The more followers a brand has across social media channels, the further their message can reach, giving brands the opportunity to engage with a wider audience and create an even larger loyal following. Since most fans like to win prizes and be recognized, one simple way a brand can gain more followers is to offer competitions across their social channels.

Competitions should always adhere to the social network’s promotional rules; this maintains that the competition is fair and leaves no room for error. Additionally, it is important to ensure the competition follows local rules and guidelines. No matter which social platform a brand uses, each competition should include a visible link to terms and conditions. These should be clear and concise to reassure fans that the competition is fair. Failure to do so could result in a negative perception of the brand.

Selecting a prize that is relevant to the brand will not only have a positive effect in gaining new fans, but will also prompt existing fans and followers to engage via the platform. For example, if the brand were cosmetics-based, it would not be in its best interest to offer a technology-based prize. Whilst a technology-based prize may be popular, it would probably not appeal to the appropriate fan-base, and therefore have a negative impact on engagement around the brand’s content and messaging. Selecting a prize that is relevant to the brand will not only have a positive effect in gaining new fans, but will also prompt existing fans and followers to engage via the platform. For example, if the brand were cosmetics-based, it would not be in its best interest to offer a technology-based prize. Whilst a technology-based prize may be popular, it would probably not appeal to the appropriate fan-base, and therefore have a negative impact on engagement around the brand’s content and messaging.

Other tactics worth employing to help acquire fans through competitions include stating the requirement that entrants follow the brand on the social platform as a condition of entry. Additionally, asking participants to share their entries will raise further awareness of the competition and potentially lead to more entries and fans.

Tailoring a competition to a specific social network will also assist in gaining new fans. Competitions that work well on Facebook may not be appropriate for other social networks such as Twitter or Pinterest. However, if each competition is created with the specific network in mind, the fan-base of that network will be more likely to participate.

It is also worth noting that Facebook recently relaxed their rules around promotions on Brand Pages, enabling brands to use ‘Liking’, ‘Commenting’ and ‘Sharing’ of status updates as an entry mechanic. However, it is recommended that Facebook competitions are run through a third party application as this makes it easier to keep track of entries and provides transparency when choosing winners fairly. If participants experience a positive interaction with a brand’s competition, it is likely they will share this with their friends, which in turn could also lead to more followers.

Twitter competitions are often a quick and easy way to accumulate new fans in a short space of time. For example, by asking users to follow their feed and respond to a question with a specific hashtag during a set duration, a brand can instantly tap into a new audience. Be sure to keep the timescale of these competitions short and add each entry into a database so it is easier to keep track; it may be easier to utilize a third party tool to collate entries. Once the competition has closed it is especially important to keep these new fans engaged, so brands should be proactive with their review and refresh their content plans accordingly.

No matter which social network is hosting the competition, brands should utilize as many resources as possible to spread the word, such as other social networks, advertising, newsletters and e-mail lists, as this will help raise awareness of the competition and drive additional traffic. Lastly, it is always important to establish how the competition performed to help shape any future competitions and supporting content.