5 Pro Tips for Promoting Giveaways on Social Media

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For brands on social media, engagement is king. You want to boost it, grow it, measure it, potentialize it and convert it. But… what is it? Read our beginner’s guide to engagement: what it means, why it’s important, and how to make it work for you.

1. Post Consistently Posting once about your two-week giveaway isn’t enough to let people know it is still active. Your post can easily be lost in a sea of content being released each day. You want to make sure your post is at the top of their mind.

For example, if your giveaway is only for a week, post at the beginning, middle and right before it ends. You can use tools like Buffer and Hootsuite to schedule your giveaway post in advance.

2. Add a Sense of Urgency Instead of the standard “We’re doing a giveaway, join today!” post, instead say “Only 3 hours left to win this giveaway, get in before it’s too late”. Adding a bit of urgency in your social media caption can give viewers the FOMO (fear of missing out) so they’re more likely to click to enter then and there.

Think of your social media post as a mini-landing page, and of each contestant as a lead (because they are). You can use Brian Tracy’s tips for Developing A Sense Of Urgency to help craft compelling captions.

3. Share Your Giveaway in Stories Your giveaway shouldn’t be limited to your social media feed. Use your Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook stories to promote your giveaways. Unlike posting, you don’t have to limit how often you post your giveaway in your feed. Post your giveaway in your story as often as you’d like. Making an Instagram highlight on your profile is also a plus.

4. Pin Your Giveaway on Facebook and Twitter When you pin a post on your Facebook or Twitter page, you allow viewers to see your giveaway post at the top of your page before they even start scrolling. Your pinned post puts your content in the spotlight and typically results in higher engagement rates since it’s the first thing visitors see.

To pin a post, go to the post you’d like to pin, click the arrow in the upper-right corner of the post and select “Pin to Top” from the drop-down menu.

Pro Tip: Pinned posts are time-sensitive which means once the promotion, season or event has ended, it’s best to unpin it, so your page looks up to date.

5. Ask Followers to Repost Just by simply asking your followers (and influencers) to repost your giveaway on their page, along with your hashtag or tagging you in photos, you advertise your giveaway for free.

How to increase engagement on your social networks

There are lots of tried and tested strategies to increase engagement. But today, we want to highlight one option which works on every social network: giveaways and comment competitions. Followers love contests like this, and well-designed giveaways generate a lot of excitement and chatter among your brand’s community. Here are some general tips to bear in mind:

• Tailor your message for each social network. And we don’t just mean character limits. Posts on Twitter should be short, sharp and witty. In contrast, Facebook prefers a clear and straightforward tone. Show your fans that you’re speaking their language, by adapting your tone to suit.
• Make it look good. Make sure you’re following recommended image sizes and design guidelines. Your promotion should be attractive and in line with your brand image. Followers are more likely to take part if the giveaway looks smart and professional, too.
• Follow the rules. Every social network has its own rules about what you can post, and what you can ask participants to do. If you misuse the platform, there’s a risk your account will be suspended. Followers could lose confidence in your brand, too. So use the Easypromos tools to make sure that your promotion is problem-free.
• Keep it simple. The best contests are easy, spontaneous, and in real time. Don’t ask participants to jump through endless hoops, or force them to follow your page. Set up a fun competition with an exciting prize, and let your followers express themselves. Then, if you’re running a great promotion, users will click “Follow” of their own accord.

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