The Uncertainty Effect

New research has found that consumers are more motivated to reach a goal that has an UNCERTAIN reward...We get excited by the unknown.

Uncertainty is more powerful than certainty in boosting motivation towards a goal, making us work harder, spend more and enjoy more in the process. We get excited by the unknown.

source: http://coglode.com/gems/motivating-uncertainty-effect

SWEEPSTAKES AS A MARKETING STRATEGY

A SWEEPSTAKES IS A STRATEGIC TACTIC THAT CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE MANY KEY MARKETING OBJECTIVES SUCH AS:

• Brand/Product Awareness
• Consumer Engagement
• Data Collection & CRM
• Social Sharing
• Sponsorship Activation
• Sales Increase
• Brand/Product Conversion
• Brand/Product Loyalty

KEEPING SWEEPSTAKES SIMPLE

Make your contests relevant, desirable, and easy to enter.

The aim is get your consumers in and out of the contest as quickly as possible while making it an easy, engaging, and enjoyable experience.

REWARD YOUR CONSUMERS FOR THEIR TIME, ENERGY, AND DATA

Good prizes and enjoyable engagement mechanics, that are accessible on mobile devices, make the contest experience worthwhile for your consumers. Don’t make you audience jump through too many hoops unless the reward is massive at the end of the journey.

LEVEL UP

Incentivize participants for every level of engagement -- for providing data, socially sharing the contest, filling out surveys, completing quizzes, uploading images and videos, creating user generated content, writing reviews, etc.

BIG (and little) DATA

In recent years, data acquisition has been hot topic.

From big brands to small businesses, everybody is looking more (and better) information on their customers in order to turn them into greater loyalists and fans. 

It's always advised to only collect the data that you need and plan to use. If you don't have a plan for the data... don't collect it.

It's worth noting that the more information you ask for, the more barriers to entry you’re actually creating. So, please be selective.

The other side of the 'data coin' is data privacy. It's worth taking the time to find suppliers who have had their backend servers tested for security vulnerabilities and that data storage is properly managed and encrypted. 

If you're concerned with data security, it's may help to know that our SPRY platform has been built using the same security levels as online banking and has been tested, vetted, and approved by many third party security companies.

For more info go to: SPRY >

WINNING WITH INSTANT WIN CAMPAIGNS

Instant Win contest campaigns, on average, generate the most activity.

Consumers return to a contest with an Instant Win on average 7 times during a 4 week campaign.

THE STATS ON BEING SOCIAL

Contests that offer an incentive for sharing the contest with friends have 170% more registrations than those without a referral incentive.

By including a Social Sharing mechanic to a contest provides approx. 30% more campaign visits than one without.

PRIZING GUIDELINES

• Instant prizing works best. Consumers would rather win something small than nothing at all -- such as a discount.
• Give away prizes that have a high perceived value. This helps attract participants... and your budget.
• “Experience” prizes outperform cash/gift prizes. (Note: budget always plays a role here).
• Cash prizing allows for the sweepstakes to reach a broader audience.
• Gift cards work well as prizes... it’s just as good as cash.
• The best combination is to offer instant win prizes and an entry into a grand prize draw

ENGAGEMENT TYPES & LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT

CALL TO ACTIONS - How to communicate your contests

Keep your communication relevant, simple, and easy to digest quickly.

Example Communication Hierarchy:

• Ask a question that matters to your audience and make it personal (using 'your'):

What’s Your Goal? 

• Invite them to take Action: 

Do 'X' for the chance to win* ... 

• What’s in it for me? Describe the Reward (be specific): 

1 of 250 instant Reebok CrossFit Shoes and a trip for 2 to watch (or participate in) the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games Regionals and Finals.

Benefit: 

This offers your audience two things: speed and cognitive ease. In other words, they don’t have to wait to understand the whole premise of the contest and they don’t have to think too hard as to whether or not they want to participate.