Evident Productions

Mention the word giveaway to a group of your friends and it’s almost guaranteed that everyone will have a different definition. The same understanding applies to giveaways that are done online.

There are endless avenues that we could explore with this topic, but the one we want to discuss is making those giveaways work for YOU AND YOUR BRAND. Here are some quick things to take into account BEFORE you do a giveaway.

1)What is the end goal of the giveaway?

Is your end goal just to get as many viewers, signups, followers, or fans as you possibly can get? Are you trying to promote an awareness of your product? Think through what your metrics of success will be in the end, and how you want to BUILD ON AND USE any success you have for future communications with your viewers.

2)Who is my market that I am trying to reach?

Thinking through who your market or fan base. What they are interested in will often help in determining what your giveaways should be. For example, if you’re an artist promoting a release of a new CD to a 20’s and 30’s alternative music crowd you wouldn’t necessarily give away a professional marketing DVD series. In the same way, giving away a new eco friendly diaper bag won’t reach that local chamber of commerce market, BUT IT WILL BE highly effective in building that environmentally conscious mom’s group you’re going after.

Often times organizations, or businesses will partner up with others to giveaway items. The unfortunate thing is one or both of them are giving away product that may not necessarily be targeting either of their markets! If you’re going to just give stuff away without a strategy, just stand out on the street corner or in front of your store handing things out to people. You might build more followers, than you would wasting your time doing it online.

3)What type of awareness am I’m trying to promote with this giveaway?

After figuring out your market, build your giveaway around promoting a simple item, product line, or brand. Complicating awareness, by adding in too many factors will CONFUSE your audience, and DILUTE the marketing potential behind the giveaway. Be clear and concise. If you’re giving away an iPod full of your recipe lessons, don’t try to combine product literature about a furniture line you’re promoting as well, and the next event that you are appearing on their schedule.

Understanding your market and how they CONNECT to your product or brand will help you determine what type of awareness you should bring. If you do a giveaway about homeopathic brands, then also have a link on the giveaway sign-up area where people can find out more about your products. This will help generate visibility even with those that aren’t interested in signing up for your giveaway, but simply clicked through on your giveaway post out of curiosity.