Contests are great ways to motivate consumers to take action or to get involved, but there are some pretty clear things that need to be defined such as (this is just a starting point):
- Purpose of the contest
- What is needed/expected from participants
- When the deadline is
- How to enter
- What the prize is
I’d like to focus on the last two items for a moment. For example purposes let’s assume that we’re talking about a contest that has to do with consumers making a video and sharing certain information.
How to Enter
Making a video is a hurdle in and of itself for most people, so the submission process needs to be very easy. Requiring that videos be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo is a reasonable request, but you might want to consider allowing participants to simply email the link or fill out a form and include their link.
Something you might want to avoid is requiring that they make a video, and then require that they submit the video through a social networking site that they very well might not be part of, interested in, or know how to use.
The Prize
The prize is the motivation for many contest participants and clearly defining what’s in it for them is an important step. Something such as “Winners will receive gift certificates or gift cards to restaurants and retailers” is far too vague.
If someone takes the time to create a video and put effort into the project, they are probably going to want to know exactly what they have a chance to win. If the prize is such that listing it devalues the contest, you might want to start over and figure out how to come up with a more substantial prize.
Contests are great tools, but don’t skimp on the important details – doing so could drastically alter your success.
