{"id":37403,"date":"2020-09-17T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/?p=37403"},"modified":"2024-04-22T11:07:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T11:07:58","slug":"successful-instagram-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/successful-instagram-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Run a Successful Instagram Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Instagram is one of the top-performing social media platforms with over 1 billion users<\/a> worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Number<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to comparing engagements, Instagram beats all the other social media giants <\/a>out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Most
Source:<\/em> socialpilot.co<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, if you are not on Instagram nowadays, you are surely missing out on something big with your business. By adding the occasional contest, you can seriously step up your Instagram game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before we dive into how to run a successful Instagram contest, let\u2019s understand the \u2018why\u2019 first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why you need Instagram contest anyway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the era of social media, all the businesses are thriving with all sorts of content, whether it\u2019s blog posts, infographics, podcasts, or videos- they are growing with lightning speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if you have just launched out your first online venture? Or maybe your existing business is having trouble competing with bigger brands. You need something that will help you stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, in business, you have different goals, from increasing brand awareness to driving sales, and you have to jump through the hoops while making every aspect of your business right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Instagram contest spurs precisely those opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If engagement is one of your marketing KPIs –  an Instagram contest gets almost 64x more comments and 3.5x more<\/strong> likes than an average post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Instagram
Source:<\/em> tailwindapp.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Or if you want to attract new customers – 34% of new customers can be acquired through contests alone.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need a boost in conversion rate? Contests have a staggering conversion rate (34%<\/a>), which is way higher than other types of content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides, those who are eager to participate in your contest are ready to give their personal information (such as their likes, dislikes, or email addresses) in exchange to get something back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That simply means you\u2019re designing a new way to know more about your potential customers and get to serve those better down the road. Ultimately, it will encourage your consumers to stay with your business for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you set up a contest, remember that Instagram or any other social media platform has been built to connect people around the globe. At the same time, they also have a responsibility to protect our privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have their own rules to protect their audience, and contests are no different. Therefore, you\u2019ll want to<\/strong> take into account some precautions listed below before launching your contests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remove Unnecessary Tagging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll want to reach as large of an audience as possible  so you might want to tag them with your contests or let them tag their friends, family members with your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it could go against Instagram guidelines<\/a> and force you to abandon your campaign or a worse scenario<\/strong>, your account will permanently be banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a nice-to-have: if those folks tag their friends commenting on your contests, but you can not force them to tag by their names while sharing them with their own posts(unless those are directly included in it) or unless they are sharing those photos using your products or services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exclude Instagram Itself (even their support)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can run as many contests as you want and use their platform to create massive engagement or even do business with your audience. But you are not allowed to include Instagram to brand yourself by any means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their guidel<\/a>i<\/a>ne<\/a> strictly preaches that and more they are not responsible for anything that might occur with your contests, even for the administration of any promotion. Whatever you do, you do it at your own risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should also mention that all the contests that you run on their platform are not sponsored, endorsed, or associated with Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you\u2019re aware of all the precautions you should take, let\u2019s look at some examples that inspire you to make your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 killer examples of running a successful Instagram contest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Simon & Schuster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a publishing brand that wanted to increase their brand awareness as their primary goal, as well as followers as their secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They started this campaign by asking an excellent question: \u201cHow do you make trouble?\u201d and let their fans comment on their trouble-making antics and win their prizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Simon
Source:<\/em> instagram.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They moved on with an outstanding proposal – a bundle of 4 products (a Make Trouble<\/strong> Copy by Cecile Richards, a tote bag, a bookmark, and Make Trouble Pins )as their giveaway gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And also offered the opportunity to not only one winner but made their offer to five random people to win instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a killer approach from a conventional brand showing creativity through contests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Hydra Flask<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a water bottle brand that wanted to host a contest as a celebration of reaching the milestone of 200k followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hydra
Source:<\/em> instagram.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The goal was to extend that follower size a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan was simple – follow Hydra Flask and tag two friends in the comments by getting those people a chance to win a 32-oz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That one contest got more than 12K likes within a couple of days, as you can imagine, the engagement was way higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Dominos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Dominos
Source:<\/em> instagram.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This fast-food brand wanted to know how much love their audience has to its brand and how well they respond to them. They need to encourage people whether they are just a fan <\/strong>or a superfan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their decision made me amazed while inspiring people to participate in a photo contest to win a whopping prize of 10000 $.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a massive risk but significant enough to extend its brand value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They simply asked their super fans to share a photo with Dominos in checking how those fans are enjoying their foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can always experiment with expensive gifts, but it doesn\u2019t mean that you go all with 10k or 100k prizes. It means anything valuable to your audience can take your contest game to another level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 simple steps to run a successful Instagram contest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now you have some ideas on how this whole Instagram contest works and it\u2019s time to know how you will make one for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Contents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Start with the end goal<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Focus on the types of contests you will go after<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Give your contest design and copy more value<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Choose a killer prize<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Choose multiple winners or prizes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Set a deadline<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Prizes distribution<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Boost Your Campaign Reach with Promotional Strategy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Start with the end goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Every campaign that you start should have goals, goals that lead to results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some of the most common Instagram contest goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n