How to get your promotion noticed

Let PR show you the best ways to use social media for outstanding results

What if you had a contest and no one entered? That’s what happens when you have a great idea for a promotion but don’t publicize it properly.

P.T. Barnum once said that “without promotion, something terrible happens: nothing.” In order for a contest, campaign or promotion to be effective, people have to know about it, and the more the better. This is where the right combination of PR and social media strategy can be crucial.

Reasons to have a promotion:

• To introduce your target audiences to a new product or service – remember to highlight benefits over features

• To persuade potential customers to try your product – again, people won’t buy if they don’t know about your products or who you are

• To educate the public about your brand – this is how you convert consumer needs into business leads

• To reward loyal customers for their trust in continuing to purchase from you – studies have shown that it is less expensive to retain an existing customer than to attract a new one

Making the most of social media for your promotion

Social media should be a component in every level of your plan. You can:

Use it to build momentum and maintain vitality throughout the promotion. There are often several weeks or months between the launch of a campaign and the announcement of the winner. You can use social media to share information and progress and to stay connected with your audience.

Offer entrants additional perks online. Once your audience has shown interest, it’s important to continue to communicate with and engage them. Provide opportunities to further associate with your brand, such as a free trial or smaller prize just for entering.

Craft the right balance between earned and paid media. You can announce your promotion with both banner ads and your company’s social media pages.

Create tools that allow entrants to share information about your promotion on their own sites, with their own networks, if applicable. Keep in mind that any promotion you create is about your customers just as much as it’s about your company, so make it a team event.

Don’t forget the importance of followup after the promotion. Stay in touch with finalists and winners through social media platforms.

Use PR to bring it all together

Your PR firm can tie this all together and add important PR strategies to ensure your promotion succeeds. For instance:

Content, content, content (yes, even in promotions, it is still king). How you phrase and package your information could make all the difference in attracting your target audiences. Be strategic in how you handle the rules of your promotion. Don’t overwhelm your audience with too much clutter and always remember to include a great call to action.

Try, test and tweak. By making use of different approaches and tactics, you will be able to determine what is working and what isn’t. Switching up details such as the image you use or where the list of prizes falls on the page may have an effect on click-through rates.

At Axia, we have the tools and expertise to supercharge your promotion. We can help you to maximize your efforts and resources to develop and execute a promotion that will advance your company’s mission. Whether you are looking for ideas for your next promotion or you already have the vision but need help in bringing it to life, contact us today.

Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business, higher education and technology PR. Connect with Axia Public Relations on Twitter at @axiapr.