Best Sweepstakes Examples You Need to Know

Sweepstakes is an old method of brand promotion and marketing that has managed to stick around even in today’s era of digital and online marketing. It is an important marketing technique that has been used repeatedly by various brands across a wide range of industries. The popularity of sweepstakes giveaways can be attributed to a broad spectrum of factors, including their potential to reach a large audience, drive engagement, and help businesses expand their social followings. 

As a business considering creating your own sweepstakes software and running a campaign, learning about successful sweepstakes examples might be a good idea. This blog explores some of the best sweepstakes examples and provides a guide for choosing the best platform. 

• The growing popularity of sweepstakes can be attributed to how successful this strategy has been for the brands that have tried it out in recent years. 
• Over the years, there have been numerous examples of brands that have successfully implemented sweepstakes to achieve various business goals. 
• Sweepstakes campaigns vary in their overall goals, method of entry, and the prizes they offer winners. 
• Choosing the right sweepstakes platform is an important factor that can influence the campaign outcome.

Choosing Sweepstakes Platforms

According to recent statistics, up to 55 million Americans participate in sweepstakes and contests yearly. Rising sweepstakes popularity can be attributed to a wide range of factors, but it is primarily due to how successful this strategy has been for the brands that have tried it out in recent years. 

For anyone looking to cash in on these benefits, you not only have to get answers to questions like what are sweepstakes and how they work. You also need to know how to choose the best sweepstakes platforms to host your campaigns. That’s because choosing the right platform to manage your sweepstakes promotion will determine the success of your marketing strategy.

Here are some of the things to keep in mind while selecting the best sweepstakes platforms to manage your campaign effectively. 

Secure Data Collection 

Secure data collection is arguably the most important attribute to consider when managing your sweepstakes with a third-party tool. Your choice of sweepstakes service provider should ensure the safe management of all the data you collect in your campaign. Choosing a secure platform will reassure participants of the fairness of your sweepstakes promotion and also protect them from potentially costly data breaches that can put your brand at risk. 

Efficient User Management Features 

Your choice of sweepstakes platform should have tools that make it easy to manage users. Robust user management capabilities will make it easy to search and filter users and identify/exclude back-listed users or former sweepstakes winners, among other features. Scalability is also important for user management. You need a platform that can handle a large number of user entries and will grow with your business. 

Ease-of-use

You should use a platform that will be easy for your sweepstakes participants to use. Consider the fact that your sweepstakes contest will involve a large audience across different demographics including those with limited tech skills or experience. The last thing you want is for users to spend hours figuring out how your sweepstakes contest works. Good software will make it easy for users to find their way around without external guidance. A complex or unattractive user interface will limit user satisfaction and retention.

Social Features 

Social interaction is an important aspect of running a sweepstakes contest. It’s a good idea if participants can register for your campaign with their social media profiles and share content directly from the sweepstakes platform. This contest entry method can potentially increase the reach of your social media giveaway and drive better results for your marketing efforts. 

Customization

When using third-party software to run your sweepstakes, it helps if you choose a platform that can be customized to the unique needs of your business. Platforms that allow custom branding, unique sweepstakes rules, and custom forms can be quite beneficial. Generally, you should consider the specific needs of your business and campaign goals to choose a suitable platform for your campaign. 

Random Winner-picking Tool

Every sweepstakes contest ends with choosing a random winner from a pool of entrants. Sweepstakes official rules state that this process should be completely random and fair to all users. It’s a good idea if your sweepstakes platform can select winners using a fair and accurate random-number algorithm.

Successful Sweepstakes Campaigns

Sweepstakes campaigns can be quite beneficial to the brands that host them. Over the years, there have been numerous sweepstakes examples that demonstrate how brands have successfully implemented giveaway campaigns to grow their social media audience, build an email list, increase web traffic, and promote their products. Here’s a list of some very successful sweepstakes campaigns that have been conducted by well-known brands in recent years.

Men’s Health Home Gym Sweepstakes 

Men’s Health ran a sweepstakes program that gave lucky winners ten home gym sets and nutrition bundles. To enter this contest, customers were simply required to submit their entry on the Men’s Health website. The goal was to generate traffic for the fitness and lifestyle magazine, bringing attention to the digital subscriptions and other digital products on the brand’s website. 

Lala’s 12 Days of Gifting

Dairy product company LaLa ran a back-to-school sweepstakes aimed at boosting sales of Lala’s product ahead of the new school year. The purchase-based sweepstakes required entrants to scan and upload receipts of the brand’s product for a chance to win gift cards, free products, and electronics. Lala partnered with Snipp, a receipt validation platform to confirm the authenticity of submitted receipts for the campaign. 

Nine West’s Sweepstakes to Boost Awareness 

Fashion retailer Nine West organized a sweepstakes for its Australian customers which leveraged social media giveaways to boost awareness and website visits. The campaign promised gift vouchers in the brand’s shops and all customers had to do to participate was to register on a microsite with their Facebook or Google account. Not only did this result in thousands of site visits, but the campaign also got several shares on social media. 

Dove’s Gorgeous Selfie Challenge 

Dove’s Gorgeous Selfie sweepstakes contest gave participants a chance to win a spa experience for two by simply taking a selfie with a Dove beauty bar and uploading it as a comment on a Facebook post. The contest also required entrants to nominate a friend to be a part of the giveaway. This sweepstakes leveraged user-generated content to promote a product while boosting social media engagement and awareness at the same time. 

Nestle DiGiorno 

Nestle DiGiorno created a simple giveaway campaign to celebrate National Pizza Month. The sweepstakes was launched in the form of an overlay integrated directly into the brand’s website. The goal of this campaign was to encourage repeat engagement with the brand, boost purchases, and increase customer loyalty. All participants had to do was visit the site, refer friends, and connect on social media for a chance to win a pizza trip to Italy and an invitation to pizza parties. 

Domino’s Pizza’s Pizza Time for a Year!

This was another pizza-themed sweepstakes, this time offering customers a chance to win a free pizza meal daily for a year. All participants had to do to enter was to sign up on Domino’s website with their email and phone number so they could be notified about the giveaway when it started. Expectedly, Domino received tons of entries, meaning more emails and phone numbers of potential leads so that they could market their business.

DC Comics 

As part of the campaign efforts for DC Comics’ release of the Suicide Squad Blue-ray, the brand treated die-hard fans to some exclusive gifts which included an extended cut of Suicide Squad, concept art signed by David Ayer, movie poster signed by the film’s cast and statues of Harley Quinn and Deadshot. These were special gifts that were sure to get fans of the franchise excited and all they had to do to qualify for a chance to earn it was leave a comment on a Youtube video with a hashtag. The campaign did a good job of driving awareness about the release while the hashtag and comment would have boosted social media reach and engagement. 

Lay’s One Year’s Worth of Free Chips 

A product redesign can get problematic; users who are already familiar with a particular design may have trouble recognizing or adjusting to a new one which will cause sales to tank. Lay’s figured out a way around this problem by launching a social media contest built around its product redesign. The contest gave entrants a chance to win a year’s worth of free chips and all they had to do was take a picture of themselves with one of the newly redesigned bags and upload it to a website. As part of this campaign, Lay’s picked five winners randomly every day with a total of 200 winners at the end of the campaign. Not only did this boost sales, but it also improved brand recognition and customer loyalty. 

Kraft Heinz’s Summer Grilling Season Delight Sweepstakes 

Kraft Heinz came up with a sweepstakes challenge to drive up sales in Walmart stores in Canada with its summer grilling season challenge. To be a part of this campaign, shoppers had to purchase three Kraft Heinz products and upload an image of their receipt on a microsite. Participants stood a chance of winning several mouthwatering prizes including unique recipes, Weber SmokeyFire Pellet Grills, and Walmart Gift Cards worth a total of $50,000!

Anguilla Ultimate Getaway Luxury Giveaway 

Brands and businesses are not the only ones that use sweepstakes contests. Sometimes, government organizations offer sweepstakes with high-value prizes as well. A good example of this was the sweepstakes program organized by the Anguilla Tourism Board to promote the brand as a tourist destination. The campaign gave entrants a chance to win a special luxury getaway for two with an interesting itinerary. Up to 8,000 people entered this social media contest which helped the tourism board expand its reach and advertise the island as a favorable tourist destination.

Sweepstakes as a Growth Strategy

Sweepstakes can form an important part of a brand’s growth strategy. By offering attractive prizes and using creative tactics to get participants to take specific actions, an organization can enhance brand awareness, generate leads, and get its products in front of more people. All of these contribute to business growth quite significantly. 

To really understand how sweepstakes drive growth, you need to learn how it works compared to other giveaway options. By comparing sweepstakes vs contest or sweepstakes vs raffle, you’ll see how sweepstakes are meant to be organized and the different strategies that can drive desired growth results. Some of these growth tips and tricks are highlighted below. 

Growth Tips & Tricks

• Host sweepstakes on dedicated landing pages: While sweepstakes are often hosted directly on social media, brands can also create a dedicated landing page or microsite on their website for the sweepstakes contest. The contest landing page may contain information about the sweepstakes, pictures of the gifts to make the contest more attractive, a call to action inviting customers to join the contest, and any additional information about the brand. 
• Offer relevant prizes: The prizes in a sweepstakes contest can be pretty much anything. However, it helps when you offer prizes directly related to your brand and target audience. An irrelevant prize may increase engagement, but it will only lead to low-quality leads. For instance, the prizes in DC Comics’ sweepstakes contest mentioned above may not appeal to non-DC fans, but to the target audience, it is precious gold. Prizes that drive future sales or interactions with your brand may also be more valuable than instant gifts like cash rewards. 
• Grow your social media: A sweepstakes program is an effective way to grow your social media presence. By leveraging user-generated content or getting entrants to interact with your social media page (share a post, leave a reply in the comments section, like, or follow), you can generate some social media buzz that’ll earn your page more followers and increase your reach. 

Marketing and Promotional Strategies: Sweepstakes for Brand Awareness

A custom sweepstakes program is an efficient marketing and promotional opportunity that can increase brand awareness in various ways. Compared to other marketing methods, sweepstakes have a real potential to go viral, boosting the reach of your brand and helping you connect with new customers. Some of the ways sweepstakes can be used as a tool to boost brand awareness and engage potential customers include.

User-generated Content

Sweepstakes are often free to enter, which means participants don’t have to pay any money to qualify. However, that’s not to say you cannot use the opportunity to get entrants to do something in return for the brand. A common strategy that can drive positive results is to have the participants create user-generated content related to your brand. This will help drive brand awareness and get your products in front of new audiences. 

Referrals

Getting people to share your posts and refer others to your sweepstakes is a productive strategy. You can encourage your followers to tag their friends in the comment section or share the sweepstakes details through a link. These referrals turn ordinary customers into brand evangelists who tell others about your business and products. Sweepstakes examples that use this tactic have shown great potential for increasing a brand’s social media followers and other related marketing objectives.

Strategic Partnerships

One of the tried-and-tested strategies to introduce your brand to the right audience is by partnering with another brand with the right audience. When brands team up for an online giveaway, they both get to benefit from their respective unique audience while also strengthening their bond with their existing shared user base. For instance, a simple follow-to-win contest will increase the follower count of the targeted brand. You can also give gift cards or vouchers for another business as part of your giveaway prizes. 

Give Back

Raising awareness about a course is a good way to increase your reach to a relevant audience. You may donate part of any money you make from sales to a specific course or charity group or give your customers a chance to choose a charity as part of their prizes. In addition to showing your customers that you care, you’ll also get to earn some popularity scores for your brand. 

Organizing Online Sweepstakes

A sweepstakes is a relatively straightforward contest. Winners are selected randomly which means you don’t need an elaborate competition or a set of complex criteria to choose a winner. You simply need to determine the goal of your sweepstakes, organize the contest, and distribute gifts to lucky winners selected randomly from a pool of entrants. 

These days, people have become quite wary of sweepstakes scams and they will not participate in your sweepstakes contest if it is poorly organized. Here are some steps to follow to organize an online sweepstakes that wins. 

User Registration

To join a sweepstakes contest, users need to be able to register somehow. This may involve filling out a form, commenting on a social media post, following a page, and so on. The registration phase is also an opportunity to collect valuable data or build an email list if it is a goal for your campaign. It should be as straightforward as possible and should include clear instructions on the eligibility requirements of the sweepstakes program. Easy sweepstakes examples tend to get more entries since social media users will find them easier to navigate. It also helps if you can provide an alternative method of entry to admit more people.

Participation Flow

The possibilities of a sweepstakes participation flow are only limited by your imagination. This is where you make your sweepstakes as engaging as possible. You can get participants to perform a wide range of tasks in line with your campaign goals, from filling out a form to liking an Instagram post or uploading content. Be sure to make the tasks as simple as possible and make sure you aren’t breaking any sweepstakes law or legal requirements. 

Picking Winners

After the sweepstakes duration ends, you need to pick a winner (or winners) for your contest. Your brand’s reputation rides on the success of this stage of your campaign. You need to use a method that is completely random and transparent to ensure everyone has a fair shot at winning the prize. Consider using a reputable and verified platform that can pick winners randomly from the pool of participants. 

Sharing the Sweepstakes

After selecting the winners, the final stage is to distribute their prizes to them. This stage should be open and transparent as well. It’s good for your brand when everyone can see that you have fulfilled the sweepstakes promise. It will encourage even more people to participate in your next contest.  

Sweepstakes Entry Methods and Prizes

There are different methods for entering a sweepstakes. The right method to use depends on your campaign goals, target audience, and your preferred creative direction. Some of the most common methods include: 

• Purchase-based campaigns: This typically involves getting loyal customers to upload evidence of a purchase such as receipts or a photo with the product for a chance to win prizes. Since the campaign is built around purchases, the reward may be in the form of gift cards and vouchers that they can use to shop. 
• Gift-with-purchase with sweepstakes: This is similar to the purchase-based method. But in this case, every purchase is a chance to earn a random gift. This is an effective strategy to drive users towards buying your product and making more sales.
• Non-purchase-based sweepstakes: These do not involve making a purchase from the brand, but can be just as effective at driving awareness and even sales in the long run. With a low barrier to entry, you are likely to get more people to participate in this entry mode.
• Social media campaigns: They may involve interacting with a single post or something more elaborate like sharing your own user-generated content on social media, referring others, or completing some social media tasks. 
• No-purchase-necessary (NPN) sweepstakes: They can be just as effective at driving awareness and sales as purchase-based promotions. Why? Because it lowers the barrier to entry, simplifies the user experience, and increases engagement.

Conclusion

Choosing the right software development partner is important especially when you have decided to build your own sweepstakes software instead of using a third-party provider. At CrustLab, we specialize in delivering iGaming software development services including sweepstakes solutions tailored to meet the unique demands of the iGaming industry. Contact us today to learn more about our services and get started on building a successful campaign.