Marketing Strategy: Contests and Giveaways

By Bob Hamilton

Free is always "a good thing" in customers minds, but it's even more fun when you win it. There's something exhilarating about getting a chance to be a big winner and you can take advantage of it by using contests and giveaways as part of your marketing strategies. You can use social media as a starting point, to offer free entries to the contest or simply announce it. You can also use social media to hold the contest, allowing you to secure access to emails or other social media accounts to advertise specials later. Whatever the contest is, make sure you're running within the law. You can offer an alternative of entering by giving the customer a chance to enter by mail, in addition to receiving entries when shopping at your store.

The hottest contests used by big business, such as McDonalds are "scratch to win" cards. Every time a customer makes a purchase or a purchase over a specific amount, they get a "scratch-off." These types of tickets aren't expensive items to order and many online or local businesses can produce them to your specifications with the types of prizes you want to offer. You can offer anything from $1 or less off the next purchase to $100 store credit. Your customers will love them and often come back frequently just to get another card.

Online or in-store contests using creativity and dollar store items can also be a huge success. For both, you can offer a prize to the person or persons whom use dollar store items to create something new. It can be something as simple as purchasing a hat and using jewelry to embellish it or a stuffed animal made from washcloths. Have the entrants bring in a picture to the dollar store or post it on Facebook or other social media and then display the pictures both in the store and online. Let everyone vote for his or her favorite project with each visit to the store or visit to your social media site. At the end of the contest, the winner has to agree to share the instructions for creating the craft and give you permission to post and share in your store. You can make up flyers to pass out, which can also increase your sales.

Sometimes simply having a drawing can be a big attraction. Again, no purchase should be necessary to enter. You can offer weekly drawings for a nominal amount of store credit or have a weekly drawing for a chance to enter the big drawing, for a sizable amount of credit or larger prize. Gift baskets from the store can also be a great prize for the drawing. No matter what type of contest or giveaway you select, you're sure to bring more people back to the store, particularly if you post the names of the winners, rather than notify them by phone.

Find more about how to manage your Dollar Store Merchandise effectively. Visit http://www.openingadollarstore.com and learn more tips about Dollar Store Business.

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