Adwords: Set predetermined keywords and then ads … Continue reading →

Responsive Microsite or Mobile App…Which One Is Better For a Promotion?

Tricia Zorn, Digital Project Manager at Marden-Kane, contributed this week’s blog about responsive microsites vs. mobile apps. If you are planning on running a contest, sweepstakes or instant win game, and are wondering whether or not you need a responsive microsite or a mobile app, you are not alone. This is probably one of the most asked questions we get from clients who want to run a promotion but don’t want to exclude mobile users. First let’s start by understanding the differences between them. WHAT IS A RESPONSIVE MICROSITE? A responsive microsite is a website that has been built … Continue reading →