We hear the phrase, “Go Big or Go Home,” all the time, whether it has to do with sports, a leap of faith or just life in general. Lately I’ve noticed that social media campaigns are doing the same – going big. They’re pulling out the big guns not only when it comes to the quality and consistency of posts, but also in the way they reward their Following, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter or a location-based social media site like foursquare. These incentives, whether they’re gift cards, concert tickets or even all-inclusive vacations, are keeping these followers coming back for more and most importantly, engaged with the brand.
I was always a little bit skeptical of these online giveaways; you always have to enter your e-mail address or another form of personal information and I just wasn’t interested. It wasn’t until I actually won something through a social media contest that I became a believer. My first win came from the Fairmount Hotel in Dallas, and I won a prize valued at $1,000 just by following them on Twitter as a part of their campaign to hit 1,000 Twitter followers. A few weeks later, I won Lady Gaga tickets just by Twittering the response to a fashion question from InStyle magazine. After collecting my winnings, I was hooked on the idea of instigating a social media giveaway campaign for a client.
The perfect opportunity presented itself with my social media client, Buyers Agent Bill Shields. His social media was up and running, but it wasn’t growing at the rate I would have liked. I needed something to spark the interest of people who were interested in real estate in the Dallas/Fort Worth area – something like a $200 Home Depot gift card. What home owner wouldn’t want that? Using Facebook Ads, I set up an ad set to the demographics I wanted to hit and began to promote the $200 gift card giveaway on my client’s Facebook page. In the 10 days the ad ran, their following increased by 230% and brought even more new page views and action on the Facebook page. In order to win the gift card, they had to fill out a quick form with their name, email address and what they look for in a real estate agent – simple enough right? Today, I get to tell someone they won that gift card!
I went into this campaign knowing we would have to spend $200 on a Home Depot gift card, and I hoped I would get results worth at least that amount. In my opinion, I think my campaign paid for itself. We engaged followers with the brand, and we gained a new group of followers that will not only see my client as a reputable real estate agent and source for real estate news, but even use his services in the future.
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