Actually, that part that I thought would be simple is not. Contests! I have been trying to giveaway stuff and no one seems to be interested in winning. Simple stuff like leave a comment to enter to win. I am even increasing the prizes to be better and no change in interest. I have tried new ways of promoting the contests outside of social media and no change. Strange . . .
I should also state that I have even asked the fans/follower what they would like to win and have offered their suggestions as prizes!
We request that they become our facebook fan. However, you know how that is. You can quickly remove yourself post contest if you so desire. So not asking for too much. Even the ones that are our fans anyway and just need to post something on our wall to enter to win don't do it. We are really just trying to increase participation in our fan page as well as gain a few more fans!
Scott Morris said:
Amy, that is really interesting, especially if you're giving away the stuff they said they wanted!
It would be interesting to know: what are they signing up for? Just to win the give-away?
Amy, I am curious. Are you offering your free giveaways on your dealership fan page or profile page? Fan pages are nice for distributing information but it is harder to get people to engage you which should be your number one goal.
Also, I grew up in Kenner and went to LSU so I know the Hammond area is not the most tech savy area so keep that in mind as well with your message. Something we do with our clients that has a lot of success is look for local forums and social networks. Do not let your social media strategy be dictated by platforms. You need to be on FB or people think your crazy but wouldn't it be more productive for your business to network with local people on local topics? Of course. Do some probing and you may find some hidden gold!
Rewards like giveaways are great incentives to get people to act, if that is all you want, but it doesn't leverage is the social aspects of any platform unless it worth, well, socializing.
If you are giving away something significant enough to talk about, life a car, then you will get more people talking about it and achieve FAR higher return on your fans, impressions, etc. etc. You'll get people talking about your contest at the water cooler.
Combine an action like taking a survey or submitting a photo with scarcity or a deadline - Only 24 hours! ! ! - and you could see some major results. Just ask the folks over at the Stuzo Group or SCVNGR.