Ways to Improve Your Contest Reponse and ROI
The Subway Scrabble game, which incorporates hundreds of millions of game pieces on Subway cups and sub wraps, will soon begin its annual run. Each year the response has improved significantly. So, how do they do it? Take a look at these six best practices from Catapult Action-Biased Marketing.
- ATTAINABILITY
Boost the odds of winning by offering more lower-level prizes. Last year, an online instant-win chance was added to every game piece, which doubled the number of game codes entered online and sent more people back to the stores to buy product.
- COMMUNICATE
Emphasize the number of prizes and odds of winning at all touch points: P-O-P, mass media, FSIs, tip-ins, paid search, search engines, banners etc.
- GIVE AWAY A FREE CODE
This gets consumers to register for the first time and try the promotion, and then drives them back to the store to collect more game pieces. It’s also a significant opportunity to boost opt-in and build the in-house database.
- SPLIT REGISTRATION
Optimize the registration process by collecting only the necessary data up front — name, e-mail address, age. Then on the back end, collect redemption information — address, phone number. The benefit? A consumer who has privacy concerns is more likely to complete the registration, minimizing drop-off rates. “The last thing you want is for someone to come to your microsite and then drop off because it’s not a good experience,” says Jason Katz, executive vice president of emerging media for Catapult.
- OFFER MULTIPLE WAYS TO ENTER
Expand entry points for an online promo with a text-to-win option. Some 10% to 50% of sweeps entries now come in through SMS, according to John Ross, account supervisor at Catapult.
- VIRTUAL PRIZE PARTNERS
Build excitement by seeking a partner to use for prizes that can be won instantly online, like music downloads or ring tones. This allows for an immediate reward to the players and increases response and viral sharing.
