how to run a successful photo contest

How to run a successful photo contest07/ 2014

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White paper

White paper proposed by Kontest - 2

IntroductionWhether you are a Community Manager or an entrepreneur keen to create a positive working environment, the organization of contests has proven to be an effective and relatively inexpensive solution to manage a community and achieve marketing goals.

Different types of contests are particularly prevalent like sweepstakes or quizzes.

However, with the general use of mobile devices, we need to think multi-channel and multi-networks. If your have a big community and if you want to make them live an engaging brand experience on the web and mobile, the Photo Contest can be your solution.


Basic Photo contest or Instagram contestA Photo Contest is fun, captivating and gives endless possibilities to the organisers. We will list some of them in this white paper. The emergence of social networks like Instagram opens new possibilities for the photo contest.


An Instagram contest add some virality to a basic Photo contest thanks to the power of the network and the use of a hashtags. Everyone can now participate by sending a picture that looks nice with the use of filters. With Instagram contest it is easier to reach a mobile audience. And you can now propose more creative contests since the release of short video feature on Instagram.

in a nutshell, instagram represents:

• 200 millions of active users per month

• 5 millions of pictures published everyday in the world

Sources: Médiamétrie, march 2014


Photo contests create engagementBut first of all, why is it interesting to run a Photo contest?

You encourage the engagement

This is the first difference between a classic promotion and a Photo Contest.

When participants try to solve a quiz for example, they answer questions and seek clues like in a Scavenger Hunt. In fact, they need to think.

A Photo Contest is different because entrants must be creative in order to win. This involvement demonstrates an engagement towards your brand. The entrant will have to submit his creation to the public or jury vote. If it is a public vote, he will have to share and promote his creation in order to collect a consistent number of vote. So it will grow your game and brand awareness.


You reward creativity and talent

It is very encouraging for a participant to enter a photo contest, knowing that their originality and expertise will be rewarded and recognized by a jury or visible to the community through an online vote. The participation with a webcam allows entrants to be spontaneously original and creative, which provides more richness and interest in the Photo Contest.

The Instagram contest allows everyone to express their artistic side without posessing technical knowledge. This application will leverage the moment with the use of filters. It also means that the entrant will have to be really creative to have a chance to win. The possibility of taking short video on Instagram is a bit of a revolution. Through this application, the entrants will have the oportunity to propose rich and interesting content to the brand.

You could be suprised by the results that are sometimes unexpected!


4 tips to run a successful Photo Contest1 / Be original

You ask your participants to be creative, then set an example! Think out of the box and drop easy topics, it will pay off eventually.

Remember that a contest based on an original idea will make people talk about it and, as a matter of fact, count more entries.


2 / take advantage of new technologies

Running a Photo Contest app is facilitated by the development and standardization of technologies such as the webcam which is always part of modern laptops and most desktop computers. Ask entrants to take a picture of themselves.

Instagram network is growing fast. Many brands have already created an account on it but they don’t know how to engage the conversation. The Instagram contest will help you animate the community with a funny game.

You need to think mobile too, this goes without saying. According to a recent Google study, 84% of people hold a phone with a camera and use the device regularly. For instance, they can submit a photo they took earlier in the day. The Instagram contest follows the mobile and social gaming trend. Mesure your performance by tracking in real time the entrants with the key hashtag of your game on Instagram.

3 / Be consistent

Be consistent with your brand culture. If you are a manufacturer of professional photographic equipment, you may not ask for a webcam participation. Make the


connection between your business, your positioning and the campaign you will launch.

4 / Less is More

Even if your contest must show originality to be identified, remember that the greatest obstacle to a participation is the difficulty or the time that will be required to enter.Therefore, your topic should recquire an adjusted investment in time and resources (except for contests targeting professional photographers or illustrators, of course).

Apply the best practices to run a successful promotion. Remember that a successful contest requires good advertising before, during and after the campaign. Leverage your existing customers to maximize your chances to acquire new ones.

Think about the first prize, it is this key element that will appeal to participants. Equally important: do not forget to include rules and make sure your contest complies with both the country laws and Facebook terms.


ConclusionThe Photo Contests have many advantages and could become the preferred tool of Community Managers and the Human Resources.

They are fun and encourage creation, sharing and a sense of community. In addition, current technologies allow us to run effective multi-channel and multi-networks campaigns.

Don’t miss these awesome opportunities!


Example

Leverage your brand through games

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how to run a successful photo contest

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