Using Contests to Promote Yourself: Part One
This is Part One of a series on promoting yourself with contests.
Contests are proliferating on the Internet. The reason that contests have always been popular is a) because people LOVE winning stuff and b) because it is a great way to promote products, brands, and companies without seeming like advertising.
Take this scenario. You are watching TV and an commercial for a bathroom product comes on. You get up and go do a few minutes of the dishes. You are back in front of the TV and this time a commercial comes on, but instead of trying to sell you toilet paper they are telling you about the great vacation trip that you can win, all expenses paid. Instead of looking at toilets and toilet paper you are looking at a couple enjoying a romantic cruise, or an Island paradise holiday. This time you stay and watch the commercial. You even write down the name of the contest and brand of TP and the website address. It’s NOT a commercial right? It’s a chance to win a trip.
Well, it IS a commercial … a commercial that gets your attention because the focus is on winning. The sponsor gets to say their name, the name of the TP they are selling and they get to send you to their website. This type of advertising WORKS!!!!
The reason that contests are proliferating on the Internet is that they are relatively easy to set up, and they are inexpensive to run. If you have a website, you can get a contest happening within a day or so.
Contests are a great way to get exposure for your books, for your software products, and for your website. If you do it right, you could also build your ezine list at the same time. But a word of caution here … you need to be very careful here because you don’t want to get accused of hijacking email addresses and of spamming.
For more information on setting up a contest go to Part Two in this series.
You will often see contests and sweepstakes that are run by a third party. There are several reasons for this:
1) Running a contest takes time and effort
2) Running a totally “blind” contest takes technology
3) Having a 3rd party running the contest reassures the “consumer” that the contest is above board. After all, it is too easy for “some” companies to award prizes to friend and relatives, or to not award the prizes at all!
If you have a “skill based” contest (writing, photography, cooking, video, misc) please feel free to promote it by adding it to the proofpositive.com contest database.
In conclusion. Contests are a fun way to promote your books, your products, your services. Consider this as one of the tools in your Marketing Tool Box.
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Melanie Rockett is a writer, photographer, marketing consultant and Internet Entrepreneur. She has written 10 books and thousands of articles. Her photos have appeared in books, magazines and television programs.
RESOURCES
101 Ways to Promote Yourself: Tricks Of The Trade For Taking Charge Of Your Own Success
Blueprints for Success: Networking–150 Ways to Promote Yourself (Blueprints for Success Series)
