How To Get Customers Engaged And Excited About A Branded Competition

Getting consumers engaged with your brand is important. Helping customers feel connected to the business will have a beneficial outcome on your business’s bottom line, and hosting online contests is a great way to do that. The more engaged customers are, the more connected they feel to the company, and the more likely they are to recommend your brand to other potential customers. 

From fun online scavenger hunts to hashtag contests that produce loads of user-generated content, there are many effective ways to gamify engagement. Here, 12 Forbes Communications Council members share their best tips for getting customers excited about your and engaged with your competition.

1. Have Users Submit Content To Win A Contest

Create a promo that involves customers submitting their content to “win,” and then share that content on your social media and Web platforms. Soliciting customer-generated content creates an opportunity for people to show how they are using your products, which demonstrates engagement with and loyalty to your brand. Customers enjoy being highlighted on your digital platforms, and you benefit from the evangelism. - Erica Gunn, Canto

2. Incorporate Environmentally Or Socially Impactful Elements

Think in terms of social and environmental impact. The perception of a competition contributing to a purpose can definitively trigger participation and mobilize audiences inspired by a greater cause. At the same time, you would be doing marketing that will not only contribute to your bottom line but to society as well. - Pablo Turletti, ROI Marketing Institute

3. Host Fun Virtual Events With Leaderboards

Consider doing virtual events for customers with contest categories such as “most comments,” “funniest meme” or “first to notice the hidden image in the event content.” People love to see their names on leaderboards, so be sure to choose an event platform that has this feature. Partnering with games specialists to host online Jeopardy or Drag Queen Bingo has also been a big hit. - Liesl Perez, Hubilo

4. Do Giveaways In Exchange For Video Testimonials

Involving your customers not only helps others identify with a brand, but it can also be done in a variety of ways that engage them. Use it as an opportunity to give back, and one where you might reward them as well. An easy approach that shouldn’t be overlooked is to do giveaways in exchange for video testimonials. Make it easy to be part of it, and you may see more participation. Sometimes, your customers have the best ideas. - Mark Nicholson, Match Financial

5. Have A Well-Rounded Loyalty Program

Giving a discount coupon or money back is something that has always worked. However, in times when clients know everything and are spoiled by this kind of offer, this may not be enough. A well-rounded loyalty program with clear benefits that also serves some additional purpose or cause that goes beyond the business’s commercial interest may prove the winning strategy to engage more clients for longer. - Svetlana Stavreva

6. Include An Incentive To Reward Survey Responses

Including an incentive is always a great way to get customers more engaged. Having a discount code or other reward at the end of a survey always leads to more participation from the customer’s side. This is also a great way to get some important feedback. - Christian Anderson, Lost Boy Entertainment Company

7. Ask Your Customers To Promote Their Friends’ Businesses

We once launched a series of social media competitions that asked our audience to promote their friends’ small businesses. So, rather than seeing the standard self-promotional responses that often come with a contest, we saw our community rallying around each other and celebrating their friends’ successes. It was uplifting and refreshing for all involved, and it was a great way to boost engagement. - Melissa Zehner, Foundr

8. Create Trivia Related To Your Business

Set up a trivia game with questions directly related to your business that loyal customers would know. This can be a great way to use social media in an interactive way, especially if you use tools such as Instagram Stories with clues, include a way to submit answers, and use Instagram, Facebook or Twitter Live to announce winners. - Victoria Zelefsky, The Menkiti Group

9. Design A Scavenger Hunt On Your Website

Create a scavenger hunt using your website to encourage customers to deeply engage with details about a new product. The details shouldn’t be too hard to find, but there could be a question or two that are “Easter Egg” questions—something fun and slightly hidden. Make customers who complete the scavenger hunt eligible for a drawing to win various high-value prizes. - Kate Warrington, Academic Partnerships

10. Give Your Customers A Voice In Product Development

Over the years, we’ve seen this tactic used successfully by Crayola, M&Ms and countless other brands. Whether it’s a “choose our next color” contest or an “improve our software” coding challenge, giving people a meaningful way to leave their mark builds great brand affinity. - Michelle Stark, Red Sage Communications, Inc.

11. Opt For The ‘Week Of Giveaways’ Strategy

To promote a fun competition, a marketing team could opt for the “week of giveaways” strategy. To do this, they would have to offer a contest every day of the week that customers could enter for a chance to win a prize. This is an effective way to get people talking about your company and stay engaged in your brand. - Gala Grigoreva, Adsterra

12. Allow Customers To Submit Their Own Ad Ideas

Give customers an opportunity to create their own ads and submit their ideas to the company. The NFL did this, and it generated thousands of ads created by fans of football. The winning ad was filmed and played by the NFL during the Super Bowl. Frito-Lay did this in 2020 by asking its fans to create and submit Doritos commercials for the Super Bowl. The person who created the winning ad was given a cash prize and had their spot run live during the televised event. Marketing teams should tap into the creativity of their customers. - Brittain Ladd, BrittainLadd.com