UPICKEM Promotion Center | Share. Brainstorm. Profit.

Engage Your Audience with a Contest Around this Popular Holiday

Mother’s Day is almost upon us and it’s already time to start thinking about planning your Father’s Day contest. With more than 70 million fathers in the United States alone, you will not want to miss out on generating sponsorship dollars around a Father’s Day contest.

Not only is there a high volume of dads to reach with your contest, but there is a tremendous number of advertisers who target men. In the U.S. there are 8,111 men’s clothing shops, 16,010 hardware stores and 22,116 sporting good stores. Plus, you should also consider targeting sports venues, concert venues, golf courses and the like.

While Mother’s Day might be a tad more commercialized, Father’s Day contests still bring in a high volume of participation. When asked about their successful Father’s Day contest, one of our partners replied: “Mothers are the ones with the cameras, so Father’s Day usually generates more traffic.”

Due to the popularity of the turnkey contest for Mother’s Day, we have brought it back for Father’s Day. The turnkey Father’s Day photo contest is complete with a design template- including flexible ad spots, a sales kit with web and print ads and materials for your sales team.

The time to start selling this contest is now. Advertisers are looking for ways to engage their target audiences around a promotion like this – don’t miss out!

For more information on why you should run a Father’s Day contest, watch the short video below.

You might also be interested in 10 Things to Remember When Running a Contest.

*Source: Census.gov http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb11-ff11.html

Learn how to implement an agency model in your media company

We recently hosted a webinar that explores adopting an agency model to help you monetize Facebook by packaging social media into integrated campaigns and using contests to drive audience and revenue. Using all promotional assets at your disposal to sell a contest to your advertiser that allows them to increase their social audience and allows you to show off your powerful promotional chops.

Below, you’ll find the top takeaways from the presentation.

1. Understand what an agency model is. Selling advertiser-specific Facebook contests directly to your advertisers as a service. It’s not about having an in-house agency, its about approaching an advertiser and fulfilling a social media need while also offering services around promotion. The components of agency model package may include:
1. a. Objectives that benefit the client
2. b. Runs on advertiser’s Facebook page
3. c. May run on your media page as well
4. d. May include advertisers paying for media promotion
5. e. You make it turnkey for them
6. f. You include design services/help with rules
7. g. Prize corresponds with advertiser’s brand
8. h. Email opt-in for the advertiser
2. Understand the benefits of adopting the agency model. Here’s just a few to get you started, but the list goes on.
1. a. For many advertisers, building a social media audience is a primary marketing objective.
2. b. Contests work! 57% of fans liked a business based on an offer and 38% because of a sweepstakes. * (Source *eMarketer February 2011)
3. c. Advertisers don’t have the time, know-how, design skills or promotion ability to make contests successful on their own, but you do.
4. d. You are the expert in contests. You’ve been running contests in your local markets for years and most recently, online and on Facebook. You are the most logical answer to their needs in this area.
5. e. Facebook has made contests viral, so they are easily shared.
6. f. Opportunity to build more revenue and develop a deeper relationship with the advertiser than if they just bought media from you.
3. Target the right advertisers. Approach local advertisers that have good reputations, but aren’t able to run their own promotions. These types of advertisers will benefit the most from your powerful promotions package. We’ve seen restaurants, retail, hotel and travel advertisers work well for our partners.
4. Create a killer advertising package. With this model, you will build, design, host and manage a Facebook contest that meets Facebook guidelines. You will also build a phenomenal promotional package that includes a variety of these assets: a like-gate on the contest, online promotion on your site, print and on-air promotion, social media mentions, e-blast to your promotional database, and an email opt-in for the advertiser.
5. Show off your promotional chops. Use all promotional vehicles at your disposal to spread the word and drive participation to your advertiser’s contest. Here’s just a few ways you can do so.
1. a. Use “pinned” posts on your Facebook page
2. b. When posting, make sure you are using engaging language with your audience
3. c. Move the contests Facebook tab to top 3 tabs for your advertiser’s page
4. d. Customize the Facebook tab image
5. e. Send an e-blast to your promotional database
6. f. Include promotional ads in your print/on-air/online products
7. g. Promote a redirect to drive people directly to the contest on Facebook
6. Pricing can vary. Set your prices based on a package that includes the Facebook contest and the accompanying promotional package. The price you charge will vary based on components of the package. We’ve seen small markets charge anywhere from $300 to $5,000, mid markets charge up to $15,000 and a large market charge up to $20,000. Long story short – charge an amount that correlates to the value of the contest and the promotional package.
7. Grow your own Facebook presence. Building your own Facebook likes allows you to maximize your opportunities with an agency model. To build your own likes, run a contest on your page. Sweepstakes are the fastest way to grow your own database, but you can also select contest ideas from our 30 Contest Ideas in 30 Minutes webinar. You should select contests that target audiences that are attractive to the advertisers you are pitching for agency business.
8. Determine what works for you. Some local media companies are forming their own agencies. Their goal is to close the gap between what you currently sell – advertising – and
 what local merchants want– measurable results from a variety of
 digital platforms. If you have an in-house agency, Facebook contests can be an important core of your model. If you don’t have an in-house agency, selling Facebook contests is a great way to diversify revenue and build an agency-like model for your advertisers.

What highlights did you take away from this presentation? Drop us a note in the comments.

You can view the webinar in its entirety below.

How are you capitalizing on this popular holiday?

With more than 85.4 million moms in the United States, Mother’s Day is undoubtedly a popular holiday. According to this article in Radio Advertising Bureau, spending around this holiday is expected to reach $18.6 billion. Yes, billion.

How is your media company getting your fair share of these dollars?

Consider running a “Mother’s Day Photo Contest” for your audience and target advertisers that are trying to reach the same audience. Think salons and spas, upscale boutiques, jewelry stores and restaurants.

You could also run a seasonal store that is entirely devoted to Mother’s Day. Target the same advertisers previously mentioned and negotiate a deal that runs for the first few weeks of May.

Another option would be to run a Mother’s Day-themed contest and deals store simultaneously.

Read the full story in Radio Advertising Bureau.

Kansas City Magazines’ Makeover Contest Produces Dazzling Results

Background:
The Pitch is a Kansas City, Missouri based alternative weekly that covers all things happening in and around the city – from upcoming concerts to the newest barbeque joints to try. With a decade of experience running online contests, The Pitch is no stranger to the world of online promotions.

Challenge:
The Pitch recently launched a new magazine, Her Kansas City, a local magazine devoted to women’s interests. Their team needed to grow awareness in their target market for Her Kansas City and increase loyal readers for The Pitch, plus build strong relationships with advertisers for both publications.