Instagram Contests
Within the marketing strategies on Instagram there is a place for contests.
Running a contest on Instagram is a good way to increase your number of likes and followers as well as helping to promote the reach of your account. But it’s something that if you’ve never done it before, you’re at a loss as to how to develop it.
How do you have to set up a contest on Instagram? Can you do it like on the rest of the social networks?
If you want to discover all the tricks to develop your own contests on Instagram this is your post.
Your contest on Instagram
Before creating a contest on Instagram, first things first, know what your goals are and then measure the results. So in this guide we will go step by step so you can create your own contest from scratch.
#1. Define objectives
Contests on Instagram work wonderfully and are very well received by users. However, before you go into action with your giveaways, it is very important that you are clear which are the main objectives for your contest. For example…
- Increase your number of followers
- Publicize your brand or Instagram profile
- Improve the interaction and participation of your publications
- Boost your brand or profile
You can have as many objectives as you want, but it’s important that you set yourself a single main goal. This way it will be much easier to understand how best to focus your contest or giveaway specifically on this social network.
#2. Conduct your contest with the help of an external platform
Contrary to the giveaways that are carried out from a specific publication. Contests on Instagram through external applications are usually carried out accompanied by a hashtag. Which application is best suited to carry out this type of contest?
- Easypromos: you may have thought this application was only available for Facebook and Twitter, well I have good news for you, it can also be used for your Instagram account! Is this option free? Unfortunately not, but it has different rates depending on the needs and objectives of your brand or company.
When is it recommended for my brand to hold contests with external tools? If any of your goals are the ones mentioned below:
- Get valuable content for your brand from your followers: photos, videos, etc.,…
- Increase the visibility of your brand
- Brand loyalty from your community of followers
As you can see, the objectives that you have set for yourself from the beginning will be those that define the type of contest or raffle that you will carry out on your social media profile.
#3. Publish your giveaway directly on your profile
You just have to publish your raffle on your Instagram account, as if it were any other publication, and that’s it! With this option its not necessary to use an external platform to select the winners, but if doing it on your own will complicate your life, you can rely on applications such as Easypromos or Cool Tab to randomly choose the winners of your raffle.
When is it advisable for my account to undertake a contest? If you have the following objectives, then this option is ideal for your brand:
- Increase engagement
- Increase the number of followers
Do I have to pay to choose the winners through an external platform? Your first Instagram Giveaway with Easypromos is free (the same applies for Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!). To launch more giveaways you will need a plan, starting from 29€/month or 290€/year.
Types of sweepstakes and contests on Instagram
You already have a clear idea for the type of promotion that you’ll need to design according to the objectives that you have set yourself. Now, what types of contest and raffles can be carried out on the image dominant social network of Instagram?
My recommendation is that the mechanics of the promotion for which you choose to be as simple as possible. The more you complicate it, the fewer users will participate. this has been proven time and time again!
Take note of the possibilities:
- Giveaway by leaving comments on a post.
The mechanics are very simple. Users only need to follow your Instagram account and comment on or mention a person they know. Once the giveaway ends, the winner is selected at random.
- Photo contest using a hashtag:
These types of contests are ideal if you want to enhance your brand. The way it works, in this case, is that users publish photos, accompanied by a hashtag previously chosen by the brand. They must also mention the brand in the description so that the organizer can view their entry.
- Video contests:
This class of contests works very similar to the previous one, only in this case, users will have to upload a video to their Instagram accounts that meet the requirements of the promotion.
The last push for your Instagram contest to succeed
If you want your promotions to be a complete success, I have compiled the following steps for you, don’t miss a thing!
✅ Promote your giveaway. As soon as you start your contest or do giveaways not hesitate to promote it by any means at your disposal, such as Instagram Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter, email marketing, through influencer marketing, etc.,…
✅ The mechanics of your contest or draw. The simpler it works, the more users that will participate.
✅ Define your legal basis. Why is it important to create a legal basis? In addition to avoiding any unforeseen events, you will make it clear to users what your contest consists of. Don’t leave any loose ends.
✅ Make your prize attractive. If the award doesn’t appeal to your followers, it won’t be as successful as you would like. The prize should be relevant to your brand identity, otherwise you might attract the wrong audience.
✅ Remember to measure the results of your contest on Instagram. In order to check if your contest has been a real success, you should measure the results of the promotion. How can you do this? Use the right tool for the job, such as Metricool.
Checking the results of your contest finalizes your campaign and helps you to improve your future contests on Instagram.
Now, it’s your turn. what kind of contests are you going to opt for? I hope to receive your comments!
