Contests and an Engagement Approach
As I talk with publishers one thing often becomes very clear, they think website content is all about articles and revenue is all about banner ads. It's not!
It's understandable of course, these are the most direct corollaries to your existing print product and they're also the most obvious parts of any website but they are just the tip of the iceberg.
So, what else is there you ask?
We estimate that the average local community magazine website will see only 50% of its content coming in the form of articles with the balance split between things like directory listings, reviews and supplements as well as events in a calendar. Yep, those are content too. But, there's one other small but hugely impactful type of content and that is CONTESTS!!!
Turns out, running contests drive content, they drive visitors, they drive social sharing (a lot when done right), they drive SEO (that's Search Engine Optimization aka why people find you on Google) and the drive Revenue. Potentially, a lot of revenue.
We here at Locable work with publishers to execute campaigns to accomplish all this and more and our website publishing technology makes it about as easy as could be to run contests right our your own website. The great thing about contests is that there are a lot of options, we've tallied more than 50, from Cutest Kid photo contests to Cover Girl/Guy/Family to Best/Worst Pictures with Santa and much more.
I'll briefly highlight three contests run by our various publishers, one is still ongoing.
Stillwater Living's Santa Christmas Photo Contest - Here are some key stats for this great 10-day contest
- Thousands of page views
- Over 300 Likes to Facebook
- Over 23,000 impressions on Facebook
- Hundreds of votes by registered Members
Acadiana Lifestyle's Christmas Tree Decorating Contest - This 16-day contest was very engaging
- Again, thousands of page views
- 341 Likes to Facebook
- Over 60,000 impressions on Facebook
- Dozen's of entries and hundreds of votes all from registered Members
New Mexico Wedding Guide's Model Contest - While a wedding magazine is very much a niche publication this contest shows the viral power of engaging impassioned readers. While still underway (as of January 7th) it's racked up:
- Page views have grown by over 1,500% compared to the previous period
- Hundreds of likes, may eclipse 1000 by the end of the contest
- Over 54,000 impressions on Facebook
- And, like the previous contests, hundreds of votes from registered Members
These contests demonstrate a lot of things including the power of a "Like", what are 20k, 50k, 60k impressions worth to your publication? What are they worth to potential sponsors?
Contests are a great way to engage your community around fun topics while helping advertisers go along for the ride - and, hey, the more people that engage with your site the better off ALL of your advertisers are not just the sponsors.
To learn more about contests and all of the way Locable partners with publishers apply now to schedule a demo - our technology and our approach with our Affiliates set us apart.
