The common thing between Irish dancing and marketing...

As my Irish dancing life is full of competitions at the moment, I thought it might be wise to use this week to talk about how competitions can help market your business to people you may not otherwise reach. I am writing this blog on the way home from a competition, which is ironic because as dancers we will compete for the highest number from the judges and likewise your business competitions will help you increase in numbers on social media. The aim is for both of those numbers to increase; although one dancer will win the competition, you will always be the winner of your competition.

So let’s get to it...

1. Don’t make it too hard

One of the most important things to remember when running an online or social media based competition is that people will not jump through too many hoops to win your prize, no matter how good it is. Asking people to like, share or comment is what is considered acceptable, as it requires little effort from the consumer but also helps to increase your profiles status within the algorithm. No one will like, share, tag 50 friends, write their life story in the comments, pass out your business cards, and leave their job to become a member of staff.

2. Think about the demographic

Your demographic will influence the prize, the way you ask consumers to win the prize and where you promote your competition. Brands like MissGuided and Pretty Little Thing tend to roll out competitions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at different times to catch a wide variety of people. Facebook competitions often ask consumers to write in the comments, which requires more energy and thought than simply retweeting the competition to enter on Twitter. However, all these means are a simple way to reach many demographics; you never know, some people you may never have thought of marketing to might just be interested in your product or service.

3. Get a killer prize

The prize is what everyone is after, so you need to make it worth the while for the consumer. No one will be bothered to enter a competition for a packet of Fruit Pastels, or one make up brush. Your prize needs to be exciting and of worth to the consumers who enter. Some people offer money off products or services, free lessons or courses, a supply of your products or even a combination of the above. The more exciting the prize, the more people will do to try and win, the more promotion your page is getting. Please remember to make sure that you have the finances to cover the prize that you are offering.

Teaming up with another company could reduce the financial implications of competition prizes and increase the quality of the prize for the winner. Remember social media is for scrolling - keep it simple!

A x