If you spend any time on social media, you’ve likely noticed the makeup brush video challenge. This TikTok trend showcases people changing from no makeup to fully dressed using a clever edit to make the changes seem instant.
Here’s an example, from a group of med students.
The videos have gone viral for two reasons: partially due to those clever edits, but also because people. love. videos.
In fact, nearly half of all people watch at least an hour of videos on Facebook or YouTube every week.
On social, videos generate 12 times more shares than either text or image posts.
As effective as videos are, creating and publishing video can feel overwhelming, especially for smaller brands.
So, what is the best way to leverage the power of videos in 2020?
How about combining the power videos with the power of online contests?
How Video Contests Can Help Grow Your Business
Videos contests are a powerful way to encourage online viewers to interact with your brand. As many people spend more time at home, video contests can be a fun distraction. Plus, most users are proud of their creations and eager to share their video with friends — which extends the reach of your contest and your brand.
Unlike instant win contests, video contests require a bit more effort, which reduces the number of entries from people who just want your prize and can help keep your audience more targeted.
If you want to reach a wider audience and build a stronger connection, video contests are the way to go.
5 Video Contest Tips for Summer 2020
Ready to create a killer video contest to promote your business? Here are five steps to ensure your video contest is a success.
Choose the Right Prize
The right prize can make or break your video contest. Choose a prize that makes sense for your brand and attracts qualified leads as entrants.
For example, a winery might offer a date night gift basket that includes a bottle of their wine, a cheese board, and a classic movie. This is likely to attract folks who are interested in trying their wine.
Keep in mind that most people will be staying close to home this summer, so consider prizes that make the most of time spent at home or outdoors, such as a kids’ swimming pool, summer games, or outdoor gear.
Make sure your prize highly valuable to your audience. It doesn’t have to be expensive, however. You could also choose an exclusive prize, such as a limited-edition item.
Select a Winner Based on Votes
Rather than selecting a winner by random, select your video contest winner based on popular votes.
Allowing people to vote for their favorite video encourages entrants to share their videos with family and friends, which is especially helpful when Facebook’s organic reach averages around 6% of a page’s total likes.
USD Changemaker Hub recently hosted an online video contest where the winner was chosen based on online votes.
After submitting a video, contestants can share their videos on social media, which helps improve their chances of winning $6,000!
Use Enter To Vote
The whole idea of creating a video contest is to encourage engagement, right? Using an enter to win function makes it easier for brands to increase engagement by suggesting voters like your page Facebook page, enter their email address, or provide other contact information.
There are severe benefits to this voting mechanism. First, it can help increase your email list or provide leads. However, it also helps limit people who might try to game the system by voting multiple times, for example, by using different devices.
However, make sure to pay attention to the terms and services of the sites where you use Enter to Vote. Many platforms, like Facebook, won’t allow you to require a page like to vote on a contest.
Come Up with a Creative Hashtag
Hashtags are a keyword or phrase without spaces that are preceded by a pound sign: #. Users on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can use hashtags to search for topical information.
For example, if I wanted to learn more about social media marketing, I might search #socialmediamarketing.
Hashtags make it easier for you to find content users submit across multiple formats — including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram — and make it easier for voters to find and vote for their favorite contest entry. It also helps make your contest a bit more memorable!
Here are a few tips for choosing the right hashtag:
- Include your brand name to make it recognizable
- Be clever or witty — it makes the hashtag easier to remember
- Search the tag to make sure another brand hasn’t used it
- Make sure it doesn’t accidentally form another word
Tip: Don’t forget to use the hashtag when you announce the winner!
Create a Solid Promotion Strategy
The most creative video contest idea won’t help you reach a wider audience if no one knows about it. In fact, building a solid promotional strategy is one of the most critical steps in launching a successful video contest.
Here are a few tips to ensure your summer 2020 video contest is a success:
- Share the contest on multiple channels, including email and social media.
- Consider using paid ads on social media to increase the reach of your video contest.
- Use a website pop-up to announce the contest to site visitors.
- Mention your contest on other channels such as podcasts, or webinars that you host.
Don’t just mention the contest once on each social platform and call it good. Create a calendar of posts that span several days to ensure you reach as many people as possible. (Just be sure to mix in other useful content so you aren’t spamming!)
Final Thoughts
If you are struggling to come up with a creative way to reach prospective customers or clients, consider using a video contest! They are simple to create using a tool like Woobox and can help drive traffic, social engagement, and brand awareness.
Just remember to follow the video contest strategies we’ve covered today:
- Choose the right prize
- Select a winner based on popular vote
- Use Enter to Vote
- Come up with a creative hashtag
- Create a solid promotional strategy