Giveaway contests

[dwellwing]

What are your guys thoughts on running giveaway contests? Do they work to increase brand awareness and maybe get more sales? I'm currently working with someone to scale my dropshipping business and he strongly suggested not running any giveaway contest at all. I'm sort of going out on a limb trusting him in the process. I have always thought that doing some giveaways in moderation was a good idea but I could be wrong. Let me hear your feedback on your experience so that I can make a decision going forward and gain more insight. My website is www.dwellingambience.com. The business name is Dwelling Ambience.

[Rein · Accepted solution]

Hi, @dwellwing 

I understand that you are curious about giveaways, and their effectiveness. While they do work to initially build up interest in products, they work best after you have built up a large following. 

What I would recommend looking initially is to:

1. Invest in SEO
   1. Done well, you can show up for popular search terms related to your products. The screenshot below shows Shopify merchant Everyday Yoga ranking on page 1 in Google search for the term “women’s yoga pants,” which receives more than 49,500 searches per month. 
2. Run an influencer marketing campaign
   1. Influencer marketing is a smart way to accelerate your ecommerce business online. It helps you reach new audiences, build brand awareness, and work with creators that make sales for you. Influencers are like internet celebrities that work as ambassadors for your brand. You pay them to promote your products through free products, cash, or discounts. 
3. Sell on marketplaces
   1. Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay can help people discover your brand easier, reaching millions of people around the world. Some customers are die-hard marketplace shoppers and there is a higher chance they’ll buy something from you on a channel they know. However, they do come with hefty selling fees and other caveats to consider. 

Focusing on these core tenants first can help build a solid foundation and increase growth within the space you are marketing to directly. 

Have you looked into growth in these areas just yet?

[dwellwing]

Thanks, will look at these options. Looking at other ways to grow since I don't have a lot of ad spend too work with.

[Rein]

As a suggestion, have you looked specifically into increasing your social media presence? 

Whether it's TikTok ads or influencer marketing, social media lets brands access cost-effective marketing. Like a Swiss Army knife, a social media marketing plan can serve all kinds of marketing functions from:

• Driving traffic and sales;
• Tapping into influencer networks;
• Building brand awareness;
• Amassing an engaged audience;
• Connecting with customers and prospects;
• Providing customer support.

This is because you have a wide range of channels to incorporate, each with its own strengths and weaknesses to consider.

What I would suggest is taking a look at our article here on creating a presence that works for you. 

Can you let me know if you have started this already? it can also be a relatively affordable method costing anything from free to some investments to advertise sales.