By Jessica Bourn
We have some exciting office news-- Clay and his wife Amanda have a brand new baby boy!!! To start off this blog, I just want to tell them CONGRATS and wish them all the best!
Rolling into today's topic, let's talk about free stuff. Who doesn't love free stuff?? Do you know who loves free stuff more than anyone else? People on Facebook! That's who. Marketing agencies, such as ours, have capitalized on the fact that people will do just about anything for a giveaway, regardless of the size or value of the prize. From something as small as a candle to as large as a child-size stuffed giraffe, one of my favorite clients has used giveaways as a way to draw attention to their store both online and in-store. Our New Baby is located in Dothan, AL, and they feature 7,500 square feet of wall-to-wall baby! And it's totally coincidental that I'm here promoting an awesome baby supply store when Clay just had a baby, I swear.
With Our New Baby, our giveaways started small and began to grow rapidly- both in value and in audience size on Facebook. The owner started with a popular candle they carry in-store, and we asked folks on Facebook to "Like" the post, "Share" on their timeline, and "Tag" a friend in the comments. The candle giveaway did really, really well! From there, the prizes got a little more valuable and the size of our audience really began to take off.
Another awesome way to get some interaction on your business's social media(s) is a contest! Right now Our New Baby is running an Art Contest for a great cause. They will be donating the coloring sheets that kids turn in to local retirement and nursing homes in the Dothan area, just in time for Christmas. This contest doesn't directly benefit the store itself, but taking the time to get the community involved in a fun contest to benefit the elderly is a GREAT way to promote their business. And hopefully, when mamas bring kids in to pick up a coloring sheet, they may just need to pick up a new pair of shoes or a pretty bow!
There are countless ways to get an audience more involved on social media, but giveaways and contests with prizes are definitely the fastest ways to boost your numbers. Giveaways don't have to be limited to just retail! We had a contest in the office a few months ago (gift cards as prizes to incentivize us-- thanks, Clay!!) in which we competed to see who's giveaway on social media could do the best. Our clients gave away anything from free food to a free month's rent. Regardless of the free "thing", these giveaways boosted our clients' social media presence and got their business' names out there to new potential customers.