Huge Free Exposure With a Sweepstakes
Offering potential customers a chance to win a prize, gives them
a powerful incentive to visit a site. Create a non-cash prize,
aiming to fulfill their true passion or interest.
By Bruce Scher
When I hear or read the words sweepstakes, I immediately think
of that major publishing clearinghouse. Which is proof that this
kind of marketing is working on me, if I remember their name,
and I’ve never ordered any magazines from them. But, contests
and sweepstakes aren’t just for the big boys and girls. They
produce massive amounts of traffic, are easy to run, and free
for any small business to implement.
The great lure of contests and sweepstakes is giving a customer
a reason to visit a site. When a customer sees a chance to win a
prize just for clicking on a website, their programmed to
reason, ”if I don’t enter, somebody else will win.”
And don’t forget another reason people enter. Contests and
sweepstakes offers are fun, and consumers want a little
excitement while working the web. For additional free tools see
my earlier article, “12 Free Tools For Starting a Home Business
With No Money,” request a copy at email address below.
6 Steps to Running a Successful Sweepstakes
1) Prize
The prize you offer should be related to your site. Chances are
better that your visitor will be interested in your prize and
your site if they are one and the same. Make the prize
significant, since it only costs you a fraction of it’s worth,
the bigger the value to customers, the more likely they will
enter the sweepstakes.
2) Easy to Enter
There are two types of promotions you are run, a contest or a
sweepstakes. A simple
contest requires the entrant to provide an answer to a question,
and the answer is easily found on your website. A sweepstakes is
a random drawing, a little easier, because the contestant
doesn’t have to search your site for the answer. And, most
importantly these days, because of spam, ask them if you can
email them in the future about special promotions, don’t assume
you can.
3) Headline
Naturally the words free or win should be in the headline, and
incorporate the name or product to help build awareness. A local
restaurant in my city, offers Sal’s Free Lunch. Contestants drop
a business card or fill out an entry blank, in a large bowl for
the weekly drawing.
4) Free Sweepstakes Listings
You can advertise for free on the sites below, and you may find
yourself playing a few sweepstakes as you conduct your own
research.
www.ezsweeps.com
www.sweepsadvantage.com
www.cashnetsweeps.com
www.onlinesweeps.com
www.contestguide.com
www.contesthound.com
5) Customers/Prospects Emailing
Don’t forget to email your customers and prospects about your
sweepstakes promotion. It’s good will to include them even
though you have their names, plus, It’s another opportunity to
get your name in front of them.
6) Website Announcement
To promote your sweepstakes to new visitors to your site, place
announce of your sweepstakes on the main traffic pages of your
site. If you publish an ezine, don’t forget
To include its details here, with a link to the sweepstakes
rules and entry form.
This means of free advertising will act as a traffic generator
working the length of your sweepstakes bringing in thousands of
visitors. Offering potential customers a prize to visit, and the
huge amount traffic will be your prize for holding it.
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