Giveaways are a hot topic right now and have gained popularity in the past year or so!
So what is a giveaway, also known as a giftaway?
An Instagram giveaway is usually a post asking your audience to complete "tasks" to enter into the giveaway and win a free product/service.
[EXAMPLE FROM Sadiee's company: Wild Flowers & Milk ]
Giveaways have the potential to generate a lot of excitement around your brand by bringing in new eyes and increasing reach and engagement…BUT there is a catch.
Now before we go any further we want to say: there is NOTHING wrong with a good giveaway now and then. HOWEVER, they often times become misused as a growth strategy.
It's not any secret that small businesses often times try to use giveaways to build and grow their audience FAST & FURIOUSLY. We have done it and a lot of our peers have done it! (Ya live and you learn)
What we've also learned? That giveaways can create a vicious cycle by making your pages' growth dependent on them. Yeah, you will be getting more comments and likes, but the ONLY time you'll have engagement is on these posts. EEEK!
By hosting and participating in large amounts of giveaways, you are trading short-term metrics for long-term growth.
Why does this happen? Depending on your giveaway partner(s), giveaways can bring in a way different audience than you intended. This often times leads to ghost followers. They follow you for the giveaway, engage for the 2-3 day giveaway, forget to unfollow you, and then never engage with your content ever again... leading your engagement numbers to drop (& not like its hot!)
Sounds horrendous right? That is why it is crucial to choose a strategic partner to host a giveaway with!
Numbers are great, but numbers from the wrong target audience are actually diluting your numbers and hurt your chance for real growth and real engagement. They are going to make you have to work harder and harder to get the percentage of engaged followers you need to grow.
3 SUPERBLOOM TIPS on using giveaways strategically:
We hope by now we haven't scared you away from giveaways, because they can be a great way to grow your community when done the right way.
No.01
If you're going to do a giveaway, we highly suggest small-niche giveaways! Take a look at the people or other small businesses you follow. Do you follow each other? Do they operate within your same space? If you can answer YES, that would be a great giveaway partner! It is a win for both ends of the giveaway because it is like you are "sharing" and audience and being introduced to new people who more likely than not will vibe with you and your brand.
No.02
Be mindful. There ARE ways to improve your engagement during and after the giveaway by doing these 3 things:
Be engaged in your stories: keep showing the face(s) behind the brand!
Educate about your product / service: now is the time to keep showcasing your amazing value. Now that you have the eyes of new followers it is time to get out in front of them and show that their follow isn't for nothing!
The day after a giveaway is the best to schedule an intro post: you still have a lot of the new followers and there is a HIGH probability that they will see your page pop up on their feed.
No.03
Avoid the shock factor! When and if you do participate in a giveaway, do not choose something that will create more work on your end. Choose products/services that are beautifully packaged and don't send you into a cold sweat thinking about the day the giveaway winner is announced.
THE POINT IS
Do not make your page growth dependent on giveaways... and if you are currently doing so it is time to reassess sis. Those large giveaways are not contributing in any way to your organic LONG TERM growth, do not trade short term boom with meaningful connections with your ideal audience.
Be inspired,
Lola & Sadiee
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