Day: November 21, 2013

An Insider’s Guide to Social Contest Platforms

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Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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English: A collage of an image modified with 16 different Instagram filters (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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English: a man during the 2011 Egyptian protests carrying a card saying “Facebook, #jan25, The Egyptian Social Network” illustrating the vital role played by social networks in initiating the uprising. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An Insider’s Guide to Social Contest Platforms

One of the best ways for brands to garner visibility on the social Web is with promotions like contests and sweepstakes. The rules and regulations of social networks, however, can turn this fun task into a rather large headache. For instance, Pinterest recently announced updates to its Acceptable Use Policy that put numerous restrictions on brands running contests and sweepstakes on the image-based social network. One of the rules prohibits brands from running contests that require participants to Pin from a specific selection, like a website or a list of pins. Conversely, brands on Facebook cannot ask their audience to share promotions on personal Timelines (including their own) as a way to enter a contest. That being said, staying compliant with social network rules is actually just the tip of the iceberg. Brands must also take into consideration how they will track contest entries, host contest terms and conditions and announce winners. Luckily, there are a variety of platforms on the ‘Net that can ease the social promotion process – helping brands with everything from the content landing page to their marketing. Learn more about these platforms and their features below:

Wishpond

Supports Contests On: Facebook+ Brands can run a variety of social promotions via Wishpond’s Contest Apps on their Facebook Pages, including contests for Pinterest and Instagram. This means, for example, that brands can create a Pin-to-Win contest that is actually hosted on Facebook. Aside from multi-channel contests, it is important to note that Wishpond’s robust Contest Apps are compatible with mobile devices, are compliant with Facebook guidelines, can be embedded on websites, enable brands to collect email addresses from participants and can even require participants to Like a page in order to enter a contest.

Piqora

Supports Contests On: Pinterest and Instagram Piquora supports contests and sweepstakes on image-based social networks Pinterest and Instagram. With Pinterest, brands can see which pins are most engaging, as well as view all participants and their eligibility in a single dashboard. The platform supports a variety of promotion types and provides templates so users can customize their contest landing pages. Brands can also launch Instagram hashtag contests with Piqora, which can help users grow their community and get discovered on the social network. Additionally, marketers can create customizable mobile-friendly landing pages for their Instagram contests and can monitor participation through an automated tracking dashboard.

Votigo

Supports Contests On: Facebook, Twitter, Vine, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest The Votigo social marketing platform supports contests on most of the ’Net’s most popular social networks. Brands can leverage the platform to launch integrated Twitter, Facebook and Instagram contests, YouTube video contests, custom Instagram promotions and more. By integrating multiple channels into social promotions, brands can maximum their exposure and engagement.

Statigram

Supports Contests On: Instagram Brands can grow their Instagram following by launching photo contests through Statigram. In order to launch a contest with this platform, brands simply need to fill out a form and upload their Terms & Conditions. Then, the contest is promoted in Statigram’s contest directory and can be intertwined into a brand’s Facebook Page. Brands also have the ability to moderate contest entries, monitor contest performance and can announce winners and prizes on their contest page.

ShortStack

Supports Contests On: Facebook ShortStack enables brands to create apps for Facebook contests, promotions and sweepstakes. Through the platform, brands can store entry data, implement voting and entry restrictions, as well as allow fans to enter promotions via their Instagram feed. Moreover, brands can also launch user-generated contests, where fans upload videos and photos to be voted on.

These are far from the only platforms that brands can leverage to launch contests. Has your brand found success with a different platform? Let us know in the Comments Section below.

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3 COMMENTS

DennisR 11-20-2013 9:39 PM Great article. Keep it up. I would like to share another product. The <a href=”http://www.360photocontest.com”>360 Photo contest</a> online software solution has been helping non-profit organizations raise money and engage their market in an easy-to-use online photo contest since 2005. As a leading Donate to Vote solution, the solution has helped Orvis, HSUS and hundreds of others raise nearly $3 million in donations for their non-profit organizations.

Lisa Kaslyn, Prosper Communications 11-20-2013 10:14 PM Perfect timing!  I was just agonizing over putting together a Pinterest contest without stepping on a landmine — thanks so much for the great resources.  Keep them coming!

DennisR 11-20-2013 10:15 PM Sorry for the bad html link. Pls disregard previous post. Great article. Keep it up. I would like to share another product. The 360 Photo contest [http://www.360photocontest.com] online software solution has been helping non-profit organizations raise money and engage their market in an easy-to-use online photo contest since 2005. As a leading Donate to Vote solution, the solution has helped Orvis, HSUS and hundreds of others raise nearly $3 million in donations for their non-profit organizations.

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