Have you ever been in a store or other business location that was plastered with coloring pages or some other “signs” of a contest? Sponsoring a contest has a long tradition in business promotions and it isn’t just for large corporations. If you are looking for a fun way to drum up business or involve more people in your business, you might consider sponsoring some sort of a contest…
Contests come in all sizes and forms—from those coloring contests, to puzzles, to sports “pools”, to trivia tests. Look through any daily newspaper and chances are you will see all sorts of contests being sponsored by area businesses. Almost all of the contests will state that a purchase is not necessary, but that individuals either need to come into the place of business to enter, or go to an online web site, or make contact with the business in some way. This is where the marketing and networking comes in. It is not enough just to put a contest out there with your name on it, but you have to make sure that you connect with the individuals who “play” and gather their contact information so you can continue to cultivate them.
The prize for your contest should be something appropriate to your business. Chances are you won’t be able to offer a brand new car, but you could offer a free product or a free service that your business provides. If you are in the tutoring business, for example, you might do an education-oriented question contest and then award a month’s free tutoring as the prize.
Make sure that you take full advantage of the contest as a marketing tool—put your name and contact information on all the materials, include a “call to action” that gets people closer to your business (getting them to your web site is great if you’ve got one that is operational), and follow up with everyone who enters your contest. If it goes well, you might consider doing something annually as part of your ongoing marketing plan.
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