Are you looking for a creative way to market your hotel online? Why not try holding a contest for a free stay? Contests can be a great way to generate interest in your brand and to encourage more followers on social media and more visitors.
Holding an online contest will generate a lot of buzz about your brand, so what are the best strategies for hosting a contest like this? Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Have a Specific Goal
If you are going to set up a contest, make sure that you have a clear idea of what result you want to achieve from holding the contest. For example, do you want to increase your number of Facebook fans or newsletter subscriptions? Do you want to gain email addresses from the people who enter the contest? Do you want people to vote on a poll and receive a contest entry in exchange for their opinion? It is important to identify a desired outcome in your mind before you start the contest, so that you will best be able to measure its success.
Figure Out How You Will Collect Competition Entries
It is important to know how people will enter the contest. For example, you could hold the contest on Twitter and get people to enter by Tweeting a certain hashtag. Or, you could set up a web page where people could enter their information.
The most important thing is that it should be easy for customers to enter the contest and all of the entries should be centralised in one place. Don’t make people jump through hoops such as signing up for an account before they vote, as this will discourage them.
Promote the Competition via Multiple Channels
Take advantage of all of your social media channels to promote your contests, from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram and any others. Don’t be too spammy about it, but make sure that you are getting the word out there to people who might be interested in entering the contest. Also, once they have made their entry you can encourage them to tell all of their friends about it.
Make the Rules Very Clear
When you are hosting a contest, make sure that you make the rules very clear so that people who enter have a good understanding of them. For example, you might only allow people from a certain country to enter but if you don’t state this clearly then people might enter anyway only to be disappointed when they cannot claim the prize.
Offer a Desirable Prize
Be generous with the prize you offer and you will encourage a lot of participation in the contest. If the prize is worthwhile, more people will enter and the competition will generate a lot more of a buzz. For example, you could offer a luxurious weekend stay at your hotel in one of your finest rooms, as well as a free dinner in your restaurant or a spa package. The better the prize, the more successful the contest will be.
Measure Your Results
Remember the specific goal you created for the results you wanted to achieve from your contest? Once the contest is underway you should be monitoring the results so that you can measure your success. For example, if you wanted to increase Facebook fans so you offered a contest entry to everyone who liked your Facebook page – then you can see how successful you were by the number of new fans you gained.
Follow Up
Now that you have used the contest as a way to build up interest in your hotel brand and you have increased your engagement on social media, don’t forget to follow up and take advantage of the connections you have built when the contest is over. Keep the buzz going so that your customers will stay engaged with what you have to say.
Holding an online competition for a free stay at your hotel will be a great way to promote your brand and generate interest around your hotel and Hotel Website. Keep these steps in mind to help you put together a great contest so that you can achieve the best results.