Contest Prize Ideas?

Nightengale · 02-15-2011, 11:34 PM

Hi Warriors,

I'm putting together a contest to promote the launch of my new business, the International Association of Health & Wellness Professionals and need some prize ideas.

I need some good prizes and I'm a bit stuck for ideas. Do you have any ideas/suggestions?

I'm also really tight on funds right now, so I can't offer high-end prizes like iPads or iPods. My current contest prize ideas:

1. 30-minute strategy session with me.
2. IAHWP membership
3. Copy of my new book Boost Business Online.
4. Amazon.com gift card.
5. Starbucks gift card.

Does this sound appealing? Do you have any other ideas?

JeedoAquino · 02-15-2011, 11:53 PM

Hi Nightengale,

You might get an idea of what I'm doing right now to give my website some traction:

Get your own corner of the web!

Hope this helps.

goindeep · 02-15-2011, 11:57 PM

Might not be right for health related business but this is one i used which worked awesome for me.

I have over 1,000 friends on FB and cant even remember how many on twitter.

I just uploaded a message saying "first person to submit xxxx to site xxxx gets a free large pizza delivered right to your door!".

I had what i wanted within about 30 minutes, i logged onto dominos and sent the dude a pizza right to his door!

There are also competition websites out there which can help with ideas, and they even publish your competition on their website for more exposure.

Nightengale · 02-16-2011, 12:15 AM

Thanks guys!

One of the tricky things I'm running into is that this is for the launch of my association. I'd love to give away a free membership, but I'm very concerned that this will negatively impact my sales.

1. I might not get any sales of memberships since contestants would be waiting for the contest to end to see if they won before buying. The contest will run for 2 weeks and yes, I can wait for 2 weeks for any sales (although I'd really prefer not to since this is for the launch of the association). And since this is a rolling launch, I'll be having several short contests (2 weeks each) during the launch period (4 months or so).

With social media, the word will spread pretty quickly after the second contest and people won't buy at all if I'm always giving away a free membership with each contest. I'll end up diluting the effectiveness of the entire launch cycle.

2. There's the psychological aspect of NOT winning a membership. If someone doesn't win, there's a let down . And people won't be receptive to buying something they didn't win for free in the first place. I have to be very careful not to devalue the membership.

The obvious solution to this is to simply give away prizes that complement what I'm trying to sell. Since my target market is solo entrepreneurs and my goal is to help them build their businesses, I came up with my book, and the gift cards as prizes. I can't afford the standard snazzy prizes like iPads and iPods.

I'd love to hear any other comments and suggestions. If you're selling business products and services to other businesses and are on a limited budget, what would you give?

I like the pizza idea BTW!

Slaughter · 02-16-2011, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Hi Warriors,

I'm putting together a contest to promote the launch of my new business, the International Association of Health & Wellness Professionals and need some prize ideas.

I need some good prizes and I'm a bit stuck for ideas. Do you have any ideas/suggestions?

I'm also really tight on funds right now, so I can't offer high-end prizes like iPads or iPods. My current contest prize ideas:

1. 30-minute strategy session with me.
2. IAHWP membership
3. Copy of my new book Boost Business Online.
4. Amazon.com gift card.
5. Starbucks gift card.

Does this sound appealing? Do you have any other ideas?

Hey

The prizes should be decided by keeping in mind the demographic of the participants. For example, 1,2,3 of your choices may be a good choice for someone really interested in learning something related to the niche, but what would someone who doesn't visit Amazon (me.) do? And what would I do of the Starbucks card, when there's not a single Startbucks outlet in my country (or maybe a few are there).

Karan

Nightengale · 02-16-2011, 12:22 AM

Giving away a website is a great idea!

However, I'm not a designer and I'd have to hire someone. I've had a horrendous experience with hiring people to get my own sites done and it took FOREVER. I'm very leery of giving away a website where I have to hire someone to do it. There's not one person I know of right now that I could trust to do a site for one of my customers. (I'm not exaggerating. Just getting my own sites done... ugghh!) Assuming you're providing a WordPress site, where do you draw the line at customization?

I've got a headache just thinking about it!

Any further ideas?

Michelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeedoAquino

Hi Nightengale,

You might get an idea of what I'm doing right now to give my website some traction:

Get your own corner of the web!

Hope this helps.

Nightengale · 02-16-2011, 12:25 AM

Good points!

For Amazon, I'd make an executive decision and just use it as a prize. Just a judgment call...

About Starbucks... Since I'm an international association, that's a valid point. Ok, nix the Starbucks idea.

Grrr! Creating a contest isn't so simple!

Michelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karan Goel

Hey

The prizes should be decided by keeping in mind the demographic of the participants. For example, 1,2,3 of your choices may be a good choice for someone really interested in learning something related to the niche, but what would someone who doesn't visit Amazon (me.) do? And what would I do of the Starbucks card, when there's not a single Startbucks outlet in my country (or maybe a few are there).

Karan

Nightengale · 02-16-2011, 01:55 PM

Does anyone else have ideas? I was thinking I could offer four prizes:

1. 30-minute strategy session with me.
2. Copy of my book.
2. $25 Amazon.com gift card.
3. $10 iTunes gift card.

All of these can be given online and used no matter what country the recipient is located in. I would dearly love to give away a free membership, but as I said, I'm worried about the impact on my sales since this is for the launch of the association and I don't want to mess with that.

Not every prize is going to appeal to everyone; that's just the nature of it. I'm just trying to give out gifts with as much broad appeal as possible.

And these gifts I can afford.

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks,
Michelle

R Hagel · 02-16-2011, 02:03 PM

Hi Michelle,

I do think you should focus on the prizes that are directly related to your association. That way, you don't get a flood of prospects who're tyring to win things like itune cards and so on -- these folks will disappear once the contest is over.

You mentioned the problems with giving away memberships. Here are a few workarounds:

1. Contest winner: If someone has already purchased a membership, they'll still win a free membership (e.g., you'll refund their membership fees), PLUS they'll win something extra... like a gift card.

NOTE: If they're already purchased a membership, then a non-targeted prize like a gift card is ok, because they've already proved they're genuine prospects.

Meanwhile, if the contest winner is NOT yet a member, then they just win a membership -- no extra gift card.

In other words, you reward people for buying memberships and getting into the association early.

(Not sure of the legality of any of this -- you'd need to check with an attorney, blah blah blah.)

2. Another workaround is to offer everyone who participates a "consolation prize" -- a limited-time discount (like 48 hours) on the membership fee. I'd imagine you'd have to do partial refunds for those who already purchased. But then there's not so much let down, because everyone can take advantage of a great deal.

Good luck with your contest!

Becky

Nightengale · 02-16-2011, 03:13 PM

Becky,

Thanks so much for your feedback!

I agree, the prizes need to be in line with my target market and the purpose of my business. I probably really only need three prizes and the strategy session and my book could be two of them. I just need a third prize.

As for the gift cards, I was going to keep them in low denominations, $25 and $10 respectively. But maybe that's still a bad idea.

Essentially, I'm doing offline marketing within the framework of a membership-type business. I'm showing health and wellness professionals how to grow their businesses online.

So, what kind of prize do you suggest?

I'd almost decided late last night to go ahead and use a membership as a prize because I think it's a great prize. But I run into the same thing over and over: people won't buy a membership if they're thinking they might get one for free.

You're right about giving a discount to everyone who didn't win (or refunding someone who already purchased). But since this is for my launch, I really don't want to depress sales.

I love the idea of giving away a website, but that's a huge headache I think. Any other suggestions???

Or...

I know some Warriors here have put together a WordPress site first, and then sold it to offline businesses. Maybe I could get a Warrior to put together a generic WordPress site and give that away? That way, I'm not tied to customizing it? If the winner wants to customize what I give them, they have to pay for it out of their own pocket.

Hmmm... Now, I just thought about that while writing this and I like that idea!

However, a website for a chiropractor or a nutritionist would be very different. Maybe just customize the header banner with the winner's name or business name and type of business?

I'd appreciate any help here....

Thanks,
Michelle

Nightengale · 02-16-2011, 03:59 PM

A ha!

I think I just got an idea....

I can write a press release for the winner and provide them with a list of press release distribution services they can use to distribute it.

It shouldn't take me more than 2 hours MAX (including all research) to write a press release.

That's much better than a generic gift card.

Michelle

02-15-2011, 11:34 PM	#1
Nightengale Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Posts: 1,698 Thanks: 660 Thanked 673 Times in 322 Posts Social Networking	Contest Prize Ideas? Hi Warriors, I'm putting together a contest to promote the launch of my new business, the International Association of Health & Wellness Professionals and need some prize ideas. I need some good prizes and I'm a bit stuck for ideas. Do you have any ideas/suggestions? I'm also really tight on funds right now, so I can't offer high-end prizes like iPads or iPods. My current contest prize ideas: 1. 30-minute strategy session with me. 2. IAHWP membership 3. Copy of my new book Boost Business Online. 4. Amazon.com gift card. 5. Starbucks gift card. Does this sound appealing? Do you have any other ideas?

02-15-2011, 11:53 PM	#2
JeedoAquino Net Helper War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 69 Thanks: 10 Thanked 19 Times in 17 Posts	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? Hi Nightengale, You might get an idea of what I'm doing right now to give my website some traction: Get your own corner of the web! Hope this helps.
	[HOT] Learn how we INCREASED TRAFFIC AND CONVERSIONS with a simple plugin without any changes in our sites' rankings.

02-15-2011, 11:57 PM	#3
goindeep Follow The White Rabbit.. War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,504 Thanks: 784 Thanked 434 Times in 238 Posts Social Networking	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? Might not be right for health related business but this is one i used which worked awesome for me. I have over 1,000 friends on FB and cant even remember how many on twitter. I just uploaded a message saying "first person to submit xxxx to site xxxx gets a free large pizza delivered right to your door!". I had what i wanted within about 30 minutes, i logged onto dominos and sent the dude a pizza right to his door! There are also competition websites out there which can help with ideas, and they even publish your competition on their website for more exposure.
	If your into Greyhounds or know someone who is > OzGreyhoundSales Click HERE if you own a classifieds website.

02-16-2011, 12:15 AM	#4
Nightengale Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Posts: 1,698 Thanks: 660 Thanked 673 Times in 322 Posts Social Networking	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? Thanks guys! One of the tricky things I'm running into is that this is for the launch of my association. I'd love to give away a free membership, but I'm very concerned that this will negatively impact my sales. 1. I might not get any sales of memberships since contestants would be waiting for the contest to end to see if they won before buying. The contest will run for 2 weeks and yes, I can wait for 2 weeks for any sales (although I'd really prefer not to since this is for the launch of the association). And since this is a rolling launch, I'll be having several short contests (2 weeks each) during the launch period (4 months or so). With social media, the word will spread pretty quickly after the second contest and people won't buy at all if I'm always giving away a free membership with each contest. I'll end up diluting the effectiveness of the entire launch cycle. 2. There's the psychological aspect of NOT winning a membership. If someone doesn't win, there's a let down . And people won't be receptive to buying something they didn't win for free in the first place. I have to be very careful not to devalue the membership. The obvious solution to this is to simply give away prizes that complement what I'm trying to sell. Since my target market is solo entrepreneurs and my goal is to help them build their businesses, I came up with my book, and the gift cards as prizes. I can't afford the standard snazzy prizes like iPads and iPods. I'd love to hear any other comments and suggestions. If you're selling business products and services to other businesses and are on a limited budget, what would you give? I like the pizza idea BTW!

02-16-2011, 01:55 PM	#8
Nightengale Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Posts: 1,698 Thanks: 660 Thanked 673 Times in 322 Posts Social Networking	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? Does anyone else have ideas? I was thinking I could offer four prizes: 1. 30-minute strategy session with me. 2. Copy of my book. 2. $25 Amazon.com gift card. 3. $10 iTunes gift card. All of these can be given online and used no matter what country the recipient is located in. I would dearly love to give away a free membership, but as I said, I'm worried about the impact on my sales since this is for the launch of the association and I don't want to mess with that. Not every prize is going to appeal to everyone; that's just the nature of it. I'm just trying to give out gifts with as much broad appeal as possible. And these gifts I can afford. Thoughts anyone? Thanks, Michelle

02-16-2011, 02:03 PM	#9
R Hagel Copywriting and More... War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Where it's cold, USA Posts: 3,470 Thanks: 1,825 Thanked 2,375 Times in 852 Posts	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? Hi Michelle, I do think you should focus on the prizes that are directly related to your association. That way, you don't get a flood of prospects who're tyring to win things like itune cards and so on -- these folks will disappear once the contest is over. You mentioned the problems with giving away memberships. Here are a few workarounds: 1. Contest winner: If someone has already purchased a membership, they'll still win a free membership (e.g., you'll refund their membership fees), PLUS they'll win something extra... like a gift card. NOTE: If they're already purchased a membership, then a non-targeted prize like a gift card is ok, because they've already proved they're genuine prospects. Meanwhile, if the contest winner is NOT yet a member, then they just win a membership -- no extra gift card. In other words, you reward people for buying memberships and getting into the association early. (Not sure of the legality of any of this -- you'd need to check with an attorney, blah blah blah.) 2. Another workaround is to offer everyone who participates a "consolation prize" -- a limited-time discount (like 48 hours) on the membership fee. I'd imagine you'd have to do partial refunds for those who already purchased. But then there's not so much let down, because everyone can take advantage of a great deal. Good luck with your contest! Becky

02-16-2011, 03:13 PM	#10
Nightengale Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Posts: 1,698 Thanks: 660 Thanked 673 Times in 322 Posts Social Networking	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? Becky, Thanks so much for your feedback! I agree, the prizes need to be in line with my target market and the purpose of my business. I probably really only need three prizes and the strategy session and my book could be two of them. I just need a third prize. As for the gift cards, I was going to keep them in low denominations, $25 and $10 respectively. But maybe that's still a bad idea. Essentially, I'm doing offline marketing within the framework of a membership-type business. I'm showing health and wellness professionals how to grow their businesses online. So, what kind of prize do you suggest? I'd almost decided late last night to go ahead and use a membership as a prize because I think it's a great prize. But I run into the same thing over and over: people won't buy a membership if they're thinking they might get one for free. You're right about giving a discount to everyone who didn't win (or refunding someone who already purchased). But since this is for my launch, I really don't want to depress sales. I love the idea of giving away a website, but that's a huge headache I think. Any other suggestions??? Or... I know some Warriors here have put together a WordPress site first, and then sold it to offline businesses. Maybe I could get a Warrior to put together a generic WordPress site and give that away? That way, I'm not tied to customizing it? If the winner wants to customize what I give them, they have to pay for it out of their own pocket. Hmmm... Now, I just thought about that while writing this and I like that idea! However, a website for a chiropractor or a nutritionist would be very different. Maybe just customize the header banner with the winner's name or business name and type of business? I'd appreciate any help here.... Thanks, Michelle

02-16-2011, 03:59 PM	#11
Nightengale Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Posts: 1,698 Thanks: 660 Thanked 673 Times in 322 Posts Social Networking	Re: Contest Prize Ideas? A ha! I think I just got an idea.... I can write a press release for the winner and provide them with a list of press release distribution services they can use to distribute it. It shouldn't take me more than 2 hours MAX (including all research) to write a press release. That's much better than a generic gift card. Michelle