Ninety-five percent of adults online, between the ages of 18 to 34 are more likely to follow a brand through social media networks. This is an impressive statistic that illustrates the value of your social media platforms to support your brand’s growth.
Here’s the rub—social media spaces are crowded and noisy. Brands know the value of having a voice online, and they’re all using it. How then can you rise above the noise so your audience can pay attention to what you have to say?
One word: giveaways.
The answer is so simple it’s almost easy to get overlooked. But it works. According to one study, 64 percent list increasing your followers as one of the top reasons for hosting social media giveaways, followed by brand awareness, and increasing engagement on social media, increasing brand loyalty, putting the spotlight on your brand or service, gathering great leads, and driving web traffic.
To help tap into all these benefits, here are some things to keep in mind before you start your promotions–
1. Always start by defining your objectives
As with any marketing initiative, it’s important that you map out exactly what you’re working towards. It’s a critical starting point that allows you to understand what steps are needed to achieve it and how you can measure success.
In the context of giveaways, what are you hosting your promotions for? Do you want to reach a specific number of followers? Are you targeting a volume of engagement? Maybe you want it to drive email captures. Or, perhaps you want your existing audience to tag their friends who meet certain characteristics so they find out about your brand or relevant products?
2. Identify the audience that you want
For your efforts to yield meaningful results, your promotions have to be seen by the right audience. You could easily gain a hundred new followers on Instagram, but if they’re not your target market, then that won’t necessarily do much for your product or service because it’s not likely that it will translate to sales.
3. Highlight your brand values
Once you’ve identified your right audience, it’s important that you use this opportunity to align your brand values with theirs. Remember, to effectively engage your audience, you have to offer something that is not only novel, it has to be relevant and aligned with their personal values—something that will excite them but not prompt them to question their participation in your initiative.
4. Partner with the right brands
There are instances where your giveaways will require you to partner with external stakeholders. Make sure that you work with the right brand. Hinging off the previous point, if you’re working to make sure that your brand values are aligned with your audience, then you should also take the due diligence to work with brands that share the same vision.
5. Make sure your giveaways are compelling
High-value prizes generate a lot of buzz, but how compelling your giveaway is always boiled down to understanding what’s truly important for your target audience. Get to know the people you’re trying to engage and learn about what truly moves them. Also, ensure that your giveaway doesn’t likely cause potential customers *not* to buy your products, which can be the case for giveaways that run for too long a duration (try 24-72 hours).
6. Work with credible partners who can make a difference
Companies like Charitable give brands the unique opportunity to grow their social audience while giving back to a good cause. If you tie your promotions to a brand like Charitable, it means you not only are you able to offer your audience a compelling giveaway, you boost your campaign’s appeal by tying it to something that builds awareness for a good cause.
7. Don’t forget to track and measure
Any promotion gives you an opportunity to gather real insight into your brand, your audience and your individual campaigns. Tracking your initiative carefully will give you an opportunity to further improve your efforts so you can adjust your strategies and make the next one more effective.
Some metrics you should consider tracking:
- Follower Growth
- Sales
- Engagement (Likes, Comments, Shares)
- Email Sign-Ups
- Link Clicks or Website Visits
- Increased IG story Views Following Your Giveaway
To learn more information visit them at http://charitable.com or follow them on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/charitableprizes/.
