Winning

We're competitive by nature and love to win, it's no new idea to add contests/promotions/sweepstakes to your Marketing Strategy.  Now that we're in the full swing of The CrossFit Games season and the low barrier to entry that Social Media provides, social feeds seem to be clogged with "enter now" "tag this" "like that" etc.  Most Marketing sites will recommend contests to grow your brand, but are all contests a win-win situation with a positive outcome for the brand? Absolutely possible, with a well drawn out set of guidelines and official rules.  But as always, when not executed on the right terms, there can be some serious issues.  You decide if it's worth the investment to reach your goal.

Majority of the promotions now-a-days are called "User Generated Content" (UGC).  Think- Instagram Photo contest by #uniquehashtag with you interacting with X product.  With UGC, most entrants will already be consumers actively interested in your brand so their responses are likely to be more authentic. 


***UGC Contest Example***

Here are the benefits of RxD contests and then some DNFs to take into account with your strategy:

RxD:
1) Inexpensive Advertising: With a UGC contest, outside of the prize (and after dealing with #1 on the DNF list), you generate a lot of content to be used and shared.  And let's be honest, the prizes don't even have to be that extravagant, people just like their 5 minutes of fame to say they WON.
2) Sharing the Brand: Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful means of Marketing, and in this sense Digital counts too. Consumers are more likely to buy a product based on a personal recommendation.  More simply, Digital sharing builds your fan base to friends, friends of friends, and so on.
3) Consumer Ownership in the Brand: Keeps the consumer engaged, makes them feel like they are apart of the brand and this can lead to an unofficial ambassador of the brand (correlates back into #2).

DNF:
1) Legalities: Federal and State laws govern the usage of contests, as well as each medium of Social Media have their own usage rights.  Research and legal advice is key, along with a well drawn out set of contest rules, so you don't get underwater with enforcement .  With UGC contests, usage rights and performer releases will have to be cleared if the submissions will be used for further advertising.
2) Control over the content: When the consumer is in charge of the content that will be posted, you lose control over the content being shared.  Will it be brand right?  Will it be positive towards your brand?
3) External and Internal Business Risks: Will the consumer be unhappy if they think the contest is unfair?  Will the response be worth the investment?  Will it drain your internal resources collecting entries?

For more information on effective, legal contests email