Using Contests and Giveaways to Increase Forum Traffic

[planetgeeks]

Thanks for the info on this one.
I've been running giveaways on my forum, we do a secret santa and that goes down really well.

 

[T3chn0]

Yeah timezone is very important and can be easy to forget as you mentioned. You should also put a clause about you being able to change the rules and restrictions as sometimes it might be necessary to do so as you'll discover that certain things weren't taken into account that should have been.

 

[lushd]

Contests should be a good way to get a quick boost in members, but try using referral contests if you want really good increases in traffic. When you set a decent time, it allows more people to come in and get more friends in to go towards it.

 

[hendrik1979]

Excellent

I've ran a few contest and all have followed your suggestions

 

[JulieVA]

I've ran a few contest and all have followed your suggestions

My suggestions are situationally & niche dependent...How did it go?

 

[JulieVA]

At this point, we purchase our own prizes rather than partner with companies for giveaways. This way, the prizes count as an "expense" for the business instead of "income" for tax purposes & the giveaway can be completely oriented towards Our Mom Spot's goals rather than the goals of the sponsor who provided the prize.

If you have any questions please do ask.

 

[Eric_Threads]

I suggest doing a design contest all the time to people who don't have a good logo or design for t-shirts. I think its a great way to find the hidden talent amongst the members and it also secures a design that everyone likes. Give a free shirt to the winner or something. It's amazing how much doing a contest can engage the community.

 

[JulieVA]

Coming soon - Using Rafflecopter for Forum Giveaways

 

[Deanysus]

For those who has been doing contests for some time: how do you guys mail them? What services do you use? What return address do you prefer?

 

[JulieVA]

We have a PO Box. We use US mail.

 

[Sufikation]

This is a great idea, we might try to adapt this to our little forum.

 

[JulieVA]

Using Rafflecopter for Forum Giveaways

New! ~> Using Rafflecopter for Forum Giveaways

 

[mrjay]

That is a very useful article, I ll try it on my forum. thanks

 

[gONk]

Very handy article thanks a lot will use in future

 

[POD]

I'm thinking about doing a "hack my forum" contest. what would i give the winner though?

 

[mrjay]

Nice post, but which giveaway site do you recommend?

 

[JulieVA]

This practice is common among bloggers - period.

Ironically so-called "A-listers" don't need to do it as much or at all.

 

[JulieVA]

I want to remind everyone that Contests and Giveaways do not typically attract the type of people who will contribute to your community. You may get a lot of "traffic" but it may not be the type of traffic you are seeking.

Please focus on creating on-site content which will translate into staying power for your community!

 

[Altersoul]

Great info!

 

[sanusense]

I definitely gonna say; this article has something sparky to attract visitors and agree with that point we all don't have much bucks to spend on to giveaways, so giving some time to forum is worth rather give prizes. And you won't be sure that after contest they will again come back to forum (Some genuine users will come for sure).
Cheers for this extremely positive content !!