When you host a contest on your blog, you can
– attract new visitors,
– promote your products/services,
– create fun for your readers,
– make your blog sticky and
– create new content.
That is IF you do it right.
Freelance writer Alvina Lopez has 4 tips for you to host a contest successfully.
I’ll let her do the talking.
Enjoy!
A great Internet marketing strategy is to host a contest on your website or blog.
Contests for your readers and customers, or really for anyone who happens to come to your blog, can be a great way to create buzz about your product or service while also making a connection with your current set of customers.
Hopefully, you can even get some new clients out of the whole contest!
So, what are some good ideas to host a contest on your blog?
Well, I’ve thought up a few that I’ve seen in the past and posted them below!
Please let us know if you can think of other ways to spice up your contests. If you’ve run a sweet contest on your blog or for your company, let us know as well.
Find a Cool Sponsor
If possible, you should do your best to find a sponsor for your contest, as your sponsor might be able to provide cool gift prizes in exchange for having its name advertised when you talk about the contest.
You can use your blog connections to other bloggers to help find a sponsor.
And, of course, a sponsor doesn’t have to be a big company either. It could simply be another blog, perhaps one more established, or it could be an artist or someone else.
The point is that you might be able to work an exchange out between the sponsor and yourself for some contest swag that your readers might like.
Give Away Unique Prizes
If you can’t find a sponsor, you can still come up with creative prizes to give away.
For example, you can offer the winner a chance to guest post for a week at your blog. Or you can give away ad space on your blog. These kinds of prizes won’t really cost you much money, and they’ll serve to better develop the relationship between your blog and your readers.
Use the Contest to Create New Content
One great way to use a contest is to turn it in such a way that your readers help you create new content for your blog! You can ask your readers to submit their favorite blogging lessons, or you can ask them to produce a short video how-to.
Tell them that your five favorite entries will receive certain prizes and be published on your blog. You benefit from your readers, and they directly benefit from your contest.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Get a Guest Judge for Your Contest
A great way to bring more entrants to your contest is to ask a reputable blogger or other industry expert to serve as a guest judge for your contest. That way, people will see this great name of a blogger with a good reputation and they’ll want to try to be associated with that blog by winning the contest.
Furthermore, the reputation of that blogger will carry over into your own reputation as a blogger with connections!
