Win with Contests

Do you host contests on your website? If not, you are losing an opportunity to attract new visitors, gain subscribers and increase your exposure on the web. Each day, thousands of people log on to the Internet searching for contests to enter.

Here is how you can begin to draw those people to your site.

Why a Contest?

Some may argue that the people who enter contests are visiting your site for just that purpose. They come in, they enter and they leave. While this may be the case with some of the entrants, others will have discovered your site and added it to their bookmarks. Some of the visitors may not find your site interesting, but maybe their spouse would, or even a friend. A perfect example was a comment left in an entry form from a client's contest. It said, "I must admit, at first I came here just to enter the contest. However, I have been back again and again and now have it bookmarked & have subscribed to your newsletter. Thanks so much for your great site!" So, do not dismiss all contest entrants as "regular pageviews."

Types of Contests

Now that you see the benefits of hosting a contest, how do you decide which type to run? There are several different types from which to choose, from the simple entry drawing to the more challenging trivia contest. The simple drawing is probably the most popular because it requires the least amount of work on the contest entrant's part. The only thing required is a name and email address. See http://www.thefamilycorner.com/services/drawing.shtml for an example of a simple drawing contest. Among the other types of contests you can run are surveys, Q & A, trivia, riddles and games. Which type of contest you run will depend on how much time you have to dedicate to the entries that come in.

Drawings require virtually no effort. All entries can be filed until you are ready to draw a winner. On the other hand, surveys, trivia, hunts, games and Q & A involve checking answers and results, thus taking up quite a bit more time.

Sponsors & Prizes

You have decided that running a contest will be beneficial to you. But where do you get prizes? How much should they be worth? You may have to fund the first two or three contests that you hold on your site yourself. This is economical enough, just purchase a gift certificate from a department store or a bookshop, buy a toy if the contest is for kids or offer $25 cash. Alternatively, if you own a retail site obviously you can offer a gift certificate or specific product from your own shop. It does not matter. People like to win things no matter the size. Once you have held a few contests on your site and you have brought some traffic in you can safely ask for sponsors.

This type of exposure is quite valuable to a sponsor. Be sure to include a link from your contest page to allow potential sponsors to contact you about donating their products for future contests.

Promoting Your Contest

Make mention of the contest in your own newsletter, invite people to enter on discussion lists you are a member of (be sure to adhere to any list rules about postings!) and be sure to give a noticeable link to your contest page from your front page. You can also list your contest URL and a short blurb in your e-mail signature file for added exposure.

Gaining Subscribers

Contests are a great way to bring new visitors and subscribers into your site. Be sure to include a subscribe option/question in your contest form. On the other hand, you can redirect entrants to your newsletter subscription page after they click "submit.

Start a newsletter just to notify people of new contests on your site. It is another way to contact the folks that did not sign up for your site newsletter and to bring them back repeatedly.

Selecting A Winner

Select a winner at random and email him or her with a congratulation letter. Inform them of what they have won, from what sponsor and what your site is. Make sure to require that the winner respond to the email with their full name and mailing address within 7 days of your email. If there is no response, you should draw an alternate name.

Don't Take It Personally

With contests come complaints. Do not let them bother you. Simply respond with a "thanks for your feedback, be sure to stop by tomorrow to enter again." Remember, "you can't please all of the people all of the time."

Sometimes after selecting a winner, although most winners are very appreciative and polite, you may receive people that do not say thank you and just supply their address. This happens. Brush it off and move on. Do not be offended by a rude winner.

Ongoing vs. Ending

You may choose to end your contest every month and wait for a short period afterward before starting your next one. For example, your contests may begin on the 1st of every month and end on the 25th. The period in between there are no entries.

Alternately, you can run contests as ongoing, simply changing the prize and sponsor information at the end of each month. This way there is no interruption and people will continue to visit on a daily basis.

Guidelines

Keep in mind that you will need a set of "official rules", restrictions (age limits, country/residency, no. of entries per person etc.) and the starting and end dates for your contest. Make sure these are clearly stated on your contest entry page.

You should now be armed with enough information to begin a simple contest on your site and begin promoting it. Here's to your increased traffic!