Online and e-commerce stores have a lot of documented advantages to running giveaways on social media. They can translate sign-ups into long-term relationships and usually offer more flexibility in what types of prizes they decide to give away.
With online-only contests, there’s also less back-and-forth, plus fewer communication snafus when trying to coordinate between a physical location and the online store.
Since online contests are quick and easy, many people enjoy even the opportunity to enter. Connecting with these fans on their favorite social media channels gives ecommerce websites a proven advantage, in part because you’re meeting people where they’re already spending time online.
Discover some essential benefits of online giveaways and see examples of contests run by ecommerce stores on social media.
Single-Channel
Depending on how people enter your giveaway, it can be hard for businesses to coordinate fair and up-to-date entries between their store and online presence. Often, stores will have customers enter through a paper form, which is then entered into a computer to be included with all digital entries. If a store produces and displays any signage about entering online, customers may easily forget to enter by the time they get home or out of the store.
Running focused online giveaways can increase high-intent website traffic (customers are familiar with seeing online giveaways) and it makes entering the giveaway easier.
In this example, online stationery and planner store Erin Condren did an Instagram giveaway for her new Wonder Woman line. Even though Erin Condren products are offered in retailers, the giveaway was only online through commenting on the post.
What a highly useful promotional post; It skyrocketed engagement through a giveaway and provided the business a chance to showcase their entire product line. Furthermore, they maximized the opportunity by using a curated photo with the entire selection of their new products. This adds potential sales value to the post. Users will instantly see what’s available in the new line, and can decide what products they like without waiting to see if they won the giveaway. It’s a two-for-one lead generation tactic, in a sense.
Direct-to-Digital Audience
Another translation that won’t get lost with physical in-store contest entries is that all entrant information automatically gets added to a business email database. With Woobox, you can connect or easily export sweepstakes entry data to your email marketing platform, instantly sending your entrants tailored email newsletters or promotional offers.
Tip: Make certain you state in concise, plain language that giveaway entrants will be added to your email list on the entry form.
While requiring users to like or follow a page or profile to enter a giveaway or contest goes against the Facebook Terms of Service, you can make it 100% optional. This mere optional suggestion creates audience growth immediately, plus generates a bit more trust. People regularly see giveaways riddled with several entry requirements — making yours a bit easier and more honest is a great way to stand out among competition.
Tip: Double-check that you have other competition or giveaway entry options available, and entrants are not required to like or follow your profile/page in order to be entered to win.
Online Sharing = More Visibility
When users decide to share your giveaway with friends (or tag them in comments) your social media will see activity from users who are likely new to your business. Even if these new customers don’t enter the contest or decide to follow you online, they are now aware of your company. This will help keep your business in their thought process the next time they decide to make an online purchase.
Another benefit of running a giveaway through social media is the growth of your audience. As people share the giveaway with their networks and those users enter it themselves, your follow numbers on where you promote the giveaway will grow (like Facebook and Instagram, where Woobox offers easy integration and contest entry tools). You can even promote your giveaway through sponsored posts to further increase visibility.
And be sure to use hashtags that catch the attention of people searching for Instagram posts or profiles also using those hashtags. In addition to a basic one like #giveaway or #sweepstakes, be sure to also include industry hashtags like #makeup or #beauty for an eyeshadow palette giveaway.
More Flexibility in Prizes
When your store is virtual, you have more flexibility to give users the prize that you actually want. Many online stores offer gift cards, while others offer a selection of prizes the winner can choose from. This makes the prize fulfillment process a lot easier since the winner is choosing their gift. Anything that doesn’t fit or the winner doesn’t like, isn’t an option, so you won’t have to offer monetary compensation in case someone doesn’t want the prize.
With online prizes, there’s also no issue with coordinating with the winner for the best time to pick up the prize in person. They simply need to give you their email or mailing address (whatever is needed) and you can send it to them. In addition, offering gift cards are a great option because winners can choose from your existing inventory. This way you can avoid setting aside products to ensure you have the correct prizes for your giveaway.
In addition, you can open your giveaway to all the countries you ship products to. This means more people can enter and have the chance to learn more about what you offer.
Can Share Related Information and Products
Whether users are on your social media profile/page or website to enter your contest, you have the unique opportunity to share more about your company and what you have to offer. If your entry form is on your website, you can show links to additional giveaways or deals you have running below or above the form. Many companies also show these offers on the entry confirmation page.
Is the entry form on social media? Your promotional posts can also include more info about your store and its products. The diaper giveaway example above showed this — they included a link to the store homepage in addition to the entry rules. This strategy allowed users to visit the website whether or not they entered the giveaway. Your giveaway’s form and promotional posts can include this type of information, too.
Last Tips: Social Media Benefits of Ecommerce Giveaways
No matter how you decide to promote your giveaway, or what options you choose, running it online can make the process easier, give you more visibility, and help you quickly grow your audience.
However, you must offer prizes that attract your target audience and are easy to fulfill when your giveaway ends. Experiment with what you offer as a prize, especially if you’re planning on doing several giveaways. Why experiment? You may find more users will enter when you offer a gift card versus a specific prize item, or vice versa. When creating a successful giveaway, it all depends on what your audience finds most valuable, as well as how you promote it.
Support & Help
Want to learn more about how Woobox can help you produce successful online giveaways for your ecommerce store? We can help! Woobox support is available Monday through Friday between 8am to 5pm PST at 1-360-450-5200 and support@woobox.com.