The first paragraph of the article is a summary of the article, which is up to 550 characters long. One of the most effective strategies to attract and retain visitors to your website is by hosting an online contest. Not only does a contest enhance your visibility, but it also provides a means to collect the names and email addresses of the participants. This list of contest entrants can be used in various legitimate ways.
Before you decide to host a contest, you need to consider the following questions:
You might think the answer is obvious - to attract people to your site and collect their email addresses. However, there's more to it. Do you want to gather feedback for a new product or service? Are you looking to expand your market? Do you want to start a newsletter? Once you've identified your contest's objectives, you can devise strategies to achieve your desired results.
The prizes you offer should be related to your business. For instance, if your goal is to expand your customer base, you might want to offer one of your products or services as the prize. This ensures that you attract your target market.
You don't necessarily have to provide the prizes yourself. Many merchants are willing to offer prizes in exchange for exposure to their product or service, or a link to their site. This could be an excellent opportunity for you to collaborate with other non-competing merchants in mutually beneficial ways.
For example, a sightseeing charter company once offered a 'day on the beach' as a contest prize. They provided the boat cruise, but they partnered with other merchants to include a barbecue, food for eight, a beach umbrella, and beach toys - in exchange for advertising exposure.
The general rule is to keep it simple. Write the rules first and post them on your site. Include an entry form on a prominent page and make sure to include any necessary disclaimers.
The duration of the contest should be based on the value of the prizes - the more valuable the prizes, the longer you can run the contest. Decide whether the contest is time-based (i.e., it will end at midnight on a specific date) or based on a certain number of entrants (e.g., "We will only accept 1000 entry forms, so submit yours today!")
Consider using an autoresponder to automate some of the work. It can send an acknowledgment to the contestant and send you a daily report with the collected email addresses.
There are several websites dedicated to promoting contests. You can search for 'contest promotion' to find these sites. Additionally, you can promote the contest in your newsletter, submit the contest pages to search engines, or run local print ads. Do whatever it takes to get visitors to your site to fill out the form!
Good luck with your contest, and prepare for an effective way to generate pre-qualified leads for your service or product!
