Sweepstakes Add Fun to Shopping

Businesses of all kinds and sizes recognize that sweepstakes add fun to the overall shopping experience. As marketing to consumers becomes more complicated, companies and manufacturers continue to see value in offering customers the opportunity to participate in sweepstakes. Such contests increase sales and/or consumer awareness about a particular product or service. The prizes are merely incentives, encouraging shoppers to buy the sponsoring company’s offerings. It is often an easy way to get people to notice your brand, embrace trial and make a purchase.

How do you develop and execute a successful sweepstakes? The following five steps will guide you to create an exciting program that garners consumers’ interest and participation.

1. Apply shopper insights to your program development
Identify the demographics that reflect your core shoppers, as well as what they buy, when they make their purchases and what else they buy along with your goods.

2. Determine your overall program objective
Clarify if you want to create trial, build brand awareness or drive volume?

3. Collaborate with partners
Use shopper insights to identify the right partner based on what is important to your key customers. Organize sweepstakes with a tie-in partner to reap cross-promotional and cost-effective benefits. You can split costs with a partner which offers products complimentary to yours or barter for prizes by using their logo on point-of-sale displays.

4. Execute flawlessly
Plan realistic timelines, budgets and evaluation criteria before launching a sweepstakes. Deliver against this plan utilizing a cross-functional team of relevant stakeholders including creative services, printers, legal, rules development, tie-in partners, public relations and media buying. Use this talent to communicate about the program in a timely and effective manner, employing sales rally kits or dealer loaders to excite customers and partners.

5. Measure Results
Communicate success metrics to key stakeholders, before and after the sweepstakes, including post- program analysis.

Follow these five easy steps and you will be on your way to connecting with consumers, enticing them to purchase your products or services. Given the current economic landscape, consumers will appreciate as much extra fun as possible.

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