Social media channels and posts are an effective way to reach out to potential customers and engage with existing ones. By running social media contests, small businesses can tap into the vast pool of users on these platforms. Moreover, implementing innovative and engaging social media contest ideas can create a ton of buzz. They can also drive user engagement, increase brand awareness, and get more qualified leads.
We’ve put together a list of creative ideas to help you plan out your next online contest.
What is a Social Media Contest?
A social media contest is, at its core, a marketing strategy essential for growing an organization. It functions as a promotional event organized by businesses or individuals on popular social media sites.
This line of action is aimed at engaging audiences and enhancing brand visibility in a dynamic and interactive way. Besides that, they are one of the best practices in social media marketing.
Additionally, customers are frequently attracted to the diverse range of prizes offered in social media contests. More significantly, their participation transforms them into potential advocates for the brand. This engagement contributes to the development of a lively and interactive community.
This community plays a key role in enhancing the brand’s online presence and reputation. Additionally, word-of-mouth and sharing by participants further amplify the contest’s reach and impact.
Understanding Social Media Contests
In these contests, businesses reward followers for their loyalty, which often results in gaining more followers and enhanced brand recognition. Such contests typically involve inviting users to participate in a specific challenge, activity, or competition with the chance to win prizes.
The primary goal is to generate buzz around a brand, product, or service, as well as to attract new followers and increase user engagement. By leveraging the power of social media, businesses can reach a broader audience and create excitement around their offerings.
Execution of Social Media Contests
To run a successful social media contest, businesses need to ensure that the contest idea is simple, easy to understand, and fun for participants. The rules and guidelines should be clear, leaving no room for confusion or unpleasant surprises.
Additionally, the contest should be relevant to the industry or product being promoted, appealing to the target audience’s interests.
Engaging visuals, including striking images and captivating videos, are essential for attracting participants and boosting overall engagement.
Moreover, businesses can use creative language and compelling visuals to encourage more people to join the contest, fostering a sense of excitement and anticipation.
Benefits of Social Media Contests
Social media contests are not just about winning prizes; they offer a range of benefits for both businesses and their audiences. Here are some key advantages:
- Enhanced Engagement and Brand Recognition: Social media contests directly engage audiences, leading to increased brand recognition and loyalty. The excitement around winning prizes encourages more participation and sharing.
- User-Generated Content Creation: Participants often share their contest experiences or entries on their profiles, which acts as organic promotion, further extending the contest’s reach and influence.
- Increased Brand Awareness: Attractive prizes draw participants, thereby boosting brand visibility. This leads to attracting potential new customers and retaining existing ones.
- Valuable Audience Insights: These contests provide businesses with data and insights into audience preferences, which are instrumental in refining marketing strategies and improving online presence.
Qualities of an Effective Social Media Contest Idea
If you are running a contest to get more entries, successful social media contest ideas should take these social media marketing tips into account:
- Simple, easy to understand, and fun: Your contest should be easy to understand and follow while still being fun and engaging.
- Relevance to your business: Another aspect of a great social media contest idea is making sure the challenge or activity you set is relevant to your industry, product, or service.
- A targeted audience: Choose a target audience that’s likely to be interested in the contest. The prize offered should also be exciting and relevant to your target demographic. That way, users are more encouraged to participate.
- Engaging visuals: Incorporate visuals like photos or videos to capture attention and promote interaction.
- Clarity: If you are running a social media contest, there should be no unpleasant surprises. You’ll want to set out clear rules and guidelines so that contestants know exactly what they need to do in order to participate and get rewards.
- Encouragement for participation: Use creative visuals and language to encourage more people to take part in your contest.
Social Media Contest Ideas
| Contest Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Video Contest | Participants submit creative videos showcasing how they use the product or engage with the brand. This contest encourages user-generated content and brand interaction. |
| Brand Filter Contest | Followers upload selfies with a custom filter created for the contest. The user with the most likes/shares/reactions on their post wins the contest, promoting brand awareness and engagement. |
| Location-Based Contest | Participants check in at specific locations, tag the brand, and use a contest-related hashtag. This type of contest targets customers in specific areas, increasing local engagement and brand visibility. |
| Twitter Scavenger Hunt | Contestants find specific items on a list or solve clues on Twitter. The first person to complete the hunt and reach the organizer wins the contest, driving traffic to the website or landing page. |
| Photo Contest | Followers submit photos of themselves using the products or services. Prizes are awarded to the most creative, unique, or funny photos, encouraging visual user-generated content and brand advocacy. |
| Holiday Contest | Special contests related to holidays, like carving jack-o-lanterns or decorating trees. Participants can showcase festive cards featuring the brand, promoting fun and seasonal engagement on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. |
| Instagram Story Contest | Similar to video contests but focused on storytelling through Instagram stories. Followers share how they use the products or services, and the best stories win prizes, fostering creativity and brand-related stories. |
| Trivia Contests | Contests with trivia questions related to the brand or products. Followers answer questions, and the first correct answer wins a grand prize, promoting brand knowledge and engagement. |
| Spin-to-Win Campaign | Visitors enter their email for a chance to win prizes and discounts on the website. This contest promotes engagement, brand promotion, and generates leads for future marketing efforts. |
| Poem or Essay Contests | Followers submit poems or essays related to the brand or products on Facebook. Contestants can showcase their long-form creativity and potentially contribute to branded content. |
| Caption Contest | Followers create captions for unique or funny photos on Facebook. The funniest or most interesting caption wins the contest, promoting humor and brand engagement. |
| Sweepstakes Contest | Simple contests with an entry form for email collection. Participants enter their information for a chance to win prizes, requiring minimal effort for followers and driving engagement. |
| Refer-a-Friend Contest | Customers refer friends and family using a unique link. Rewards are given for a certain number of referrals, promoting brand growth and rewarding existing customers. |
| UGC Contest | Users submit videos, photos, or stories related to the product or service for a chance to win discounts or prizes. Brands get free, branded user-generated content for future marketing efforts. |
| Comment to Win Contest | Followers leave comments on thought-provoking posts for a chance to win a prize. This contest sparks engagement and encourages users to interact with brand content. |
| Sign-up Contests | Customers sign up for an email list to get a chance at winning an offer or deal, generating qualified leads for the business. |
| Hashtag Challenge Contest | Users participate in a challenge using branded hashtags to increase reach and engagement. Successful hashtag challenges can go viral, promoting brand awareness and social media sharing. |
| FOMO Giveaway for Likes/Follows/Shares | Contests with a sense of urgency message to encourage followers to like, follow, or share the page for a chance to win exclusive promotions. Harnessing FOMO can drive increased social media interactions and brand following. |
| Play-to-Win Contest | Games or contests where customers play for a chance to win. Participants enter their details and play the game, providing opportunities for lead generation and customer engagement. |
| Polling Contest | Interactive contests with questions for users to vote on or submit videos. Polling contests gather feedback, engage potential customers, and drive brand interaction. |
| Surprise Follower Giveaway | Contests that surprise a random follower with a prize. Follow-to-win contests can rapidly increase follower numbers and encourage participation for a chance to win exciting rewards. |
| DIY Contest | Followers submit pictures or videos of DIY projects using the brand's products. DIY contests engage culinary enthusiasts and provide creative ideas for product usage, fostering customer relationships. |
| Direct Message Contests | Messages directly sent to followers' inboxes asking for further interaction. Direct message contests enable personalized engagement and increase brand messaging visibility. |
| Reoccurring Contests | Ongoing weekly, monthly, or seasonal contests to keep followers engaged and encourage repeated participation. Reoccurring contests foster customer loyalty and continuous brand interaction. |
| Conference Contest | Check-ins or event-related contests for conferences or physical locations. Conference contests can leverage event participation to boost engagement and attract attendees to the brand. |
| Tag-a-Friend Contest | Contests where followers tag friends in relevant posts or challenges. Tag-a-friend contests create organic reach, user interaction, and connections with influencers for further promotion. |
| Recipe Contest | Food-related contests where users submit recipes using the brand's products. Recipe contests inspire culinary creativity and provide unique |
These fun and creative social media contest ideas are certain to amp up engagement and boost brand awareness.
Video Contest
Video contests are an excellent social media contest idea. They get potential customers involved in creative activities while also giving them a chance to show off their skills. Ask followers to submit videos of themselves using your product/service or engaging with your brand somehow. You can ask them to share interesting stories about how they use your items, too. This not only promotes user-generated content but also enhances brand loyalty and community engagement.
Brand Filter Contest
Hosting a brand filter contest is another creative way to engage your followers and elevate brand awareness. Many businesses have created their own branded filters to pique their target audiences’ interest and increase interaction. Here’s how it works: Ask your followers to upload a selfie of themselves with a special filter you created for your contest. The user who receives the most likes/shares/reactions for their post wins the contest. Such contests leverage visual appeal and encourage fun, interactive experiences with your products and services.
Location-Based Contest
Social media platforms like Instagram and X let users check in at certain locations. Knowing that you can ask followers to check in at specific locations, tag your brand, and use a hashtag related to the contest. The best part about this type of contest is that you can target customers in and around certain areas for higher engagement. This approach not only increases local brand visibility but also creates a sense of local pride.
X Scavenger Hunt
Virtual event ideas like a Twitter Scavenger hunt encourage users to engage with your brand in a creative and fun way. During this type of X contest, you ask participants to find specific items on a list or search for clues. The first person who figured out all the clues/items and got back to you was the winner of the contest. This strategy works really well for announcing a new product and driving traffic to your site, especially if the clues direct contest entrants to the landing page.
Photo Contest
Photo contests are a hit, especially on Instagram. To participate, followers can submit pictures of themselves using your products or services. You can reward the most creative, unique, or funny photos with prizes. Photo contest gifts, such as gift cards or free products, are popular prizes.
Holiday Contest
People love creative activities related to the holiday season, making it a great time to organize special contests for your followers. You can run contests that ask them to submit their most creative carved jack-o-lantern or the best-decorated tree. You can make it even more fun by asking them to create festive cards featuring your brand. This type of contest works well on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X. It’s an incredibly subtle way to increase brand awareness during key holiday periods.
Instagram Story Contest
This Instagram contest is similar to video contests, but it focuses on storytelling through the use of Instagram stories. Ask followers to create their own stories sharing how they use your products and services, and reward the best stories with prizes. Rewarding the most compelling stories can increase participation and provide valuable user-generated content.
Trivia Contests
Create a trivia contest centered around your brand or product to significantly boost engagement. You can pose a trivia question about your company on platforms like Facebook or X, or inquire about a topic that resonates with your audience’s interests. Additionally, consider offering a grand prize to the first lucky winner who answers the question correctly. Trivia contests serve to both entertain and educate your audience on pertinent subjects and provide insight into your company’s mission.
Spin-to-Win Campaign
This one lets visitors enter their email for a chance to win prizes and discounts once they get to your site. Spin-to-win campaigns not only drive engagement and promote your brand but they can also be used to grow the top of your business’s marketing funnel in an innovative way for your client base.
Poem or Essay Contests
With a poem or essay contest, you can reward your follower’s long-form creativity by getting them to submit a poem or essay on Facebook. When you post the opportunity, make sure you outline the specific topic and length for their submissions. People can submit their creations on your page or submit lengthier works to you privately.
Caption Contest
If you are a business looking for an easy and fun contest idea, caption contests work well. All you have to do is post a unique or funny photo on your Facebook page. Then, ask customers to share the captions they created. The one with the funniest or most interesting captions gets the award. This approach not only encourages creativity but instills a sense of community and fun among your audience.
Sweepstakes Contest
Sweepstakes are simple and easy to run. For this type of contest, you create an entry form to collect emails. Tell contestants that they will be entered into a drawing for a certain number of prizes if they enter their information. Sweepstakes contests are great because they do not require as much effort on the part of your followers. In addition, they are an excellent method for rapidly expanding your email list and often generate more engagement than other types of contests.
Refer-a-Friend Contest
Creating a refer-a-friend contest is an effective way to grow your customer base and reward existing customers in the process. Ask people to share a unique referral link with their friends and family, then reward them with discounted merch or prizes when they reach a certain number of referrals. This method not only incentivizes word-of-mouth promotion but also strengthens your community ties and enhances brand reach.
UGC Contest
UGC stands for User Generated Content, and it’s a great way to get your customers involved with your business. Ask your customers to submit their own videos, photos, or stories related to your product/service in exchange for a chance to get discounted products or win something relevant. This type of contest is also excellent because it gives you free, branded material you can repurpose on your other social channels.
Comment to Win Contest
A comment-to-win contest is an easy way to get your followers engaged and talking. All you have to do is post something thought-provoking on your page, then encourage people to leave a comment on your post for a chance to win a prize. Make sure that the social media post you make is relevant and intriguing so people are more likely to participate. This type of contest can be run frequently, as it doesn’t require much effort. Plus, it gives you an excuse to post interesting content on your page that will help get more people talking about your brand.
Sign-up Contests
The Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team used a sign-up contest to get fans to purchase their Stanley Cup playoff game tickets. What’s more? Small business owners can use sign-up contests to generate leads. To get these qualified leads, simply ask customers to sign up for your email list in exchange for an offer or deal. By the end of the contest, you’ll likely see a significant bump in your subscriber base.
Endless Contest
This is a great way to keep your followers engaged for the long term. Run a contest that has no end date, and keep adding new prizes and challenges.
Hashtag Challenge Contest
Contest hashtag challenges have been making their rounds for quite some time. These contests are extremely effective for increasing your reach, as hashtags are seen better by audiences when used. An example of a successful hashtag contest in action is when Chipotle used the hashtag #ChipotleLidFlip for their lid flip challenge. The contest ended up going viral on TikTok and helped them successfully spread awareness about their free delivery service for orders placed on their app for Cinco de Mayo.
FOMO Giveaway for Likes, Follows or Shares
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful marketing concept that small businesses can use to their advantage. To do this, you create a giveaway with a message of urgency, like “We’re announcing our once-a-year giveaway” or “Follow us on our Facebook page to take advantage of this promotion.” This type of contest is especially effective if you have limited time to run it and want to get the most out of your audience.
Play-to-Win
Besides being fun for your customers, play-to-win contests give your business a boost. That’s because it’s an exceptionally good social media contest to use if you want to get leads. To enter the drawing, all your customers have to do is enter their details and play the game. When the giveaway is over, you notify all the participants about who won. When Trident teamed with Chew Tunes for this contest, they offered contestants a chance to go to the Grammys or receive a cash prize. Needless to say, people really chewed up that contest opportunity.
Polling Contest
This type of contest is great for getting feedback from polling contest entries and engaging potential customers in the process. Ask people to vote on questions related to your products or to submit their own videos of themselves using your product/service or engaging with your brand somehow. You can ask them to share stories about how they use your items, too.
Surprise Follower Giveaway
Giveaway winners are typically selected randomly, making them an extremely fair challenge for all entrants. That also makes them a popular choice, meaning you reach a wider audience. Surprise follower giveaways work by giving away a prize to one lucky follower. To take part in this giveaway, all people have to do is follow the account and like or comment on the post. Simple yet effective!
Recipe Contest
This kind of contest is great for engaging foodies, culinary enthusiasts, and home cooks. Ask people to create a recipe using your product or submit their favorite recipes for the chance to win prizes from your company. This type of contest will also help you build relationships with potential shoppers by providing them with unique and creative ideas on how to use your goods. To find a winner, you can pore through every contest entry or poll customers who have tried out the recipes.
Pinterest Contest
For businesses with a visual focus, you can use Pinterest to create a contest that encourages engagement and drives customers to your company. To do it, ask users to create a dream home using your products on their Pinterest board. Alternatively, travel agencies can ask users to pin their idea of a dream getaway. The winner can receive bundles of relevant prizes.
Co-promotions
Having a co-promotion contest is an excellent way to collaborate with other businesses and reach new customers. All you need to do is team up with another brand that caters to a group of customers similar to yours. Then, decide on the type of contest, get creative with the prize package they’ll appreciate, and promote it on all your socials. Boldly collaborating in this way can significantly expand your reach and introduce your brand to new, engaged audiences.
Tag-a-Friend
For a tag-a-friend contest, post a question or challenge related to your business and then ask participants to tag their friends. You can also use this as an opportunity to build relationships with influencers in the industry by asking them to share your content with their followers and give away prizes such as products, discounts, or exclusive experiences. This contest format not only increases engagement but also rapidly expands your social media footprint.
DIY Contest
Is your business in the do-it-yourself (DIY) space? If so, you can ask social media followers who use your products in their DIY projects to send a picture or video of the project and highlight how the items were used. You can judge the winner based on creativity or money-savings they bring to other DIYers. Give the winner a discount on their next order or a prize package full of DIY goodies for their next project. This approach can inspire customer loyalty and showcase your products’ real-world applications.
Direct Message Contests
These are great if you want customers to pay attention to your messages. All you do is send a message directly to your customer’s inbox. One great example of a direct message contest was Sally Hanson’s Facebook Messenger contest. During the contest, users were sent direct messages that asked relevant questions to get them to interact further. Those who shared their email addresses with the nail expert company were entered into a contest to win a limited edition set of Sally Hansen red nail polish.
Reoccurring Contests
This kind of contest is perfect for businesses that are looking to continuously engage customers. You can create recurring weekly, monthly, and even seasonal contests that award prizes to participants over time. This will help keep your followers engaged and motivated to take part in the next one. For instance, if you own a clothing boutique, you can offer discounts on future purchases for customers who share their favorite outfit of the month.
Conference Contest
This concept is akin to location-based contests but focuses more on the physical locations of a business. If you’re hosting a conference or have multiple brick-and-mortar locations, you can promote this check-in feature. You can offer prizes to a select few lucky winners who check in at your locations or an event landing page and then announce the winners on your social media accounts. This option can be particularly appealing to those who are already promoting events with social media.
Follow-to-Win
Follow-to-win contests are a thrilling way to engage users, as they encourage them to follow your social media page for a chance to win. For instance, the toy brand Funko effectively boosted sales by offering users the opportunity to win a Star Wars figure in return for followers. Those who were eager to avoid waiting for the contest’s conclusion were provided with a direct link to purchase an exclusive Obi-Wan Kenobi toy from Amazon. This approach skillfully merges the excitement of winning with immediate purchasing options, enhancing both engagement and sales.
How to Conduct a Social Media Contest
The following are some of the best practices for running an effective social media contest:
- Know the platform’s rules: Before you run giveaways, know the platform’s rules so you don’t earn a strike against one of your valuable business social media accounts. For instance, Twitter frowns upon brands asking their followers to share the same tweet, as duplicate content goes against their rules.
- Know Your Objective: One of the most important steps to running a successful social media contest is to know your goal and audience. Are you looking for more followers, more leads, increased engagement, or introducing new products? Knowing your objective will help guide the rest of the process.
- Decide on the right budget and prize: It is important to think about how much you can realistically spend on your contest. Remember, the more creative and valuable the prize, the more likely people will participate.
- Know your demographics and choose a platform: Choose platforms your audience frequents and where it will get maximum visibility.
- Plan the contest and run it using the following steps:
- Determine the duration of your contest: The length of your contest should be based on your goals and the intricacy of your campaign.
- Set the platform’s contest rules: Make sure the rules are clear and that you communicate them effectively to your target audience.
- Create catchy copy: The best social media content strategies include concise, simple copy that is attention-grabbing and easy to understand. To boost visibility, ask contest participants to share your content on their social media pages.
- Build the communication calendar: Create a timeline for running the contest, including when to launch and when to announce winners.
- Promote and cross-promote your campaign: Promoting your campaign on social media is a part of the game. Around 45% of brands like having contests on Instagram and Facebook simultaneously. Therefore, for the most success, promote your contest effectively by running it across more than one social media channel or platform.
- Watch for entries: Monitor the entries and engagement you’re getting from your campaign so that you can adjust accordingly. Software for managing online contests can be a great help here if your response is massive or you are time-pressed.
- Contest announcement: Once you drill down into the details and approve everything, the contest ends; followers win. Now, you can announce the winner and move on to the next step.
- Analyze the results: Once the contest is over, take time to analyze the results to determine if it was successful or not and evaluate what worked and what didn’t. More importantly, this step will allow you to create even more successful future contests.
FAQs
What are the Best Social Media Giveaway Ideas for Instagram?
The following social media giveaway ideas will drive traffic and encourage participation:
- Feature a collaborative contest to extend your reach: Partnering with another brand or influencer is one of the better social media business ideas to date on Instagram. To do it, create a cross-promotion and encourage both of your audiences to participate for an even bigger reach.
- Allow multiple entries to boost your brand: This tactic was used by the Canadian jewelry brand Bellisa in an Instagram post @bellisa.jewellery. In it, they announced a generous prize for their monthly giveaway. The campaign was part of the jewelry brand’s recurring series of giveaways, and it allowed multiple entries throughout that month. The recurring contest allowed them to amp up engagement on a continuous basis.
- Reward user-generated content (UGC): Encourage your followers to create their own content and share it with your brand. UGC encourages participation among consumers and helps build relationships with your customers. Plus, the extra exposure from their followers can mean even more eyes on your post and account.
- Choose a creative hashtag: Hashtags are essential for visibility on Instagram. Pick a unique hashtag that potential entrants will remember and share, such as “#winwithbellisa.” This way, you can track the posts made by your participants and use them as part of your social media metrics.
What is the Best Video Contest to Offer on TikTok?
The best video competition to offer depends on what you want to get out of the contest. DIY videos and home renovations do really well all around for TikTok. On the other hand, entertaining comedic skits, lip-sync videos, and challenge videos work well to drive engagement and reach.
You’ll find that many of the popular categories on the social media platform will align really well with your brand or products, so be innovative.
When running a video competition on TikTok, it’s important to focus on the creative aspect of the content by encouraging users to come up with fun and interesting visuals or storylines.
Additionally, setting clear rules and guidelines for submissions is key in ensuring that all entries fit the theme of your contest. For example, have users submit a video within a specific timeframe or include certain keywords in the caption. It’s always a good idea to create a TikTok contest landing page, too.
Finally, be sure to offer a prize that’s tempting enough to draw people in and engage with your brand. This will help ensure you get plenty of quality entries and engagement on your TikTok account!
Are Social Media Contests Effective?
Yes, social media contests can effectively enhance your follower count and engagement on your channels. Furthermore, when executed correctly, these contests can improve your business’s visibility and generate excitement around the giveaway.
Here are a few successful results that companies have seen from running contests.
- In the first six days of Chipotle’s Lid Flip challenge, over 100,000 videos were submitted, resulting in more than 100 million video views.
- Sally Hansen’s direct message contest brought in 11,000 new emails for the company and an 85% email opt-in rate.
- In their collaborative contest, Nuba restaurant teamed up with a relevant brand, Jaybird Yoga Studio. Both brands focus on healthy nourishment of the mind and body, so they fit together perfectly. Their collaboration brought in 7 times more likes than the restaurant’s typical Instagram posts.
These are just some of the many creative ways to engage with your audience on social platforms like Instagram. With lots of planning and creativity, you can design and promote a contest that will be successful for your business.
Image: Envato Elements
This article, "Social Media Contest Ideas to Engage Your Viewers" was first published on Small Business Trends
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