4 Steps to Running Engaging Pinterest Contests

 

 

Anthropologie’s doing it. Bridal Guide Magazine’s doing it. Could Pinterest contests be beneficial for you too?

Whether you’re a visually oriented brand or not, Pinterest contests have the potential to draw amazing recognition and traffic for your brand. Here’s a look at why and how run engaging Pinterest contests…

Why Pinterest Contests?

A Pinterest contest is a fresh way to draw viewers to your site because contests are fun! Sparking their creativity with an incentive like a custom-designed wedding dress or $500 worth of home décor adds to the fun and is a fantastic enticement for viewers to participate in your contest.

A Pinterest contest also boosts your recognition on social media. As we all know, Pinterest has a huge following, so why not use your company’s Pinterest page to capitalize on those followers and get more attention for your brand? Ultimately, you’re hosting a creative and engaging platform for viewers, while creating a win-win for both your company and your customers. What’s more, those Pinterest pins promoting your brand can easily turn into customer leads.

Let’s take a look at two successful engaging Pinterest contests and break down how those companies constructed their well-thought-out contests by incorporating the following four steps:-

1. Inspire

Bridal Guide Magazine inspired its viewers by offering them the chance to create their dream wedding. What future bride wouldn’t want that opportunity?

Not only did they give participants an inspiring platform, but they also offered a huge incentive. The prize? A custom-designed wedding gown from well-known designer David Tutera and a honeymoon in Mexico!

Look at some of the stunning images participants pinned to Bridal Guide’s Pinterest page to create their personalized dream wedding Pinterest boards…

From seating areas…

…to wedding cakes…

….and of course dresses.

2. Clear Rules

Create a contest that makes it easy for viewers to participate. The last thing you want is to discourage viewers because your contest guidelines are too confusing. This is not rocket science!

Anthropologie, a well-known home décor and clothing brand, recently partnered with interior design company Remodelista and invited participants to create a Pinterest board of the perfect Thanksgiving table. Three winners received $500 of Anthropologie merchandise and a copy of Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

To enter, viewers created a board with anything and everything that got their creative Thanksgiving juices flowing. Check out how simple yet clear the rules were:

3. Brand Mention

Notice how Anthropologie’s second rule explicitly states participants must credit all pins to Anthropologie with the hashtags #Anthropologie and #PintoWin. Participants also have to incorporate three of their favorite images from Anthropologie and Remodelista. The brilliance of this is that both Anthropologie and Remodelista gain recognition for their brands with every person who participates in the contest.

This is essential to bring traffic back to your site. Without this step, you’re losing valuable traffic leads.

4. Promote and Repurpose

After posting the contest on your website, cross-promote it on your company’s appropriate social media channels. This is where you keep viewers updated and encourage further participation.

Erica Campbell, social media expert and director of Homes.com says on an article from PRNews, “Every Pinterest contest we run, we cross promote on our blog and other social media channels such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Our current contest is an integrated campaign where we’re asking users to visit our Facebook page for our daily theme.”

Additionally, where possible, repurpose the entries and comments into blogs, video updates and your overall content marketing strategy.

Bridal Guide repurposed its Pinterest contest into content for its blog by highlighting the “5 Hottest Wedding Trends,” based on the most popular pins from participants.

For a big hurrah as the last step to promote its brand, Bridal Guide confirmed its strong relationship with participants by announcing the contest winner and then launching a YouTube video of the winning bride and groom, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes and very personal look.

For more help in creating a successful engaging Pinterest contest, check out these beneficial resources:

• Pinterest’s Brand Guidelines
• 3 Steps to Run Successful Pinterest Contests
• 7 Tips for Running Powerful Pinterest Contests

Your Thoughts:

Have you ever run a Pinterest contest? What were the results? If not, have these ideas inspired you to create your own engaging Pinterest contests? Leave your comments below.

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