Just a few months ago, Instagram rolled out Instagram for Business that basically made it official that what we all now already think – Instagram is basic hygiene for any company to do business. Social Media Marketing is at an all time boom currently as everyone from all industries is trying to connect with their audiences digitally, especially on platforms where your audience is actively there!
Over the years digital marketing agencies have heavily relied on the BIG 2 i.e Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is the main hub that lets you create and share content that leads to a virtual guide for your brand. Twitter, on the other hand, is the voice of your brand. With one tweet you have the power to make it to Hero from Zero.
But slowly with time, Instagram with their continuous efforts have slowly caught up with the BIG 2 and defined their space very well. They know that the platform holds the power to become a picture essay for brands and people over the years.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and Instagram is helping you realize that.
That being said, brands always face difficulties when it comes to social media marketing and contests. And specifically Instagram Contests!
Facebook and Twitter allow you to create various contests without depending on an image or a video and can be managed via a desktop or laptop. This often results in Instagram being left out as a platform because it’s a mobile-only app and that is where brands often go wrong.
Instagram is an extremely powerful tool to connect with your audience. You as a brand have the power to help your audience create content that they never thought that they could make and then share it and tag you in them.
Your followers are diverse, they are afraid for a million reasons yet are ready to interact with another because they are a part of a community that you have created. These contests take these people and get them to create a powerful picture or video that symbolize their diversity, connects you to them and at the same time makes them believe that they are a part of something bigger.
Yes giveaways are a huge part of these contests, but what people don’t realize is that the audience always doesn’t want goodies or tokens, rather they are extremely happy to receive recognition for their due efforts as it is them who make your brand.
Take the ‘Shot on an iPhone’ campaign for example. It is a beautiful example of how a Multinational company created a marketing campaign with the power of the audience by asking them to do what they love doing and it became an instant success story.
Wondering what the process is? We’ve the breakdown for you –
- Sketch out your target audience and figure out their likes, dislikes and active time on Instagram (available on Insights!)
- Conceptualize the contest – do you want fans to share pictures and tag you? Or do you want your fans to comment and like your picture/video?
- Define the bribe – it should be a combination of recognition (repost their efforts, feature it in a video or picture) and a freebie such as vouchers, gift hampers consisting your product
- Analyse, analyse and analyse!
Ideally, a brand should run an engagement driven contest every month which should be in-sync with your current campaign. Want to Supercharge your brand via an Instagram contest? Look no further, we’re here for you!
