Running A #Fail Online Contest: 7 Things To Not Do

Fresh from the fun and informative “Running A Successful Online Contest” Third Tuesday event in Vancouver where our CEO Ben sat on the panel, Strutta presents you with seven ways to successfully run a online contest failure. So please, follow these instructions carefully if you want your contest, competition or crowdsourced task to #fail:

1. Wing it.
   Not! Running an online contest takes planning. Think about your marketing goals, promotional strategy, and execution plan.
2. Forget your demographic.
   Not! For example, if you’re a dermatologist, I would not safely assume that your patients want to post a picture of their eczema and share it with the world!
3. If you launch it, participants will come.
   Not! Promote your contest on traditional and new media channels as your budget permits. Whether you’re offering a previously loved bowling ball or a $1,000,000 cash prize, if nobody knows about it, nobody will enter.
4. Be greedy!
   Not! There should be value for both sides. Do not just take, take take! For example, if you ask your potential participants to Facebook like you and newsletter opt-in, the least you can do is offer incentives or give valuable content in return.
5. Make it hard to enter and be stingy with prizes.
   Not! Be thankful that participants are taking the time from their busy lives to find an entry, upload it, and share it with their network on behalf of your brand. Compensate this engagement accordingly.
6. Ignore all comments, tweets and participation around the contest.
   Not! Do respond to contest participants and engage with your community. Be open to all questions and comments.
7. Flake out once the contest is over.
   Not! Remember to follow up with your entrants and voters. Consider extending an exclusive offer to those who participated in the contest. Keep the momentum by announcing upcoming promotions.

Ok, so we’ve all made mistakes and experienced failure. Tell us about your online contest attempts and share what you’ve learned in a comment below. What is the best lesson you’ve learned in promotions?

Image credit: Trophies by Brad.K via Flickr