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Social Contests and Sweepstakes: Favorite (and Least Favorite) Platforms to Use

Social contests and sweepstakes are currently the most popular tactic that we are seeing our clients use to increase brand awareness and reach. The Marden-Kane team has some strong ideas on what social platforms work, and which ones can cause headaches. We compiled this list of pros and cons to use when evaluating social platforms for your brand’s next social promotion.

social contests and sweepstakes -- best platforms

Remember: If you are thinking of running social contests or sweepstakes, be mindful when deciding which platform(s) to use, your call to action, and that you follow each platforms’ promotion guidelines. And as always, keep it legal by providing official rules and following FTC guidance with any promotion you run.

TWITTER

Pros:

  • Easy to track entries with a unique promotion hashtag using the Twitter API.
  • Quick to set up and launch – takes days instead of weeks like a traditional promotion.
  • Good for extending brand reach and awareness.

 

Cons:

  • Can be difficult to contact potential winners if they aren’t following the brand.
  • Retweets can be an issue; make sure to include in the Official Rules if a Retweet can be counted as an entry.

 

INSTAGRAM

Pros:

  • Easy to enter for consumers.
  • Quick to set up and launch – takes days instead of weeks like a traditional promotion.
  • Good for brand recognition and awareness.

 

Cons:

  • The promotion call to action needs to be specific – asking people to share on Instagram for an entry should be followed by instructions about the type of photo you want to see or you will see a lot of inappropriate photos.
  • Moderation of photos should be done to ensure photos don’t have copyright violations.
  • Using the Instagram API to track entries can only be done by an approved application (which Marden-Kane’s social tracker can do!)
  • Can be difficult to contact potential winners if they aren’t following the brand.

 

FACEBOOK*

Pros:

  • Easy for consumers to enter a promotion with a comment, like, reaction and/or post on the brand page.
  • Good for increasing brand awareness and reach.

 

Cons:

  • Facebook promotion guidelines specifically forbid the promotion call to action asking for shares or posts to a user’s personal timeline; entries can only be through an application, or as a comment or post, on the brand Facebook page.
  • Consumers get confused on how to make comments and posts to the brand page
  • Can be difficult to contact potential winners.
  • Tracking entries can be difficult as Facebook changes guidelines and API tools frequently, and often without warning.

 

*This applies to comments, posts and likes/reactions to a brand page only – for more specific information about using Facebook brand pages and applications see our article on Facebook promotions.

 

YOUTUBE

Pros:

  • Easy to track entries with a unique hashtag using the YouTube API.
  • Potential for creating brand content and influencing potential buyers.

 

Cons:

  • Can be difficult to contact potential winners if they aren’t following the brand.
  • Moderation of video content is highly recommended and could be time consuming and costly as videos take more time to review.

 

SNAPCHAT

Pros:

  • The platform is extremely popular right now.
  • Brands that are trying to reach young audiences are establishing their Snapchat channels and if they offer creative content and unique offers, their audience finds them.

 

Cons:

  • There are no API or open developer tools to track snaps.
  • An ad buy is almost essential for a promotion, or the promotion will need to be unique and creative to work.

 

Marden-Kane can help you develop and track a social contest on any of these platforms, plus Pinterest, Tumblr and G+. Call us for your next social contest and you get experience, legal assistance, and use of our Social Tracker!

To read more posts by Marden-Kane, please visit our main blog page or subscribe to our email list.

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Marden-Kane is one of the nation’s foremost promotional marketing service providers. For over 67 years, we’ve supported leading brands to create the best promotional experiences for their most valued customers.

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