Twitter is a great social networking platform with millions of daily users, and you’ve probably been using the site to start gaining your own followers for your company. It can be a great way to find new leads and to turn them into customers. However, you also want to make sure you are getting more followers, and the right followers. A wonderful way to make that happen is by holding a Twitter contest. On Twitter, it is possible to create a variety of different types of contests, too, so you can keep things fun and interesting, even after you hold several contests.
Consider the Contest Type
If you are trying to gain new Twitter followers and increase the number of leads you have on your email list, then it might be a good option to hold a simple sweepstakes. Of course, you can also hold a contest that requires more effort on the part of the followers. For example, a photo contest could be fun, or even a captioning, poem, or essay contest. Just try to make the contest fun and tie it in with your business somehow.
For a sweepstakes contest, you can simply require that the entrant follows you and supplies you with a name and email address. You can then choose a winner from all of the entrants when the contest ends. The contest should not be overly long and drawn out. For a sweepstakes, a week is generally enough. This is a good way to get more followers.
It might be a bit more difficult to have a contest that utilizes user-generated material, but they can be quite a bit more fun. Whether you have a photo contest, a photo caption contest, or an essay contest, it can be fun and beneficial. You will have fresh content that will get more people to want to follow you on Twitter, and that helps to boost your brand awareness.
Ultimately, you know your followers and the types of followers you hope to gain. You have to choose a contest type that will match what they will enjoy and want. This includes the prize.
The Prize Dilemma
Choosing a good prize is important for several reasons. You want to have a prize that people will actually want, but you do not want to overspend on it. In addition, you want to make sure that the prize has some type of affiliation with your company. If you sell used books online, giving away an iPad or a Kindle would not make much sense even though they are popular prizes. Find prizes that work well for your audience and that help to promote your business.
Make It Easy to Understand
You need to have a set of clear rules set up for your contest, and you need to have a firm start and stop time for it. Make sure that you describe the rules in clear and simple language, but still be ready for people to have questions and to enter the wrong way. It always happens. Also, have a photo of the prize you are offering so the entrants know what it is they will receive. You can promote the contest on Twitter, Facebook, and the other social networks. However, make sure that you put it up on your blog or site, as well. The more places you can crow about the contest the better. Ask your followers to spread the word for you as well.
Running a contest on Twitter can be quite fun. Once you hold your first contest, look at where it was a success and where it had issues. Make note of them for your second contest.
Resource: http://corp.wishpond.com/how-to-run-a-twitter-contest/