Social media is just one tool in your outreach arsenal. Most businesses start with a custom website design to showcase their brand in the online arena.They often follow that by hiring professionals for premium SEO services to properly increase their online presence.

From there, business owners can add marketing services and advertising campaigns to the roster as a means of increasing lead generation, conversions, and sales. Next you need to figure out how social media fits into your overall strategy.

With regular posts on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you can add value for current customers and entice new followers to join. When you make an effort to interact with followers you can increase engagement. Facebook even has multiple tools to help you advertise and target relevant demographics.

At some point, however, you may decide you want to do more with your social media accounts. You might want to host a contest as a way to boost engagement, generate leads, and collect data that will help you to better plan future marketing strategies.

How can you get the most out of your social media contest? Here are a few things you should do if you want to create a successful social media contest.

Set Goals

Before you start planning your contest you need to decide what you want to accomplish. Are you trying to raise awareness of your brand or promote new products, for example?

Do you want to encourage brand loyalty among existing customers? Are you hoping to gain new followers? Perhaps you want to gather marketing information about your current and prospective customers.

Likely you have several different goals. It’s best to lay out and prioritize everything you hope to accomplish in the course of your campaign.Then make plan that will help you create a successful contest and achieve your goals. Don’t forget to review the rules of whichever platform you choose to run your giveaway to make sure you comply.

Determine the Details

There are all kinds of details you’ll have to decide on before you can launch your contest. These include what you plan to give away, who is eligible to enter, how long the contest will run, and how you plan to run the contest. Some details are more important than others, but you must decide on all of them before you launch your giveaway.

First, you need to pick the right prize. A popular product is probably a good bet, but you may want to select a new product that customers are eagerly anticipating as a way to gain momentum and promotional opportunities, as well as attract new followers. You could also choose to give away something unrelated like a trip, for example.If you go this route, then you should probably find a way to tie it in with a relevant product or promotion.

Create Rules

You cannot wait until the eleventh hour to decide on the rules of your contest. In order to protect yourself from legal liabilities, you need to work with an experienced attorney. He or she will ensure that your contest parameters are in keeping with local, state, national, and/or international laws related to giveaways.

In fact, finding a suitable lawyer should be one of the first items on your agenda when you decide to launch any contest.This way you can make sure you plan it properly from the get-go.

Optimize for Social Media

If you’re going to create a successful contest for social media, the choices you make must be optimal for your chosen medium. Strong graphics or videos are essential. These can not only grab attention and explain how and why contestants should enter, but they help to encourage sharing, which is one of the major benefits of hosting a giveaway on social media in the first place.

Promote

Your contest may go viral, depending on what you’re offering and how you go about offering it.However, you can’t rely on this as your sole form of spreading the word. You need to properly promote your contest, using all resources at your disposal, if you want to generate the greatest response.

Follow Up

Selecting winners and doling out prizes may signal the completion of your contest, but your work isn’t done. You still need to analyze the results to see if you accomplished your goals, and you should follow up with leads in order to work toward turning new social media followers into loyal customers.