September 1st, 2010 by Tena
Photo and video contests seem to be all the rage these days, and with good reason. Brands get useful user-generated content (UGC) from participants. Fans get deeper engagement with their favorite products…oh, and a chance to win some really cool prizes.
But, photo and video contests are not the golden ticket for Facebook success. There is a large barrier to entry because you are asking the user to take time to upload a photo or video and give your brand permission to use it. Facebook’s Terms of Service (TOS) can also make running such promotions a bit tricky. Lucky for you, we’ve put together five tips for a successful photo or video contest on Facebook.
- K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly). Asking fans to submit a photo or video is a bit more demanding than filling out a simple entry form, but there are still ways to make the process as easy as possible. Ask fans for photos of things they might already have on their computers rather than asking them to take a photo with your product in front of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
- Make it interactive. After all, isn’t this the essence of a social media campaign? Choose the winner based on votes from other participants. And make it easy for fans to invite friends or post submissions to their walls. Get your fans to spread the word for you.
- Use a third party app. There are lots of rules to follow regarding contests in Facebookland, just check out their TOS. For example, did you know that you are not allowed to select a winner from fans who post photos to your wall? But, don’t fret. If you use a third party application like Idea Challenges, you can get the exact content you want without having to violate Facebook’s rules.
- Spread the word. This applies to any sort of promotion, but you’ve gotta get the word out if you want people to participate. Promotions rarely go viral without help from savvy marketers. Send an “update to fans,” announce the promotion on your wall, reach out to key bloggers in your area of interest, run Facebook ads…the promotion possibilities are endless. Choose the options that best align with your goals for the promotion.
- Use the content. One of the biggest “fails” from user-generated content (UGC) promotions is when the brands fail to do anything with the content. Make a special tab to spotlight the winners, or use the content for other promotional materials, like your Web site or ad campaigns.
Titus Cycles asked fans to submit tattoo designs for a recent Facebook promotion. This is the top-rated design tattooed on the winner's arm.
We used these tactics in a Facebook contest with Titus Cycles this spring. The promotion generated over 100 unique tattoo designs – and thousands of brand engagements – in under a month.
We hope these tips help you produce some fantastic photo or video contests. If you have any additional tips or success stories, please share them below in the comments.
August 4th, 2010 by Matt Simpson
Intel wants consumer input on its upcoming media phone product, and the company is using our Idea Challenges application for Facebook promotions to get it.
Fans who submit an idea in Intel
In the Home Phone of Tomorrow Challenge on Facebook, Intel is giving away over $10,000 in prizes in exchange for ideas.
This is not your standard Facebook sweepstakes, though. One participant will co-innovate directly with Intel engineers as Intel’s honorary VP of Product Development.
What kind of input is Intel seeking? Here are three questions they’re asking to get Facebook users started:
- What apps and functionality will you want?
- Where in the house will you use it?
- What should we call the device?
To participate in the challenge, Facebook users share their ideas for the media phone product on the Intel Ideas of Tomorrow fan page on Facebook. Users can also rate, share and comment on ideas in return for points redeemable for over $10,000 in prizes including tablet PCs, Intel merchandise, retro telephones and more.
The co-innovation won’t end on Facebook. One challenge participant will be invited to Intel’s Chandler, Ariz., campus to serve as honorary VP of Product Development. The participant will co-innovate with Intel engineers and walk away with a new notebook and development software.
Got ideas? If so, enter the Intel Home Phone of Tomorrow Challenge on Facebook at www.facebook.com/intelideas.
Or, to learn more about our Idea Challenges application for Facebook promotions, view our demo on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bulbstorm.
July 28th, 2010 by Tena
“Don’t just count your fans” has become our rally cry at Bulbstorm.
We see tons of case studies about “successful” Facebook campaigns that only report one metric—fan growth. But, fan growth alone does not a successful Facebook campaign make.
Don’t get me wrong, fan growth IS important. After all, if you didn’t have fans there wouldn’t be much of an audience to engage with, now would there? But, if you REALLY want to drive bottom-line results with your Facebook page – you’d better start engaging your fans.
Here are a few tried-and-true tips that will keep your Facebook fans coming back for more:
- Create compelling content. Are you giving your fans a reason to visit your page? Try creating photo albums, posting videos, distributing coupons, or implementing interactive games like Bulbstorm’s Idea Challenges.
- Ask for their opinions. The most successful status updates are those that ask the fans questions. The questions can be about your brand, or even a timely event in the world. For example, we posted a multiple choice question during the World Cup last month for one of our clients and it received more than 300 comments and more than 50 “likes.”
Asking your fans what they think is a great way to increase engagement. Just look at this wall post that produced more than 350 active interactions.
- Listen. There’s no point in asking your fans questions if you aren’t going to listen to the answers. Dedicate a person to monitoring your fan comments, answering their questions and reporting their concerns to the appropriate parties. Who knows, your fans may share some great ideas for your next product.
Engaged fans are advocates for your brand and are more likely to share content about your product or service. Do you have any tips for increasing fan engagement? Look out for our next post: 4 metrics you need to measure fan engagement on Facebook.
July 19th, 2010 by Tena
Isagenix International is asking Facebook users to select the “fan favorite” in its annual IsaBody Challenge. And the company is using Bulbstorm’s Idea Challenges application for Facebook promotions to do it.
Ranked among the fastest-growing companies by Inc. magazine for the last three years, Isagenix is a leading consumer products and services company that develops and manufactures systems to assist in weight management, long-term wellness and skincare.
With its challenge, Isagenix asks fans to vote and comment on finalists in the 2010 IsaBody Challenge. The “fan favorite” will receive recognition on stage at Isagenix’s annual Celebration event.
Isagenix asks fans to vote and comment on finalists in the 2010 IsaBody Challenge. The “fan favorite” will receive recognition on stage at Isagenix’s annual Celebration event.
This challenge is a great example of how integrating Facebook with existing online and offline promotions can enhance user engagement and experience with a brand.
Isagenix has already made headway in the social stratosphere with an 18,000-strong Facebook fan base and more than 2,000 Twitter followers.
The company even hosts a Social Media Roadshow designed to help participants “harness the power of Facebook and Twitter.” Adding Idea Challenges to its toolkit will help Isagenix continue to build a network of engaged, loyal fans.
Kevin Gawthrope, senior manager of web services for Isagenix, is enthusiastic about the campaign’s potential.
“Our team is very excited about the potential of working with Bulbstorm,” Gawthrope said. “We’re always on the lookout for innovative methods of engaging with members of the Isagenix community online. The Idea Challenges application is a great addition to our social media presence.”
Check out Bulbstorm’s new promotion with Isagenix on the Isagenix fan page on Facebook.
July 8th, 2010 by Kate Davids
“You just unlocked the Day Tripper Badge!”
Day Tripper Badge
As of today, Bulbstorm has incorporated badges into our Idea Challenges application for Facebook promotions.
Badges, trophies and other virtual goods have been popping up all over. Foursquare usually gets credit for fanning the fire, but they didn’t start it. Regular table top or console games have been using badges and levels for generations, and for good reasons.
Here are three reasons badges matter to gamers…and to social media marketers:
Scout Badge
Reason 1: Badges show us how far we’ve come
Badges are symbols of how far we’ve progressed within the game and are a part of what is called “game mechanics,” or the theories and practices that make games fun and addicting.
If we are constantly reminded of how far we’ve already come, we’ll want to see how much farther we can go. That’s why games always show your current level on the screen at all times, like Tetris.
Marketing Implication: Game mechanics hook users and encourage re-engagement with your brand.
Reason 2: Badges can be the goal
Recruiter Badge
Badges do more than just remind us of what we’ve done. They reward us. Badge systems in games provide the same kind of positive reinforcement that sew-on badges do for Boy Scouts.
These rewards aren’t as intangible as you might think, either. They stay on the player’s digital profile as a decoration, just like a physical trophy sits on a fireplace mantel. All visitors to the player’s profile see the player’s accomplishments.
Marketing Implication: By tying badges to a user action you can incent more user actions like inviting friends or sharing content.
Plush Toy Badge
Reason 3: They make it very easy to brag
Everyone likes to brag. It is human nature to want to show off, but saying, “I have 750 points on Idea Challenges. I’m awesome!” is not fulfilling. That’s just an action with no recognition.
Better is, “I unlocked the Plush Toy Badge. I’m amazing!” Someone out there has recognized the action and rewarded it with a badge. The player gets a sense of fulfillment and a talking point with his friends by publishing the badge to his wall or Tweeting about it.
Marketing Implication: When the user talks about the badge, he is talking about your brand.
What it all means for social media marketers
Because badges can increase a player’s engagement with the game, and thus a brand, they are a powerful marketing tool. They hook users, reward them for actions like sharing content, and encourage them to talk about their activities with the game and brand.
Which brands and platforms are doing badges right? Which are doing it all wrong? Let us know in the comments!
“You just unlocked the Day Tripper Badge!”
June 29th, 2010 by Matt Simpson
A NASCAR-themed promotion drove one lucky Tornados fan from Facebook to Daytona.
It’s one thing to build your Facebook fan base with a killer promotion. It’s quite another to maintain the buzz outside Facebook months after the promo wraps.
One Bulbstorm client – Ruiz Foods’ Tornados snack brand – is closing the marketing loop between the virtual and physical worlds.
A promotion that began with over 600,000 interactions on Facebook ends this week with a family’s Tornados-branded van driving 1,500 miles to park prominently in the infield at Daytona International Speedway.
That’s right. A family van covered in Tornados branding will be parked front and center at Daytona during a race that drew 115,000 ticket holders and 5.3 million television viewers last year.
As we write this post, Tornados fans Chris and Susan Edman of Minnesota are packing their three kids into the family van and heading for NASCAR’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. The van will be skinned like the No. 39 Tornados racecar driven by Ryan Newman. The Edmans earned the opportunity – and $1,000 spending money – by winning the Tornados Skin It to Win It Challenge on Facebook.
Chris managed to keep the victory a secret for nearly two months. He finally revealed the news – and the skinned minivan – over the weekend. Here’s video of the skinning process and the surprise unveiling.
The Edmans were the grand prize winners of the Tornados Skin It to Win It Challenge, which asked Facebook fans to nominate their vehicle to be wrapped/skinned like the No. 39 Tornados racecar.
The promotion was hosted on the Tornados fan page on Facebook using Bulbstorm’s Idea Challenges application for Facebook promotions. On Facebook alone, the promotion generated the following metrics:
- 182,092,217 brand impressions
- 632,102 active interactions
- 221,512 votes and comments
- 20,076 new fans
- 2,471 user submissions
Those numbers are only the beginning. A PR-friendly road trip and a prime position in the center of the NASCAR universe await.
Now, thanks to integration with offline elements, the promotion will only get bigger.
Learn more about our Idea Challenges application for Facebook promotions. View our demo or take a test drive here: www.facebook.com/bulbstorm
June 23rd, 2010 by Tena
Christopher Mack from Inside Facebook called Idea Challenges, “a place for brands to interact with customers and help build interest and loyalty.”
Influential social media blogger, Jay Baer, said our Idea Challenges application is “better than anything he’s seen on Facebook.”
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Let Bulbstorm marketing director, Matt Simpson, take you through a guided tour of the application. Click here to view the demo.
June 14th, 2010 by Tena
In March, we launched our Healthcare Town Hall challenge which posed the question, “How Would You Fix Healthcare?”
The promotion brought in a great number of submissions and we selected our first winner last month. Sandy L. from Inverness, FL, won $1,000 for her idea to “lower actual doctor costs.” And, we wrote a letter to congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite on her behalf.
The challenge was recently featured in the Adventures in Healthcare radio show on WebTalkRadio.net click below to listen to the clip or download it here.
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May 26th, 2010 by Tena
With the growth of social media, blogger outreach is becoming an increasingly important PR tactic. And it’s easy to see why—getting featured on blogs is a great way to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website and improve search engine rankings.
One industry benefiting from blogger outreach is consumer packaged goods (CPG). And the bloggers they’re targeting are talking about coupons.
Coupon bloggers are a great example of the long tail marketing principle, because there aren’t just one or two key players, there are HUNDREDS. And, many of them have very specific areas of interest, which might align nicely with your brand.
Don’t forget the little guys
Some of the most influential bloggers aren’t the ones with the most traffic, and they don’t need to be a “Top 10 Coupon Blogger” to add value. The best bloggers to target are the ones with a loyal group of readers who trust what they say.
Bulbstorm client, Ruiz Foods, recently kicked off a Facebook promotion by targeting coupon bloggers. The “Save on Cinco” campaign asked El Monterey frozen Mexican food fans to submit tips for saving money. Participants were awarded with points which could be redeemed for El Monterey coupons, merchandise and other prizes.
The company’s objectives were threefold:
- Increase fan count and engagement on Facebook
- Raise awareness of their brand leading up to Cinco de Mayo
- Reinforce perception as value- and family-oriented brand
The promotion was supported by a PR push to key coupon bloggers. By using Twitter and e-mail to communicate the campaign’s launch to a handful of key bloggers, the word about the promotion spread rapidly.
A quick Tweet can help get the word out to coupon bloggers.
In 48 hours, the El Monterey fan page grew by 1,500 + fans and hundreds of coupons were distributed – without advertising support!
Over the course of three weeks, the campaign drove the following metrics:
- 8,191 new fans
- 3,886 family savings tip submissions
- 210,144 savings tip views
- 136,329 votes and comments
- 2,500 coupons distributed
- 1,072 publishes to wall
So, when you’re promoting your next big event or new product, don’t forget about the little guys because they deliver BIG results.
Do you have any blogger outreach success stories or best practices? We’d love to hear from you!
(Photo courtesy of washingtonian.com)
May 19th, 2010 by Tena
Brands try everything from single-click bribery to begging to get Facebook users to click the “like” button on their fan pages. And, while some of these tactics might entice users to make the click—the interaction stops there.
Tornados has 100,000 fans -- and counting -- on its Facebook fan page.
Bulbstorm client Ruiz Foods has increased fan count AND interactions on the Facebook fan page for Tornados snack brand. In fact, Tornados hit 100,000 fans last week, and the number of fans keeps climbing.
While reaching 100,000 fans is an impressive achievement, Tornados has also successfully leveraged Facebook to meaningfully interact with its fans.
From December 1 to April 30, Tornados ran a series of five promotional events based on user-generated content and supported by the Idea Challenges promotions application for Facebook.
The five events drove 306,955,829 brand impressions and 753,794 active interactions on Facebook, while driving the following engagement figures within the application:
- 50,364 new fans
- 5,753 user submissions
- 231,528 votes and comments
- 3,950 publishes to wall
Tornados just launched a sixth promotion, appropriately named “Tornados 100,000 Fan Chowdown.”
In this challenge, fans were asked to submit a slogan for Tornados and a photo of themselves enjoying the product.
Performing these tasks, along with commenting and voting on other fans’ submissions, helped users earn points which could be redeemed in the prize vault. The vault includes tens of thousands of dollars in prizes including digital video cameras, branded merchandise and NASCAR tickets.
As a result, the fan page grew from 94,017 fans to 100,000 fans in under 24 hours – releasing 100,000 free boxes to fans in the form of Buy 1 Get 1 free e-coupons. Less than a week after launch, the fan page is over 111,000 strong and counting.
Do you have any ideas to increase fan engagement on Facebook? What are your goals for your Fan Page?
** To learn more about the impact and importance of Facebook marketing for the Tornados brand, check out this Q&A with Bulbstorm’s marketing director.
