I worked in this post mentioned above.
I could reduce the words per sentence to 10.8 from 12.
But the passive sentences remained 2%. The problem is that I can even recognise what are the passive sentences in this text. I though that I eliminated all of them, but Word says it’s still 2%.
Here is the post.
The Foolproof Method To Find Alluring Prizes For Your Contest
Running a contest or sweepstakes is a great way to reach more people for your company.
You can attract fans and collect email addresses. (Sounds very good, right?)
But it can occasionally happen, that your sweepstakes or contest attracts the wrong people. Who will never buy.
Don’t misunderstand, there is no problem with people wanting to win a prize. That is actually the driving mechanic behind contests.
The issue is with prize hunters and those people who will never become customers.
Why Prize Hunters Hurt Your Business?
There are many things that can go wrong at a contest.
One of them is the noise loud prize hunters make. They are people who only want to win the prize you offer, but have no interest in engaging with your company.
They are the ones who do “comping” – that stands for participating in competitions.
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“Comping” according to the Oxford Dictionary.
They will do everything to win, even if it means inviting friends or God forbid creating fake accounts.
Also, you don’t need irrelevant people on your email. They just increase the cost for your newsletter provider. Who wants that?
The Only Case You Want To Let More People In
The only advantage of having extra people around is if you want to grow your Facebook page.
Pages with more fans always have more authority in the eyes of the fans.
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Wow, more than 8 million fans! They must know something!
Wanting to pump up your Facebook page is not evil. You are allowed to do that.
But if you want to attract potential customers, be smart.
Even though you can never perfectly filter prize hunters – you can significantly reduce the chances of having them.
The most important thing when you choose a grand prize is to make it relevant. Here is how.
The Prize Should Define Your Audience
“Yeah, I want customers, let’s give away an iPad!” It sounds easy, but it doesn’t work like this.
An expensive gadget attracts those who want to win an expensive gadget. Unfortunately the chances are low that they are actually your potential customers.
In this campaign below you can win an iPhone. Or… wait, did they just say iPod Touch there in the pink bracket where they ask for your phone number?
See, another disadvantage is that fake contests typically use such gadgets as a prize.
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Many fake campaigns offer an expensive gadget as a grand prize.
So what is a good grand prize then?
A good grand prize defines your audience.
For example if you are selling cameras you may give away a tripod.
Those who are interested in winning such a prize will already be interested in cameras. They are likely to own one and might upgrade in the future.
If your camera store wanted to focus more on those who are about to purchase their first camera then give away a photography course for beginners.
It will attract those who are likely to purchase their first camera sooner or later.
Here are some other grand prizes that can define your audience well.
Prize #1. Your Own Product or Service
If someone want to win your product, then he might also buy it too. So why not offer something that you actually sell?
Or you can offer a gift card to your own shop so people can choose what they really want to win. And as a nice side-effect you might earn some money on the side because they spend more in your shop.
Prize #2. Other Things Your Ideal Customer Needs
Think about who your company helps, and what are his needs.
You can offer a prize that is not related to your company or offering, but your customer definitely needs.
Here is an example. You sell wedding dresses. Your customer (the bride and her family) need to look nice on the wedding day. Treat them to beauty treatments!
Prize #3. One Of The Options
As a first rule it’s always better to offer multiple, lower value prizes than a single, more expensive prize.
Let your subscribers choose from multiple options. It also help you to learn about their product preferences.
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In this sweepstakes people could choose from 3 opions on which prize they wanted to win.
The Contrary Example Where an iPad as a Grand Prize Works
As mentioned above an expensive gadget as a grand prize can’t define your ideal customer, so it’s not that good.
But there are exceptions when it worked well and attracted actual customers. Don’t try this at home!
Okay, just kidding.
But be very cautious with such a grand prize. Here are the details.
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Migravent gave away an iPad, but also made money.
One of our customers, a nutraceutical company helping people with migraines ran a sweepstakes. The grand prize was an iPad.
At the end of the promotion they attracted 5,000 new fans and 6,300 new subscribers to their email list.
The best thing was that they converted 25% of subscribers into paying customers. It turned out that so many people suffer from migraine!
Their secret was that after the contest their emails and landing pages worked very well. People could recognize the symptoms of migraines on themselves and realize that the company can help.
So What Are The Rules?
I would say: relevancy. But then again I just told you about this company who had a blast with their iPad giveaway.
There is no one-size-fits-all.
Experiment, and see what works the best for you.
What was the grand prize during your last sweepstakes?
Are you struggling with finding one that is a fit? Comment below, I might be able to help!