Everything You Need to Know to Create and Execute A
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THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM PHOTO CONTESTS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO CREATE AND EXECUTE A SUCCESSFUL INSTAGRAM PHOTO CONTEST INDEX FORMULA PROMOTE, 2 FOR SUccESS PROMOTE, 4 PROMOTE CLEAR OBJECTIVES, GOOD CREATIVE, SIMPLE RULES, A HOW TO SELECT THE BEST LANDING PAGE, AND HASHTAG THEME, PRIZE, CONTEST TRACKING SOFTWARE ARE HASHTAG, AND JUDGE/ KEY TO SUCCESS 6 SELECT A WINNER 13 DESIGNING DRIVING YOUR CONTEST 3 CONTEST 5 ENGAGEMENT HOW TO SELECT THE BEST THEME, CREATING A VIRTUAL HOME PRIZE, CONTEST HASHTAG, AND AND DISTRIBUTING THE BEST JUDGE/SELECT A WINNER 10 UGC ONGOING IS KEY TO MAXIMIZING PARTICIPATION 16 1 MEASURING SUccESS INSTAGRAM 6 PHOTO CONTESTS SUCCESS METRICS FOR PHOTO CONTESTS AND THE NEW FRONTIER OF VISUAL COMMON CAUSES OF POOR UGC PROMOTIONS HAS ARRIVED PERFORMANCE 17 AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS ABOUND 4 SHARE THIS EBOOK 2 PIQORA.COM ABOUT THE AUTHOR SHARAD VERMA REMY TENNANT FOUNDER & CEO MARKETING MANAGER PIQORA PIQORA A social media visionary and A long-time social media junkie, internet marketing futurist, Remy wrote his MBA thesis on social Sharad is frequently quoted by the media and high technology, conducting media on topics related to the impact a first-of-its-kind consumer behavior study of social media on e-commerce, and has been and publishing and presenting his findings in a speaker and panelist at several leading tech the US and Europe. conferences such as Ad: Tech and SMX. He’s been deeply involved with social media Sharad spent the first ten years as a product since 2008 at a wide variety of organizations, manager at leading Silicon Valley tech companies, and is constantly monitoring the ever-changing most recently at Yahoo, where he launched SEM digital media landscape – always on the lookout and advertising products that generated over for new ways to help businesses increase their $100M in incremental revenue. Having made his social ROI. He believes the Visual Web is the mark, he left Yahoo for the startup world in 2010, next big thing that’s already here for marketers. founding Piqora in early 2012. FOLLOW HIM ON @REMYTENNANT FOLLOW HIM ON @HEYSHARAD SHARE THIS EBOOK 3 PIQORA.COM 1 WITH MOST BRANDS JUST GETTING STARTED WITH INSTAGRAM PHOTO CONTESTS, THERE INSTAGRAM ARE HUGE OPPORTUNITIES To be had – PHOTO CONTESTS AND A LOT TO LEARN. THE NEW FRONTIER OF VISUAL UGC PROMOTIONS HAS ARRIVED AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS ABOUND nstagram, with its 150M+ attempted photo contests before Iusers, is emerging as the best 2012, and that software solutions mobile-based social network have only been around since for marketers to tell a visual around the same time, marketers story about their brand. 71% have limited experience – of the world’s major brands probably about as much as they are now on Instagram and did with Facebook contests marketers are rushing to grow back in 2009. So Instagram their communities. Hashtag photo contests are relatively optimization and photo contests, new, but there have been more especially when used together, than enough successful ones to have potent community building make it clear that they can be a power and should be considered driving force behind community an integral part of any Instagram building. Instagram photo contests can produce valuable UGC, such as this marketing strategy. Hashtags are beautiful photo that won Stylesite’s Spring Street Styles contest. the key to brand discoverability, Instagram is a mobile and image- while photo contests are a great centric social network teeming a phenomenal way for brands their personal style and passion way to increase visibility. Yet, with original, highly creative to source UGC photos. They for brands, and the result is a given that few marketers even UGC content. Photo contests are enable consumers to express rich marketing experience that SHARE THIS EBOOK 4 PIQORA.COM includes powerful visual social proof. Through Instagram photo contests, marketers can show visually how their brand is being incorporated into their audience’s lives. With most brands just getting started with Instagram photo contests, there are huge opportunities to be had – and a lot to learn. Experience running contests on other social networks helps, but it’s important to remember that Instagram is distinct from other sites in terms of both the way the network is designed and how consumers use it. That the entire network is mobile and outbound URLs are not supported fundamentally changes the way contests must be designed, both in terms of the contest itself and the web For their Illume photo contest, Red Bull took entries on Instagram. The winning photo is pictured above. infrastructure that supports it. SHARE THIS EBOOK 5 PIQORA.COM 2 FORMULA FOR SUccESS CLEAR OBJECTIVES, GOOD CREATIVE, SIMPLE RULES, A LANDING PAGE, AND HASHTAG TRACKING SOFTWARE ARE KEY TO SUCCESS here are 4 things you need Identify Tto run a basic Instagram users who contest: might like your brand C1 lear Contest Goals and Objectives So what do Hobo Bags came up with clear and simple rules for their Carry This Wear That contest. Like with any marketing or you want advertising campaign, it’s a to do? Of course, you may have you will likely end up with higher more brand advocates who you good idea to start by defining answered “all of the above”. You quality UGC. may want to follow and gain as objectives, because results may be able to have all or most followers. will vary widely depending on of the above, but you will still Sweepstakes are a great way how you design your contest. realize your goals to varying to get a lot of photos, likes and S2 imple Rules and Creative Instagram contests are a great degrees depending on how your followers. Judged contests yield That Clearly Explains Them way to: contest is set up. For example, fewer but higher quality UGC Contest Creative is one of the Grow your community if you opt to have the winner be photos that could be integrated most important parts of your Generate brand awareness selected by judges (as opposed into your other social or online Instagram promotion. It needs Source lifestyle content and to being drawn at random) you destinations. Judged contests have to be visually appealing and publish UGC photo streams will get fewer participants – but a higher barrier to entry but attract relevant to your audience. The SHARE THIS EBOOK 6 PIQORA.COM creative is simple and to the point, your Instagram and Twitter followers can see the creative in their feed and quickly know what they have to do to participate. Keep the contest rules simple. Most contests ask participants to upload a photo and add a relevant and unique branded hashtag. “Selfies” are the easiest to take and have the lowest barrier to entry. Photos that are time-of-day dependent (e.g., sunset) or involve other people (e.g., take a photo with a best friend) are naturally more difficult. Creating a brand- Great UGC: Highly influential Instagrammer Alyson Haley submitted this stellar photo for Hobo Bags’s Carry relevant hashtag is key. Before you This Wear That contest. She’s even promoting the contest to her 12K followers. host your Instagram contest, make up a hashtag that’s relevant to vast majority of the users on explain the rules clearly and participation rate as well as the your brand and the theme of Instagram are Millennials, so if simply. The background color number of participants who end your contest. Make it unique you are targeting them make sure of a landing page or other up being qualified. Design your enough so that when someone to keep your creative edgy and image shouldn’t interfere with creative in such a way that it searches for your hashtag on interesting. the readability of the rules. If can be used both on a full web Instagram, you won’t confuse fans users can’t read and understand page (landing page) or as a post who find hashtags unrelated to Beyond that, creative should the rules, it could hurt your on Instagram and Twitter. If the your contest. SHARE THIS EBOOK 7 PIQORA.COM Decide if you want to run a judged participate later through their contest or a sweepstakes where mobile devices. the winner is selected randomly. Let your participants know if their Landing pages can also become entries will be judged or if the a living and breathing destination winner will be selected at random. that showcases the rich media Sweepstakes attract more from the photo contest. Re- participants as everyone’s winning publishing the best contest chances are equal. However, if your entries is a great way to engage goal is to get very high quality new participants and visitors. UGC photos, judged contests Instagram contests are creative are a great way to tap into the in nature and most participants creative genius of your audience. need a little help sparking their ideas – seeing entries from other A3 Contest Landing Page That participants is often an effective Maximizes Participation trigger. Landing pages that A landing page provides a home showcase participant entries for the photo contest and allows also create strong social proof you to put more marketing for potential new entrants, muscle behind it, helping you to demonstrating the success of the go beyond just promoting it on contest. This in turns can lead to MyHabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest, making it fun, on-brand, and reasonably easy to enter. They other social channels. Paid media more contest participation, more selected an appropriate hashtag, gave away a valuable and desirable becomes an option for driving visits and more engagement from prize, added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured).