Social Media Monday—How to Run a Successful Giveaway Campaign

There are a lot of reasons to sponsor a contest, from getting LIKES for a Facebook page to building buzz about a new book. Many people shy away from this type of promotion because it seems like a lot of time and trouble. Truthfully, running a successful giveaway campaign is easier than you think. Today I’ll break it down, and use my own contest as an example.

I haven’t paid much attention to my Facebook Author page and this week I’m going to change that. I’m sitting at 175 LIKES and my goal is to reach 500+ by the end of this giveaway. Is that possible? I’ve been told it is, but we’re going to test it out.

Here’s the plug-in I created, for free, on Rafflecopter. They promise it only takes a couple of minutes and they weren’t exaggerating. It was super easy to get started. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m giving away two $5 Barnes & Noble Gift Cards and two $5 Amazon Gift Cards. To enter my contest, follow the directions above.

How to Create Your Own Contest

Step One: Decide what you want to accomplish with your giveaway. I want LIKES for my Facebook Author Page. You may want to grow your Twitter followers or spread the word about a new book or product.

Step Two: Set your budget and choose your prizes. Think about your audience—those you want to respond to your contest—and choose a prize or prizes that appeal to them. I’m trying to get readers and writers to respond so my choice of Barnes & Noble and Amazon gift cards are perfect. You could choose to giveaway books, products, services, etc. Really the prizes are only limited by your creativity.

Step Three: Set the dates for your giveaway. Pick a time when you’ll have time to advertise your contest. I’m running my contest until January 16.

Step Four: Sign up for a Rafflecopter account. I like this company because it has free options and includes a specifically worded disclaimer that makes your giveaway legal on Facebook. Facebook has very specific guidelines for giveaways and this just makes my life easier.

Step Five: Copy the code for the Rafflecopter plug-in. If you’re advertising on you blog, you’ll need to place the plug-in somewhere wide enough for it to be seen easily. On a blogger blog, that’s NOT a sidebar. The plug-in is fairly wide, so you’ll want to plug it into a top or bottom gadget area. You can also do what I’m doing here and place it within a blog post.

Step Six: Install your Giveaway to your Facebook Page. To do this, click INSTALL TO A FACEBOOK PAGE. When you do this, all your Facebook pages will come up. You need to click ALLOW. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean it will add the tab to all the pages. After you click ALLOW, you’ll be asked to choose the page you want this giveaway to apply to. Here's a screenshot of where you'll see the GIVEAWAY tab. 

Step Seven: Begin advertising your contest!

I promise I’ll keep you updated on how the contest is going. But I’d love to know if you’ve ever run a contest and how it’s worked for you. Feel free to share any suggestions or questions in the comments section.

And don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie