3 Facebook Contest Ideas to Shake It Up
Looking for some variety in your social media calendar? There’s no better way to shake up your Facebook content than with a contest.
Before I jump into a few contest ideas, let’s discuss specifically why Facebook contests are beneficial:
They Encourage Custom Content
When done properly, Facebook contests will encourage the creation of custom content. Custom content is what your brand uniquely creates for each social media platform. In that process, you’re not borrowing someone else’s graphics–you’re cultivating your own.
I define custom content as the love child of marketing research, photography/videography and graphic design. Below is an example of how we combined simple photography and graphic design to create a customized piece to help promote the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association’s partnership with the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
Once you have a contest idea in place, you can easily brainstorm several corresponding content pieces to utilize.
They Encourage Engagement
Any good Facebook contest idea is going to naturally encourage platform engagement and customer/brand interaction.
Why? Because you’re asking them to do something for something.
They Can Interact with Other Campaigns
Facebook contests can redirect traffic and attention like a lightning rod.
Are you running a traditional campaign? Try pairing it with a corresponding Facebook contest for multiplied effect.
They’re Just Plain Fun
The above-two benefits are nice, but the fact of the matter is that Facebook contests are just plain fun. By putting your creativity and your brand’s communication goals to work, you can produce unforgettable campaigns that will increase your relationship with your audience and diversify you from your competitors.
Now, onto three ideas to consider implementing with your brand:
1.) Nostalgia
People love to tell their stories. Apply this concept to your Facebook contest by actively tapping into the nostalgia of your audiences.
We utilized this idea for the 2014 Pittsburgh International Auto Show. We asked the show’s Facebook following to share their fondest memories of this Pittsburgh classic. After a week or so, we said we’d go back and select our favorite one and award their entire family with tickets.
In order to maximize this opportunity, we drove (pun intended) this campaign with custom graphics.
What we got in return was a tremendous buzz about the show going on Facebook. Not only did our following increase, but our engagement quadrupled for maximum effect.
2.) Riddles
One way to promote your brand’s history/trivia is to present riddles. The first person to solve it–or whoever hits it the closest–gets a giveaway.
We did two of these approaching the 2014 Pittsburgh International Auto Show–one asking our audience to estimate how many hotdogs we sell each year during show time and another teasing the first appearance of the Ford F-150 Aluminum body.
3.) Scavenger Hunt
Finally, we have the old-fashioned idea of the scavenger hunt.
With the power of social media, however, their potency is multiplied. Pose to your audience a prompt. Maybe it’s a landmark belonging to your brand, or something directly related. Pose a riddle that they have to solve and submit a photo of them indeed solving to get the prize.
The possibilities here are endless.
What Facebook Contests have you run? How’d they end up?