{"id":278,"date":"2015-06-23T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2015-06-23T16:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.bgdigitalgroup.com.php56-17.dfw3-2.websitetestlink.com\/?p=278"},"modified":"2019-05-14T11:29:25","modified_gmt":"2019-05-14T15:29:25","slug":"how-to-run-an-effective-instagram-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bgdigitalgroup.com\/how-to-run-an-effective-instagram-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Run an Effective Instagram Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Instagram contests used to be a lot more simple. Back in the days of like to win, all consumers had to do was double tap a photo to enter a contest. Then, brands started to wise up and realize that while these contests are really easy to set up, they get very low\u00a0engagement<\/a>\u00a0and don\u2019t develop any sort of connection with the audience. Now that\u00a0Instagram\u2019s algorithms<\/a>\u00a0are more complex, it\u2019s easier to grow your audience organically using the Discover page. If one of your followers likes your photos frequently, it\u2019s likely that their friends will find you on the discover page, so these like to win contests aren\u2019t completely ineffective. But wouldn\u2019t you rather have an Instagram contest that you can say effectively blew your previous Instagram audience out of the water? Here’s how to run an effective Instagram contest:
\n\"InstagramThat was our train of thought, too! So during the\u00a0Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament<\/a>, we tried out an Instagram contest that was a little more complicated. The goal was to boost followership in time for the tournament coverage to start. During tournament week, we post videos and pictures of weigh-ins on\u00a0Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all day for those who couldn\u2019t make it out to the Crystal Coast, so letting people know where to find the live coverage was a must. And so, the hunt for the right followers began.<\/p>\n

Why an Instagram Contest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Running a giveaway on Instagram is a great way to get your loyal followers to do the work for you, helping spread the word about your business and find new visitors who may be interested in your product or service. Instagram contests are a fun new form of\u00a0social prospecting\u00a0that won’t cost you a ton of money. You just need smothing valuable to give away, and a little bit of extra time to keep up with the contest engagement.<\/p>\n

Goal: boost followership<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starting follower count: 3771<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contest Giveaway: \u00a0T-Shirts, Croakies, Koozies, Tumbler Cups, Hats, Phone Case, and Big Rock Memorabilia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rules: Follow us, like this post, tag 3 friends in the comments for one entry. For an additional entry, repost this photo using #bigrocktournament<\/strong><\/p>\n

The results? Pretty good on the first try. We did two giveaways: one right before the tournament and one during. The results were impressive the first time, gaining us 395 new followers in the two days before the winner was announced. But the second contest during the tournament gained\u00a0@bigrocktournament<\/a>\u00a0737 participants. Since the contest took place during the tournament when we experienced our highest new followership, there is no way to tell for sure exactly how many followers were gained strictly from the contest. But, by the end of the giveaway, we had seen a 3,025 follower increase.<\/p>\n

What We Learned<\/strong><\/p>\n