There’s a lot to love about sweepstakes and contests. Not only do they attract loyal fans to your brand, they also bring in leads and sales. But what about entrants? How do sweepstakes and contests make them feel?

Here are the top things that entrants love about sweepstakes and contests.

The Build Up

The best sweepstakes campaigns keep entrants fully engaged from start to finish. From the viral advertising that attracts people to enter to the announcement of the winner, entrants never know what’s going to happen next.

Even if an entrant doesn’t win the grand prize, the best sweepstakes campaigns surprise non-winners with something special, such as a deal or discount just for participating.

Gives People Something Cool to Share

It’s actually quite rare for someone to enter a sweepstakes or contest and not share it with their friends and family members. Sometimes this is done because the entrants can gain additional sweepstakes entries by sharing the campaign.

On the other hand, as a sweepstakes company we have learned that people also like sweepstakes and contests because it gives them something cool to share online. Plus, they can enter from virtually anywhere (SMS, web, social media) so sweepstakes are also simple and convenient to share in the moment.

Pro Tip: If you want to increase the shareability of your sweepstakes campaign, make sure that you choose sweepstakes prizes that will really wow your audience.

Customers Get a Chance to Talk to You Directly

Brands always ask customers to leave feedback and reviews. However, many don’t because it’s either too time-consuming for them to do or they don’t feel that it would really make a difference other way.

However, with a sweepstakes or contest, your customers have a direct access line to you. They want to be able to share ideas for new features or changes to your products and services.

If you make someone available on social media to manage incoming messages and questions about your sweepstakes promotion, you just may find that there are at least a few customer concerns amid the sea of entrants that should be addressed.

The Prize

Last, but not least, the prize is one of the top things that entrants love about sweepstakes and contests. Whether the prize is life-altering like a $100,000 check or a limited edition action figure from their favorite movie, the prize is always meaningful to winners and non-winners alike.

It’s Fun

At the end of the day, sweepstakes and contests are all about having fun! Whether entrants love watching the sweepstakes promotion in its entirety as it unfolds or simply want to see if they’ve won a prize or not, keeping them entertained all the way is a surefire way to attract the audience that you want to target.

Need help with sweepstakes or contest management? Call 305-505-5393 or email us with your questions.

The post Here’s What Entrants Love About Sweepstakes and Contests appeared first on Sweeppea Blog.

Running a sweepstakes is exciting and a great way to engage customers and boost sales. However, there are a lot of steps required to run a sweepstakes so it’s in your best interest to carefully plan your promotion and choose the right sweepstakes administration company.

Here is how to prepare to start the search for sweepstakes management services.

1. Plan Ahead

A general rule to follow when planning a sweepstakes promotion for a holiday is to plan three months ahead of the holiday. By planning well in advance, you can ensure that you have covered all of the legal requirements for a sweepstakes.

Conversely, if you are running a monthly giveaway, going with a full-service sweepstakes management option can help launch a sweepstakes much faster. However, it’s always a good idea to give yourself extra time, especially if you will have to register and bond the sweepstakes.

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2. Gather Details About Your Product or Service

If the purpose of your sweepstakes is to boost sales or raise brand awareness, your sweepstakes needs to do a great job of communicating this message. Start by describing in full detail the product or service that your company offers. Then spell out how and why it appeals to customers. As you might have guessed, you’ll be able to leverage these unique qualities in your sweepstakes to effectively market your business.

3. Sweepstakes Eligibility and Rules

Now’s the time to decide how you want your sweepstakes to work. Figure out where you want your sweepstakes to run (e.g. all 50 or 48 contiguous states or selected states ) and who is eligible to enter. This will give the sweepstakes management company something to work with so that they can start designing a campaign that’s customized to your business goals.

It will also help you to narrow down options when it comes to choosing sweepstakes administration services. Choose a sweepstakes company that has prior experience in the type of promotion that you want to run.

4. Research Your Options

Sweepstakes administration companies vary widely in the services that they provide to their clients. While full-service sweepstakes companies like Sweeppea will manage your sweepstakes from the concept to prize delivery and taxes, other companies may only offer partial services.

A good rule of thumb to follow is that if your brand has never run a sweepstakes previously or you are looking to maximize the ROI from your promotion, opt for a sweepstakes company that offers full-service sweepstakes management services. In this way, you can guarantee that your promotion is legally compliant and is also optimized for maximum results.

5. Hire a Sweepstakes Management Company

Now that you’ve taken the preliminary steps to plan your sweepstakes and research sweepstakes management companies, it’s time for you to make a decision. Here are a few questions that you’ll want to ask:

• Have you run sweepstakes in our industry before? What were the results?
• What type of sweepstakes promotion is best for the goal that we want to achieve?
• How can I track my sweepstakes while it’s running?

Next Steps

Let’s be honest: You’re busy and you’re focused on keeping your current customers happy and attracting new ones. A successful sweepstakes means happy customers. By taking these steps to carefully plan your sweepstakes before you hire a sweepstakes company, you’ll be on the path to a successful sweepstakes campaign!

Need help with sweepstakes or contest management? Call 305-505-5393 or email us with your questions.

The post What Does Your Brand Need to Have Run a Sweepstakes? appeared first on Sweeppea Blog.