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Running a sweepstakes can be a great way for alcohol brands to engage with their customers and build brand loyalty. However, there are several legal and ethical considerations that adults beverage companies must take into account when running a sweepstakes involving alcohol. In this blog post, we will discuss four sweepstakes tips for alcohol companies and what they should consider.
Comply with Legal Requirements: Alcohol brands must comply with various legal requirements when running a sweepstakes. For example, in the United States, brands must comply with state and federal laws, including the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulations. Brands must also ensure that their sweepstakes are open to individuals of legal drinking age and are not accessible to individuals who are prohibited from consuming alcohol.
Hire a Sweepstakes Agency: As mentioned above there are several legal requirements to consider and these must be clearly defined in the rules and Regulations. Hiring a sweepstakes agency who specializes in sweepstakes law is key. The sweepstakes agency will structure the rules to include the eligibility criteria, how to enter, the deadline for entry, the prize, and any other relevant details. The rules and regulations must be easily accessible and prominently displayed to potential entrants.
Adhere to Responsible Marketing: Alcohol brands have a responsibility to market their products in a responsible manner. This includes promoting responsible consumption and avoiding any messaging that could be perceived as promoting excessive or irresponsible drinking. Alcohol brands should also ensure that their sweepstakes do not target underage individuals or encourage excessive drinking. In addition to handling the creation of the official rules and abbreviated rules, Sync will review all of your marketing materials to make sure that they are legally compliant.
Ensure the Prize is Relevant and Appropriate: The prize for the sweepstakes should be relevant and appropriate to the brand and its target audience. For example, a luxury whiskey brand may offer a private distillery tour as a prize, while a beer brand may offer tickets to a popular sporting event. Additionally, the prize should not actually include alcohol or promote excessive consumption of alcohol.
In conclusion, running a sweepstakes can be a great way for alcohol brands to engage with their customers and build brand loyalty. However, alcohol brands must consider several legal and ethical considerations to ensure that their sweepstakes comply with legal requirements, promote responsible marketing, and are relevant and appropriate to their target audience. By following these tips, you can run a successful and responsible sweepstakes!
Sweepstakes have long been a popular marketing tool for businesses as they produces a tremendous return on investment (ROI). In 2023, there are many different types of sweepstakes that brands (and their agency partners) can run to engage with customers, build brand awareness, and generate leads. Here is list of the top 10 types of sweepstakes to run in 2023:
Social Media Contests:
With billions of people using social media every day, running a sweepstakes on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Twitter is a great way to reach a large audience and interact with consumers. Brands can ask customers to like, comment, and share their posts to enter the sweepstakes, and can even require entrants to follow their social media accounts to participate.
This can have two positive impacts:
Increased Brand Awareness: The ripple effect is real. The more people know about you, the more their friends and followers will know about you.
Increased Engagement: Social media sweepstakes can also help businesses increase engagement with their existing followers. By offering a chance to win prizes, it can increase engagement and help to build a stronger relationship with customers. Additionally, the excitement and anticipation of the sweepstakes can encourage customers to visit a business’s social media channels more often, which can lead to increased engagement overall.
Referral Sweepstakes:
Referral sweepstakes incentivize customers to refer their friends to your business. Entrants can earn additional entries for each friend they refer who also enters the sweepstakes, which can help brands build their email lists and reach new customers. Referral sweepstakes can create a greater likelihood that those referrals will turn into new customers because they are being referred by a friend. That’s an instant vouch of support for the brand.
These types of sweepstakes can be achieved in different ways. You can have a simple enter to win sweepstakes where entrants can refer up to five friends after entry for extra chances to win or they can refer friends by tagging on a social media sweepstakes. Our client Wealthfront just finished a campaign where they gave away $25,000 to three different Wealthfront members. Entrant received extra entries for doing a number of different tasks including referring friends!
Instant Win Sweepstakes:
Instant win sweepstakes allow customers to enter and find out immediately if they have won a prize. This type of sweepstakes can be especially engaging for customers, as they don’t have to wait for a drawing to find out if they’ve won. It also allows them to feel like they have a great chance to win. Sync recommends offering daily entries for instant win campaigns as it will keep customers coming back and engaging with your brand.
Survey Sweepstakes:
Surveys are a great way for businesses to gather feedback from customers, and adding a sweepstakes component can help incentivize customers to participate. Businesses can offer prizes to random survey participants, or even offer a larger prize to the customer who provides the most helpful feedback.
Photo or Video Contests:
Photo and video contests can be a fun way for customers to engage with a brand and show off their creativity. Businesses can ask customers to submit photos or videos related to a specific theme, and then award prizes to the best entries. Sync can help guide you on what type of judging criteria to include in the official rules. We also offer a judging platform for to score entries.
Daily Sweepstakes:
Daily sweepstakes allow businesses to keep customers engaged over an extended period of time. It’s best to offer a different prize every day to keep entrants coming back. Then offer a lager overarching grand prize to anyone who entered through the sweepstakes entry period.
Essay or Writing Contests:
If you want to engage with customers who are passionate about something, offering an essay or writing contests can be a great option. Brands can ask customers to write about a specific topic, and then award prizes to the entries that best matched the judging criteria.
Treasure Hunt Sweepstakes:
These are fun! Treasure hunt sweepstakes can be a fun way to engage with customers and build brand awareness. Businesses can hide clues or information about their brand or products throughout their website or social media channels, and then award a prize to the customer who finds all of the clues. If it’s within the budget you can include it on your website, but if you want to do smaller scare, we recommend running these types of campaigns on your social channels.
Instant Discount Sweepstakes:
Instant discount sweepstakes offer customers a chance to win an immediate discount on their next purchase. We typically recommend the discount to appear after entry and still offering a larger overarching grand prize. This type of sweepstakes can help drive sales for businesses while also providing customers with a fun and engaging experience.
Charity Sweepstakes or Contests:
Charity campaigns allow businesses to give back to their communities while also engaging with customers.
Sweepstakes: Businesses can donate a certain amount to a charity based on the number of entries they receive. Allowing entrants to vote on the charity they want to donate to, is another great option.
Contests: Going back to the essay contests, brands can ask people to nominate deserving people for the chance to win. The person nominated would then money for themselves and the cause they donate their time to. Sync recommends background checks for this and can provide this service for you.
Charity sweepstakes and contests can produce a great ROI.
In conclusion, there are many different types of sweepstakes that businesses can run in 2023 to engage with customers and build brand awareness. Whether you choose to run a social media contest, a referral sweepstakes, an instant win sweepstakes, or any of the other options on this list, a well-executed sweepstakes can be a powerful tool for driving sales and building customer loyalty.
Summer is a fantastic time for brands (and their agency partners) to engage with their customers and create buzz around their brand. One way to do this is by running a summer sweepstakes or contest. There are many different types of sweepstakes and contests to choose from, but not all of them are created equal. Today, we’ll explore the top summer sweepstakes and contest ideas.
Simple Enter to Win
Running a straight forward enter to win sweepstakes is a great way to reward consumers while collecting emails. Offering a chance to win a trip to a popular summer destination, such as a beach resort, national park, or theme park will really entice consumers because summer is already on the brain.
Here are a few prizing ideas to consider:
Adventure Sweepstakes in the Outdoors
Summer is the perfect time for getting outside, and an outdoor adventure sweepstakes is a great way to engage customers who are interested in hiking, camping, or other outdoor activities. A prize package could include camping gear, hiking boots, or even a guided camping trip.
Summer Vacation Sweepstakes
People love to travel during the summer, and a summer vacation sweepstakes is a great way to tap into this enthusiasm. A prize package could include a weekend getaway, a cruise, or even an all-expenses-paid trip to a popular vacation destination. Check out this sweepstakes from Sync and our client La Tierra de Mezcal who is giving away a trip to Mexico!
Backyard BBQ Backyard BBQ Sweepstakes
Backyard BBQs are a summer tradition, and a backyard BBQ sweepstakes is a great way to engage customers who love to grill. A prize package could include a grill, grilling accessories, and even a gift card to purchase food and beverages.
UGC Contests
Running a user-generated content (UGC) contest over the summer can have numerous benefits for businesses looking to engage with their audience. Whether it is a summer cocktail recipe contest, or a world’s best guacamole contest, you’re sure to receive a lot of great content that fits with your brand.
Sync offers a variety of services when it comes to UGC contests. While we have you covered with legal and outlining the structure of your promotion, we can also track and judge the entries for you.
Event Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes held at special events like festivals and sporting events provide a great opportunity to build your email database. Create some on site marketing materials with a QR code straight to your entry page to allow people to enter for a chance to win. If it’s a paid event, Sync can create an alternate means of entry (AMOE) microsite to keep your campaign legally compliant.
Overall running a summer sweepstakes or contest can increase engagement, sales and brand awareness in a cost-effective way. With a well-designed and executed campaign, businesses can capitalize on the excitement and enthusiasm of summer and create a positive impact on their bottom line. There’s still plenty of time. Contact Sync today to get a same day quote for your summer sweepstakes!
Are you considering running a sweepstakes or contest in multiple countries? International sweepstakes and contest law can be overwhelming. These four steps will help get you prepared for a successful campaign.
1. Plan Ahead
Creating and Approving Rules: The lead time for running an international sweepstakes and contests is longer because you need to allow for feedback and approvals from multiple jurisdictions. Sync Marketing creates the US version of the official rules first, then distributes the approved US rules to legal counsel in each participating country. We receive their feedback and implement it into the final set of rules. This process can take a couple weeks based on the number of countries involved. Recently, Sync Marketing was the administrator for Rapyd’s Hack the Galaxy promotion, which ran in an astonishing 47 countries!
Translations: After the rules are approved, they will need to be translated in the language of the participating countries, which can take up to another week.
Filing Fees: Keep in mind that you will need to bond and register the promotion in NY and FL one week prior to the campaign start date as well as follow the guidelines of each participating country based on the structure of the campaign
Creating official rules, translation and bonding and registering are all services that Sync Marketing provides.
2. Consider a multi-phase approach
If you are hesitating to dive in to a full-blown international campaign, maybe start with a toe dip. Some of our clients start with a North America and UK campaign as those can move forward more quickly. If successful, they will run another the following quarter to include additional markets. If you have the ability for a multi-phase approach, this would be a good concept for you.
3. Budget accordingly
Understandably, running a sweepstakes or contest in multiple countries comes with additional costs. Make sure to consider the legal, programming, filing, and translation costs involved for this larger initiative. Sync marketing frequently runs international campaigns and can provide a same day quote
4. Hire a sweepstakes agency
International sweepstakes and contest law can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s best practice to work with an agency that specializes in all aspects of international sweepstakes and contest law. At Sync Marketing, we can handle all aspects of your next international sweepstakes or contest, including the design, development, legal and prize fulfillment. High profile, international campaigns come with risks if not buttoned up from the start. Hiring a sweepstakes agency for your next international sweepstakes or contest will ensure you can proceed with piece of mind while leaving it to the experts.
Offering big displays, entertainment and food sampling are all effective ways a company can draw people to their booth during a trade show. Today I will discuss an updated version of the typical booth raffle – an online sweepstakes. Below I will break down the three top reasons to run a sweepstakes at your next trade show.
Catch people’s attention
If you’re giving away a trip, cash or free products/services, you’re sure to turn heads and pique attendees’ interest. When Sync runs trade show giveaways, we provide the client with a QR code to put on all their POP and marketing materials that when scanned links directly to an online entry form. This makes it a seamless user experience. Users will stop, scan and go directly to the sweepstakes site and enter for their chance to win – big! And best of all, we can select winners same day and they don’t need to hang around all day for their number to be called. Go Delta highlighted the benefits in their article by saying, “A study by Exhibit Surveys Inc. found that companies that displayed promotional giveaways at their booth had significantly higher traffic than companies that did not utilize giveaways.”
Boost email opt-ins
For each entry you receive, you can also receive an email opt-in. This allows you to reach back out to all of those who attended your show. You can even send them a surprise and delight offer to everyone who entered as a thank you.
Drive sales
After entry you can provide CTA on the thank you for entering page back to your site. You could even offer discounts after entry to help boost sales. Want to take it a step further? Ask those who entered to sign up for SMS notifications for an additional chance to win!
Sweepstakes are a fast and effective way to obtain the best ROI for your next trade show. Sync provides an all-inclusive package consisting of design, programming, legal and prize fulfillment for your next sweepstakes. We even offer discounts to clients who run multiple trade shows a year. Now that’s a win for everyone! Contact us today for pricing and campaign examples.
3 Reasons to Run a Sweepstakes at Your Next Trade Show
The holiday season this year seems to have come around quicker than ever before. As brands prepare to execute their holiday plans, throwing in a last-minute holiday giveaway could possibly create your best ROI all season. Today, I will discuss five types of holiday giveaways to run.
One – Days of Giving Sweepstakes: Keep up engagement with a day of giving sweepstakes this holiday season. Award a prize every day for an extended period. Allowing consumers to receive one entry a day will increase engagement with your brand. If you promote and/or run it on social, it will allow consumers to see other featured gift items and holiday sales you are promoting because they will be returning daily to enter. In addition, consumers feel as though they have a better chance at winning if more prizes are given away. Try going for the gold and offer a larger overarching grand prize to increase awareness about your giveaway.
Two – Social Sweepstakes: We are all guilty of scrolling and buying on Instagram. Take advantage of this “lazy” way of shopping by running a social giveaway. Ask entrants to follow, like and tag a friend for a chance to win. We would also recommend giving a prize to the friend who is tagged. Need some more tips? Check out this article from Social Media Examiner.
Three – Holiday Wishlist Sweepstakes: There are many fun ways to incorporate a Wishlist sweepstakes concept into your holiday plans. Try asking consumers if they would rather have A, B or C this holiday season. List items with comparable prices and if they win, let them choose which item they want to receive. This also provides you with consumer insight on which products are most popular. Check out this article about running a sweepstakes can help sell products online.
Four – Family-Friendly Contests: If your brand is geared towards children, try running a family-themed contest this holiday season. You could ask entrants to turn one of your shipping boxes into a race car and submit a photo or have a turkey drawing contest. The possibilities are endless, and the concept will help bring families together.
Five – Photo Contests: Another theme that has endless possibilities. Thank silliest family holiday photos, best captured moment of the year, or even ask consumers to take a photo of their space that they need upgraded. Depending on your brand this is a great way to create a custom promotion specific to your brand that will produce engagement and fun. Need ideas on what to give away? Check out this article here.
It’s the season of giving, so give your consumers what they want – a holiday giveaway! Need more ideas on types of holiday giveaways to run? Contact Sync today for a free brainstorming call.
Running an online sweepstakes or contest is an effective tool to engage consumers and elevate your brand or company. There are many things to consider when including a sweepstakes such as budget, run dates, eligibility, and prizing. The most important and often overlooked items are the legal parameters of a campaign. If not addressed in advance, it could derail all your efforts. Below are 5 ways to avoid legal issues when running a sweepstakes.
Official Rules and Abbreviated Rules
Think of this as your sweepstakes’ user manual. The official rules should be a blueprint of your campaign and should clearly outline eligibility, campaign run dates, how and where to enter, prizing and the total ARV. It’s also important to include when and how a potential winner will be notified. Entrants should have a clear understanding of how the sweepstakes works and there should be no surprises. Abbreviated rules are a shortened version of the full rules that should give entrants a direct link to the full set of rules. Here is a helpful article of what should be included in the rules.
Bonding and Registration
Did you know that certain states require you to bond and register your promotion? Usually, it’s dependent on the total ARV of a campaign, but it varies by state. Neglecting to bond and register and not adhering to the timing deadlines for when you can submit your registration and bonding could amount to hefty penalties. Here are links to New York, Florida and Rhode Island that specifically addresses their requirements.
Legal Review of Marketing Materials
You may have your official rules buttoned up, but did you know there are legal disclaimers that should appear on your marketing materials such as emails, POP and social media posts? Also, your marketing materials must not be misleading to entrants. A full-service sweepstakes agency can guide you on what is required to keep your promotion legally compliant.
Social Media Restrictions
Social media campaigns are fun and inexpensive, but they do come with legal requirements which are constantly changing. Each platform has their own guidelines that you must following in order to run a campaign. Guidelines change quite frequently so it is a good idea to consult with a legal professional who is up-to-date on all of the changes. If you can’t get outside help, it’s a good idea to go to each platform. Here are links to Facebook, TwitterandInstagram’s policy pages.
Privacy and Collecting PII
Consumer privacy is a very hot-button item. There are many rules and regulations about collecting and storing personal identifying information (PII). Consulting the laws for each participating state and country if international is essential before running a campaign. For example, here is a helpful article about the CCPA law that affects promotions running in California.
While many companies opt to use inexpensive sweepstakes software to build and manage their campaigns, they often overlook the legal elements. It may be less expensive, but in the long run, you may end up paying heavily in fines and even have your promotion shut down mid campaign. Now that you know the 5 ways to avoid legal issues when running a sweepstakes, consider using a full-service agency like Sync to manage your campaign.
The last 12 months have been unlike anything any of us have ever experienced. 2021 is the year for companies to give back to consumers more than ever before. One of the best ways to give back is through running contests. Today I will discuss 4 reasons to run a contest now.
People want to feel connected
Now more than ever, people want to share their experiences as a way to connect. This is a great opportunity for brands to ask their customers to share their story for a chance to win something truly helpful to them. Crate and Barrel is currently asking engaged or recently married couples to share their story for a chance to win everything in their registry (up to $2,500). In addition, Crate and Barrel will make a $1,000 donation to Feeding America® on behalf of each couple.
Feel-Good Content
People are ready to start getting good news again! What better way than to run contests that help share good news and create positive change. Aerie is continuing their Changemakers initiative for a second year to celebrate consumers who are making a difference and reward them with the necessary funds to continue their work. 20 amazing applicants will win $20,000 towards their personal missions. This campaign spreads good vibes while celebrating the efforts of people making changes in their community.
Consumers are on their phones now more than ever
Since you already have a social team trying to drive awareness and followers, why not add a contest? It’s a win for you and a win for consumers. A social contest is a great way to garner user-generated content and followers. With consumers on their phones now more than ever, having them upload content all while promoting your brand along the way is a no brainer. This also builds awareness for your brand, allows you to learn more about your consumer, and leaves them feeling seen and rewarded. As stated in outgrow.com, companies who run contests get an average of 17,500 new followers through a contest:
Have some Fun
Did you see the Big Game this year? If so, you probably saw the commercial for Mountain Dew’s Major Melon Bottle Count contest. Viewers were asked to tweet out how many bottles of Mountain Dew appeared in the ad for a chance to win $1 million dollars. Within minutes, there were thousands of tweets. Not everyone has Pepsi’s budget, but you get the idea. Offering consumers a fun contest will get them excited, engaged and will leave them with a good taste in their mouth about your company or brand (pun intended).
I hope these 4 reasons to run a contest now, were helpful. There are an assortments of ways to run a contest, and this year is the time. Let’s give back to our communities and let their voices be heard. Contact Sync today for help brainstorming your next campaign.
So, 2020 just happened…Let’s try to quickly put it behind us and begin planning for all the positives 2021 will hopefully bring. With more certainty of a better year ahead, marketers can now put more of their focus on finalizing a marketing plan and budget for the new year. Today I will discuss three reasons why including sweepstakes in your 2021 marketing budget is a good idea.
1. Effective ROI
With a turbulent 2020 in the rear-view mirror, you should look forward to what will give you the best return on your investment in 2021. Low cost, high reward campaigns are a great starting point. Sweepstakes are known for being an affordable yet effective marketing strategy. Sweepstakes and contests allow you to engage with your consumers, obtain new email subscribers, and leave them both feeling appreciated.
“… marketers might prioritize ROI over other metrics and avoid high-risk options. Flexibility is key, and it’s time to reevaluate your marketing budget so that it actually meets your company’s needs.” – Hope Horner from Business2Business
2. Social Reach
Running a social media sweepstakes or contest can greatly increase your follower base, create buzz and produce usable UGC. And in a year people are using social media platforms to connect now more than ever, it’s a simple and effective way to build your base and connect with those already in your base. In the article, 23 Mindblowing Statistic on Giveaways and Contests in 2020, Outgrow mentioned that 34% of new consumers are acquired through social contests and brands gain an average of 17,500 new followers through organizing these campaigns on their page.
For 2021, I would recommend running social media campaigns where you ask your consumers to tell their story. People want to share and want to connect, so give them a platform to do so. If you’re still in need of ideas for what type of social media sweepstakes to run, check out this Sync article where we discuss the top 5 social media sweepstakes ideas to engage consumers.
3. Consumer Loyalty
There’s never been a better time to reward your loyal and dedicated consumers than after a year where a majority of people’s budgets were stretched thin. If they have stuck with you, now’s the time to give back. When running a sweepstakes or contest, we always recommend giving away many smaller prizes and a larger overarching grand prize. The large prize will attract consumers and the smaller prizes will give back to more people. In addition, for 2021 we highly recommend surprise and delight offers to every consumer who participates. This is the time to give back and thank your consumers for hanging in there with you. Here, Clickz discusses why customer marketing is important for 2021.
While we could list many more reasons as to why including sweepstakes in your 2021 marketing budget is a good idea, we feel that after a crazy year, simple is better. Connection is key…so connect, listen, and give back to your consumers.
Taking a personality quiz or participating in a poll is all the rage these days. Who doesn’t want to be told if you are an introvert who likes to cuddle up next to a fire or an extrovert who is always keeping busy? Quizzes are very popular, especially on social media sites, so it makes sense to take advantage of this marketing tool. While running a quiz on its own is a great marketing tool, in this article I outline why adding a sweepstakes component has exponential benefits. Here are my 5 reasons to run a quiz with a sweepstakes.
1 Data Collection
You can learn so much about consumers and potential consumers when running a quiz. The information you receive from the quiz can be used for future marketing opportunities for your brand. And, you can target all of the new email subscribers you obtained through the sweepstakes and tailor your messaging to their specific likes. Second street also believe data collection is a benefit as they mention in this blog post.
2 Engagement
Quality engagement is so important when running a sweepstakes. If a consumer is willing to go to the effort to fill out a quiz, you know they have some curiosity for your brand. An effective add-on to any quiz with a sweepstakes is to offer a surprise and delight coupon after entry. This will lead to further engagement and traffic to your website, ideally leading to a sale.
3 Reach
As previously discussed in my post, “5 Ways to Increase Email Subscribers with a Sweepstakes,” people inherently want to share things about themselves to others. A quiz in no different. After you get your result, it’s common to want to share it with the world. This is an effective way to increase your reach when running a sweepstakes. You can even offer entrants extra entries for sharing their result with their friends on social media.
4 Reward
Make sure the prize is grand. At Sync Marketing, we always recommended including several smaller secondary prizes and a larger overarching grand prize. The smaller prizes give entrants the feeling that they have a better chance to win and the larger prize can be eye catching and tend to motivate people to participate. Whether it’s cash, a trip or a gift card for your site, make sure it’s worth the effort for your consumers to enter. As with all the reasons, great prizing is a fantastic way to increase the number of people who enter your sweepstakes and take your quiz.
5 Fun!
Since quizzes and sweepstakes are so popular, offering them allows consumers to have a fun and positive association with your brand and/or products. Plus, the more memorable engagement you have with consumers, the higher chance they will return to your site again and hopefully purchase something while there.
In conclusion, running a quiz with a sweepstakes is a fun and effective way to gather consumer information, email opt-ins and create a positive interaction with current and potential consumers. Here is a current quiz Sync is running. For more information on Sync Marketing’s quiz with a sweepstakes feature, contact us today.
