As we all know contests are great for social media. They are the perfect way to get more page likes, post interactions, and reviews. But to really see the biggest bang for your buck, put your contest on steroids by joining forces with strategic partners and rolling out a cross promotional contest!
People these days are extremely busy, so incentivizing them to take action always increases the likelihood that they will participate. When you are thinking about a prize for your social media contest, think about your target audience and what would be beneficial to them, not just to you. Then, look local.
Cross promoting means teaming up with another business, that shares your target audience and typically has a robust social media presence of their own, to promote a contest to both of your audiences.
Here’s how it works!
First, find a business that serves the same target audience as you. Be sure to lean towards businesses that have a strong social media presence, then reach out to them and introduce yourself and your business. Ask them if they would be willing to help you promote your contest/prize if you bought it from them. Since the business owner is probably just as busy as you are, try to think of ways you can take some of the work for your contest off of their plate. For example, craft the post you want them to share, or create a graphic they can put in their newsletter. Anything you can do to take the workload off of them will increase your chances of getting their buy-in.
Check out this killer example of a recent campaign we helped two businesses cross promote.
One of our favorite clients, Jack’s Tile and Carpet, wanted to promote their “pet friendly” flooring options to the Hampton Roads area. We immediately thought of our good friends at Critter Sitters & More, who share the same target audience, pet owners. After making the introduction, Critter Sitters & More put together a beautiful “Pet Basket” full of goodies and necessities for a cat or dog owner. Jack’s bought the basket from them and began their social media contest. Once details on the contest were posted to Jack’s Facebook page, Critter Sitters joined in and shared the post to their own page, added it to their newsletter, and even wrote a blog about it. The partnership was a win for both businesses, as Jack’s benefited from the social media engagement on both pages, and Critter Sitters was also being promoted as the top pet sitter in the area and showing off some of their awesome stuff.
If you’re interested in brainstorming some killer cross promotional campaigns of your own, reach out to us. We’d love to help!
