Top Tips to run a successful social media competition

by Steph Rady

Hi all, Steph here! Something I get asked a lot is: ‘How do I run a successful social media competition?’

Therefore, for this month’s blog, we’ll be revealing all the top tips and the do’s and don’ts when it comes to social media competitions for estate agents.

KISS (Keep it simple, silly!)

Rule number 1 is to keep it simple. If you over-complicate the competition by not having a clear goal or asking people to do too much, your competition will fail.

My advice to agents is to keep a competition to three steps or less. The more you ask the consumer to do, the less likely they are to do everything you want them to. Really get to grips with what you want to achieve and lay it out in the most basic and easy-to-understand way.

Content is key here – you want to catch the attention of consumers and make what you’re asking them to do worthwhile and fun!

Have a clear goal in mind

I often see online competitions that ask the consumer to do multiple unrelated things to enter. This makes the consumer less likely to engage in the first place and leaves you (the competition runner) with nothing to show for your time and money.

Ask yourself; what do I want to gain from this competition? Whether it’s more likes on Facebook, or capturing the contact details of potential sellers, the same rule applies.

Ask them to do something easy that you will benefit from and give them something they want in return.

Which brings me onto my next point…

Offer the consumer something they want

There is no point running a competition and asking consumers to give you something without offering them something in return – it’s the same way ValPal works.

How many potential sellers and landlords do you think would go to your website and openly give you all their contact details without the promise of an instant online valuation? The answer is next to none!

Now, I’m not talking about breaking the bank with a prize here. Some of the best competitions I’ve run have themed prizes, e.g. for Easter – give away chocolate, for Valentine’s Day – roses! It’s really that simple and if what you’re asking people is easy enough to action, they’ll do it.

Make sure entries are in your area

As estate and letting agents, competition winners need to be local if you’re ever going to benefit from having them as a client.

Make sure you’re clear when running a competition that Ts and Cs apply and save yourself some time by telling consumers straight away within the competition post that they have to live within a certain distance from your office.

I always explain that they will need to come to the office to pick up the prize – this makes for a great photo opportunity for social media as well!

Boost your competition

It’s important to run your competition for an appropriate amount of time. For example, if you’re doing seasonal contests, you need to make sure all your graphics, content and other constraints are ready to launch and finish in plenty of time.

You might only run a competition like this for 2 weeks up to the event, but some competitions such as contests with bigger ticket prizes (like the one suggested below) may need to run over multiple months.

Consider putting some budget behind your competition post to boost it to even more people in your area, expand your reach and get in front of people who may not have even heard of your brand.

Competition Inspo!

The best way to boost your following on any social media platform organically to people in your area is to run a competition.

I advise my clients to run quarterly competitions at a minimum – this way we can tie them in with seasonal holidays and show another side to your agency. The key holidays I try to stick to are Valentine’s Day, Easter, Summer (aimed at families) Halloween and Christmas.

These competitions will be something really simple such as for Easter ‘Guess how many chocolate eggs are in the bowl – win the eggs! To enter, simply like our Facebook page, comment your best guess and share this post with your friends.’

Competitions centred around the ValPal tool can be successful as well, providing you aren’t asking too much. For example, if the goal was to get ValPal leads, I wouldn’t also ask consumers to like, share and comment as it’s simply too much for them to do – they will instantly think ‘too much effort’ when what you want them to think is ‘wow, that was easy!’

I had a client in Southampton that offered to sell someone’s house for free, all they had to do was fill out the ValPal tool before a certain date to be in with a chance to win. They were absolutely inundated with ValPal leads and a fresh prospect list for their team to follow up with.

They picked a winner and sold the house for free but off the back of the competition, they also instructed around 10 other properties because their customer service and communication won them over, even though they didn’t win.

If you would like to know more about how Angels Media can help with your social media activity, please email: steph.rady@angelsmedia.co.uk