Everyone likes the idea of winning a contest. You can build site traffic, visitor participation and even your list by promoting the perfect contest. Contest and giveaway campaigns can be customized to get the results you are looking for.

Match a simple contest with a nice prize and you’ll be the winner. Pick an easy to understand and easy to enter contest that fit’s your target market. Promote it everywhere and give it time to work, two to four weeks for example. Get it rolling and keep the momentum during the entire promotion.

Contest Ideas and Examples:

1. Generate visitor participation by allowing them to enter the contest by commenting on your site.

2. Build links and traffic to your site by selecting a contest winner from the best site review or blog post about your website. You could even let people enter the contest by simply linking to your site.

3. Build your list by making it a referral contest. Many affiliate programs use contests to boost the efforts of their affiliates and joint venture partners. Grand prizes for big ticket products from well known marketers can be as extravagant as a computer, paid vacation, big screen TV or even a car.

4. Increase your newsletter open and click rates by having a ‘find the hidden word’ or similar contest within your email publication.

5. Help your sponsors get the most for their money by creating a contest based on their site or product. You could offer your ezine readers a free ad in the next issue if they can answer a question found on the sponsor’s sales page, for example.

6. Need a website designed or a new logo? Setup a Logo Design or Site Design Contest. Give a permanent link to the winner’s website as a prize. Offer a grand prize that’s of real value in the form of a download or software.

Point System

Many marketers take full advantage of their contests by using a point system. Just recently I reviewed a site that offered points in this manner:

Purchase a Banner Ad (50 Entries)
Blog about the contest (20 Entries)
Subscribe to their RSS feed via E-mail (10 Entries)
Comment on the contest post (1 Entry)

There are multiple benefits for a point system such as that. The competition is covering a lot of bases by building traffic, selling banner ads, generating one-way links, building their feed subscriber list, and getting site visitors to participate by posting comments! Wow, who can ask for more?

Get Other Sites Involved

You can build both the contest and promotions very quickly by partnering with other sites. Allow other sites to contribute gifts and prizes in exchange for sharing in the benefits. Now your prizes are bigger, your promotions are bigger and everyone wins if planned and administered correctly.

Get legal advice

Always cover yourself legally. Consult with a professional or attorney before launching your contest or give-a-way campaign. Even a small mistake can cost you dearly. That’s why we see terms such as, “This contest is void where prohibited by law” or “All submissions become the exclusive property of whatever company”. What if one of your contest winners violate copyright laws? Are you legally authorized to give the prize or product away? Do your rules and terms violate another site’s rights? Save yourself the trouble of defending yourself later by getting legal advice before you launch.

Online Business

Contests, sweepstakes and give a ways have been a healthy part of business marketing for many years, way before the internet. Online business is perfectly suited for this type of competition. With the ability of offering instant downloads and the availability of worldwide payment processors you’re not restricted to one country or region. Costs can be minimal if planned well. No shipping costs, prizes in digital format can be purchased at very reasonable rates and advertising can be very cost effective.

Whether you run a very small site with one product or your online business involves many employees and sites, contests can help you achieve your business goals. A simple program can be up and running within hours so jump in and get started.

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