Social media giveaway contests on Facebook or Instagram can help you build a reputable brand, generate new business, and create repeat customers all at the same time. Social media contests aren’t difficult to run, but sometimes it can be hard coming up with ideas for what would make a good prize.
If you’re having a difficult time coming up with contest or giveaway ideas, you’re in the right place. We’ll give you several ideas and strategies to use on any social media platform that will work wonders for expanding your business, no matter what your budget.
Giveaway Contest Ideas for Service-Based Businesses
You’ll need to decide how to structure your Facebook giveaway or contest or Instagram giveaway. An important part of that planning process is choosing the prize you’ll offer. Product-based businesses often give away their own products as a means of attracting relevant customers. This effective giveaway contest idea can work similarly for small or large service-based businesses. Here are some ideas on what you can use for a prize.
Related: 10 Examples of Facebook Contests & Instagram Giveaways
Offer Your Own Services
Great for health care providers, contractors, household service companies, and more.
Gift Cards
A gift card for your business is the perfect giveaway to get new and retain loyal customers.
Photographers:
Mini photo shoots are a great prize for a photography giveaway. Use a 30 minute photo shoot as a free prize for a social media contest. This small giveaway of your time can turn into a new customer down the line.
Health Care Providers:
Are you a chiropractor, massage therapist, psychiatrist or other medical provider? Offer one of your most popular services for free or at a discounted rate. Examples could include a free exam or adjustment, a free facial or skin care treatment, or a discounted therapy session.
Contractors:
Offer inspections, installations, and repair services for free. This will build a customer’s trust in your company as a reliable business.
Other household services, such as house keeping, pest control, pool maintenance, etc will benefit from giving away one of their popular services in a giveaway.
A “Share to Enter” giveaway will entice new customers to give you a try and former customers to repeat business and spread the word! This form of word-of-mouth marketing will help you reach the friends of those who already enjoy your services.
Offer Related Products or Tools
Related products or tools are great content prize ideas for all types of instructors, teachers, sports coaches, and life coaches.
Fitness Instructors:
Yoga teachers and fitness instructors can give away yoga mats, exercise clothing, or other sporting gear. Ask a sponsor to donate the items for your giveaway. If they are willing to donate more than one item, have a first, second, and third place winner. (The more opportunities people have to win, the more they will participate). Cross-promoting your sponsor’s product through your Facebook giveaway help you connect with new people who will be interested in the services you offer.
Craftsmanship/Music Lessons:
If you teach music lessons, a craft, a skill, or a trade, offer a free virtual class to the winner and their friend! If you hold regular sessions and normally charge on a monthly basis, offer the winner one month of the subscription for free.
All Instructors:
Write an e-book on a special topic in your field. If your company makes and sells software, offer a special “How-To” e-book free of charge to all those who participate in the giveaway. That way, no one walks away empty handed.
Give Away an Experience
Great for most service-based and product-based businesses.
Travel and Tourism:
If your company is part of the travel and tourism industry, giving away an all-expenses-paid trip for two is the perfect prize. If this option seems too far out of your budget, try cross-promotional partnering with some other companies in the industry to save yourself money and reach a larger audience.
Fan Experience Giveaways:
Serious fans would give anything to be a part of the magic behind your company and see the ins and outs of how it all works. Offer to have one lucky winner spend the day with your CEO, learning from the brains behind your company. Be sure to capture the day on film, too! Post that for added publicity to show your audience how great the experience was!
Restaurant/Bakery Giveaways:
One of the best affordable giveaway contest ideas is a gift card to a restaurant your target demographic would love. If you own a restaurant or eating establishment, offer a gift card to your own restaurant as your giveaway item.
Free Admission to an Event:
When choosing event tickets for your social media contest, be sure you choose an event that is relevant to what your business offers. Giving your winner the gift of a great memory with the people they love will positively associate your brand with a good experience.
Daycare providers could offer tickets to a Women’s Expo, leadership conference, movie tickets, or a Girls Night Out Paint Night event.
More Social Media Contest Prize Ideas For Any Company
Social Media Scavenger Hunt
Every year, Tony Hawk does a Twitter giveaway that is perfect for keeping his fans engaged. It is called the Tony Hawk Twitter Hunt. Boxes of Tony Hawk gear and other sports merchandise are hidden in several locations around the world. Pictures of the hiding spots are posted on Tony Hawk’s social media sites, with clues to help people find the hidden gear. Whoever finds the gear gets to keep it, and is asked to submit a picture of themselves with the gear with the hashtag #THTH to let others know when it’s been found. This giveaway is in its fourth year, and has sparked new interest in the Skateboarding legend and his brand. Small business owners can do a smaller-scale version of this giveaway by hiding their branded merchandise around an outdoor shopping mall and spreading awareness about the event through social media.
Code Word Discounts
A popular gourmet cupcake boutique called Sprinkles, engages its social media followers by periodically releasing a code word on social media that allows visitors to get free cupcakes during certain times of the day. Reward your followers for their loyalty by posting a code word on your social media sites during the giveaway event. When people come to your bakery or store location and say that code word, they will get a discount on an item or service.
Gift Baskets
Partner with companies that offer products similar to yours to create a gift basket full of products your customers will love. Have your partners promote the giveaway on their social media sites to increase the number of people you reach! If your company sells healthy foods and raises awareness about how to eat better, offer a gift basket of healthy and organic foods.
To reach people interested in social change and sustainable food growth, you could also give away gardening tools with your logo engraved on them. A gift basket complete with the logo-emblazoned tool set, packets of seeds, a watering can, and a book on gardening or a gardening magazine subscription would be the perfect giveaway for someone who is passionate about organic and sustainable growth.
Emergency Preparedness Kits
If your law firm deals exclusively with auto accidents, give away an emergency preparedness roadside assistance kit. Included in this kit could be things like flares, flashlights, jumper cables, an emergency blanket, an ice scraper, and more.
Start Your Social Media Giveaway
Once you’ve picked your prize, and read up on how to put together an effective Facebook giveaway or run an Instagram giveaway from start to finish, all you’ll need is to choose a winner! Ready to begin?
What’s your favorite kind of Facebook or Instagram prize giveaway? If you’ve won a giveaway, what were your favorite contest prizes? Let us know in the comments below!
