Category: Contests

Sweepstakes Rules Generator vs Custom Sweepstakes Rules

The allure of a sweepstakes rules generator is that you can create a set of sweepstakes rules for less money and less time. In fact, back in the day, Marden-Kane had an online sweepstakes rules generator of our own. Clients at that time could easily and cost-effectively create their own sweepstakes rules without legal fees or lengthy review times. The reality, however, was that most of our clients actually needed

September 19, 2019

6 Ways to Have a Sweepstakes Advantage

A sweepstakes is a promotion that involves an element of chance – usually a random drawing or random instant win. So are there ways to have a sweepstakes advantage if the drawing is random? Only if you make your entry count. Here’s how: Enter! Seems simple enough, but we have seen people start the entry form process and then never get to the submission success page. You can’t win if

September 12, 2019

What Promotion Incentives Work Best?

We are constantly asked by our clients what promotion incentives work best. Should they give away a lot of small things, or one big thing? What is the ideal value of an incentive or prize? Do small incentives work? Here is a short summary of what promotion incentives work to entice consumers to register for a promotion such as a sweepstakes or contest or loyalty program. But first, we

September 5, 2019

How to Create Sweepstakes and Contests So Easy Anyone Can Enter

One of the biggest problems we see with online sweepstakes and contest concepts is that they can get overcomplicated or are run on platforms that the target audience is not using. When that happens, people get confused and do not enter — or worse, start bad-mouthing your brand. It’s time to start creating contests and sweepstakes so easy anyone can enter. As we like to say, don’t set the

April 18, 2019

Content Moderation: A Requirement for Social Posts and Contests

Content moderation has made the headlines lately as social channels like Facebook and Twitter tried to deal with “fake news” stories and inappropriate content. There is a torrent of video and written content being produced and distributed through the various social platforms, and content moderators work around the clock, deciding what needs to be taken down and what can remain. But what about content moderation for your brand’s social

March 1, 2019

20 Things Small Business Customers Want Out of a Rewards or Loyalty Program

If you are creating a loyalty program for your best customers, here are 20 things that customers frequently ask for to get them to come back for more: A welcome kit – customized to your business The option to get updates via text, email — or push notifications on an app if you have an app Rewards bucks/points to spend on items in your store Exclusive discounts Exclusive offers

February 4, 2019

Paying for Votes Doesn’t Pay Off

If you are lucky enough to be a finalist in a contest you might think about going to extraordinary lengths to win — like paying for votes. But what really works and what is a bad idea? Before you get yourself into trouble and get disqualified, you should consult the official rules of the contest. The rules outline all the ways you could get disqualified for cheating, and some

January 31, 2019

Contest Laws by State

Before you run a promotion in the United States, you might want to check sweepstakes or contest laws by state. Some states have more vigorous laws regulating sweepstakes and contests and you can’t claim you didn’t know what you didn’t know after the fact – there may be big fines for non-compliance. Here is a sampling of states that have strict laws regarding promotions: Florida: In Florida you must register

August 17, 2018

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

June 28, 2018

Not Your Traditional Easter Egg Hunt: An Easter Egg Promotion Idea for Anytime of the Year

This Easter egg promotion post was contributed by Fae Savignano, our EVP and promotion expert. The usage of the term “an Easter egg” has been described as an intentional inside joke, hidden message, or image, and this term is purposely applied to evoke the idea of a traditional Easter egg hunt. The term was originally coined to describe a hidden message in a video game that encouraged the player to find

March 19, 2018