Unlocking Success: 5 Essential Steps to Run a Killer Giveaway
Running a giveaway is more than just a chance to gift your existing audience with something special. It's a strategic move to boost awareness, engage your community, and expand your database. Whether you're launching a new product or simply aiming to grow your brand awareness,, a well-executed giveaway can be a game-changer.
And even better… it can be a relatively low cost marketing initiative
Before we dive into the 5 steps for a successful giveaway, i’d love to share with you some ideas on what you could give away … This will help your creative juices and get you thinking about what you might be able to implement as a giveaway into your business. Here’s some ideas:
Hairdresser / beautician - a treatment and/or a product or even a gift voucher
Accountant / lawyer / professional services - Free consultation, tickets to an event that you’re sponsoring
Tourism operator / tour company / hotel/ attraction: a night or two at your hotel with breakfast/spa / tour for 2
Hospitality/Venue : dinner for 2, Hens afternoon, high tea
Tradie: Bunnings voucher / Garden store voucher or specific plant / Ikea or furniture store
Real estate agent, mortgage broker, insurance broker: Free styling package, professional photo shoot | Broker: A years worth of weekly flower deliveries, 3 months of ironing services
Now that I’ve got you thinking about what you could do to promote your business, let's break down the process into five actionable steps for how you can run a successful giveaway.
Step 1: Define Your Objective and Set Targets
Before diving into the giveaway frenzy, establish clear objectives and set measurable targets. Whether it's growing your social media followers, expanding your email list, or increasing brand awareness, having defined goals will guide your entire giveaway strategy.
Example of Giveaway marketing targets:
* Grow Instagram followers by 20%
* Increase email subscribers by 500
* Boost website visits by 30%
Step 2: Choose a Prize that Speaks to Your Ideal Customer
Your giveaway prize should resonate with your target audience and be the best representation of what you offer. If launching a new product or service, use that as the giveaway. If you have a top selling product or service, then use that. A giveaway is the ideal opportunity to showcase what makes your brand special.
Take it back to the basics:
* Your audience (or the audience you want to reach): What are they interested in? What would get them excited?
* Consider Your brand values: What do you want people to associate your brand with? If you’re a lawyer then you dont want to be associated with risk so a skydiving prize wouldnt be appropriate. If you’re a luxury hotel, your prize shouldnt include cheap wine - every aspect needs to align to your brand and your brand values.
* And remember what is your goal: The prize you choose should be geared toward the end goal of your giveaway.
Top Tip! Don't forget to highlight the value of the prize in your promotional material.
Example from one that we run for our client Kakadu Tourism where we made it clear that the prize was valued at $2659. By adding the value, it gives the audience context around the value of the prize and helps build the excitement.
Step 3: Prepare Your Terms & Conditions
Avoid any legal hiccups by outlining clear and comprehensive terms and conditions for your giveaway. Cover essential points such as run dates, entry mechanics, prize details, redemption deadlines, winner notification, and redraw procedures. Also, be aware of permit requirements, which can vary by location.
In Australia, we have two main types of giveaways - 1) game of skill and 2) a game of chance
A game of skill is any competition that does not use a random draw for the winner. Generally this would mean that you simply have a judge choose the best entry based on its merit, or having users vote publicly on entries then the one with the most votes wins.
Examples of Games of Skill:
* Photo Judging Contest
* Instagram Photo Contest
* Explain in 25 words or less why you should win something
* Any contest that has a voting mechanism (i.e. vote for the best entry)
* User submitted contest contest
* Any contest that is judged on merit
If you are running a lottery, sweepstakes or a competition that requires a random draw to pick the winners then you may require a permit depending on the states your campaign is running in and the value of your prize. These promotions are often called Trade Promotion Lotteries.
How Much do Permits Cost?
The cost of the permits is different per state:
* NSW: $389
* ACT: $216 (Prizes over $5,000 will cost more)
* NT: $0
* SA: $215 (Prizes over $10,000 will cost more)
Do You Need a Permit for Online Competitions?
Yes, online competitions are treated the same as raffles & lotteries.
Tip! Be sure to check local regulations – permits may be necessary in certain regions.
Step 4: Decide on the Platforms
Choose where and how you'll run your giveaway. Will it be on your website, across social media, or both? Consider using third-party platforms like Woobox or Shortstack for a seamless experience. Ensure compliance with privacy laws, and if the giveaway involves drawing winners, use a reliable system like a random number generator.
Step 5: Reward Every Entrant
Celebrate every participant in your giveaway by sending a post-draw email. Announce the winner, and sweeten the deal for all entrants with a special offer, whether it's a discount or value-added incentive. Don't forget to set an expiry date on the offer to create a sense of urgency.
That wraps up the 5 steps to run a successful giveaway.
But before we finish I wanted to give you a few ideas on how to promote your giveaway. You’ve spent the time pulling this amazing giveaway together so you want to ensure as many of the right people as possible know about it.
Yes, you can register giveaways on competition sites however please be mindful if the audiences of these sites will attract the right kind of potential customer for your business. - Instead look at the following options to promote your giveaway:
* Feature posts on your social media throughout the giveaway period
* You can also look to run some teasers that its about to happen before the giveaway promo starts
* EMail your audience
* Put it in your website
* If you have a physical location such as an office, store, salon - feature it within your business - make it easy to enter by including a QR code
* If it makes sense, look to do a direct mail piece (think real estate, beautician)
* Advertising - local paper, radio, community radio, online publishers
* Look at relevant facebook groups
* Share with your local Councilor
* Run paid ads on Meta
* Work with suitable influencers who have your audience as their followers
* If you’ve partnered up with another business to amplify your giveaway, then ensure that they’re using all of their available channels as well
In conclusion, a well-planned giveaway is a potent tool for brand elevation. By following these five steps, you're not just giving away prizes – you're building lasting connections and propelling your brand to new heights.
🚀Get ready to watch your audience grow and your brand thrive!
