6 Must-Know Tips About Wedding Giveaways

Wedding Professionals:

Wedding giveaways are very popular ways for vendors to grab a bride's attention and to get a boost in sales.  Here is my advice on how to run an effective wedding giveaway:

1.  Have one main goal for your giveaway.Then, make it easy for brides to complete that goal. For example, if your main goal is to get more bridal leads, then make it a requirement for the bride to provide her email address. (If you do collect email addresses, be transparent about what you will do with those addresses such as send out a weekly email with tips.)  Other goals that you might have could be:

• You want more Facebook fans.  If this is the case, brides make it a requirement that brides Like your Facebook page in order to enter the giveaway.
• You want engagement on your blog.  Require brides to comment on your blog.

• You want to generate more awareness of your products or services.  Require brides to tell their friends about your business.  You can even require them to retweet a specific message on Twitter.

2.  Keep the prize simple. It isn’t always necessary to spend a lot of money on the giveaway prize. I recommend spending between $50- $200 to grab a bride’s attention. Ask yourself - is this bonus something that a bride would really want? Would she be willing to give me her email address for this prize? You may also consider partnering with other vendors to give away their products or services. This way – you won’t have to pay for the bonus AND it gives the other wedding vendors free exposure for their business. They can also help you to promote it.

3.  The entry period should be at least one month long in order to give you enough time to achieve your marketing goal.  However, it should not be longer than 3 months because your message will start to get 'tired'.

4.  Include terms and conditions that clearly outline the dates and rules for the giveaway. Explain exactly how you will choose the winner.  I recommend that you have a lawyer review your giveaway’s terms and conditions.

5.  Use as many free ways to get the word out about your giveaway including:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Your Website’s Homepage
• Blog
• Your Email Signature
• BridalTweet’s Contest & Giveaways Group
• Email your customers and encourage them to share this with their friends.
• Ask other wedding vendors to get the word out.  Tell them that this is a great way for them to offer more value to their customers.

6.  Include social media ‘sharing’ tools on the web page where you’re showcasing your giveaway. 

Finally, even though you’re offering an amazing prize, your product or service MUST be able to stand alone as a stellar offering. Think of your giveaway as simply a way to bring attention to your already-stellar offering.  What tips can you share about wedding giveaways?  Please comment below.

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Enjoy!

About This Blog: Christine Dyer is the Creator and Founder of BridalTweet. Christine has an MBA in marketing and shares over twelve years of marketing expertise with the wedding community. In this weekly blog, you'll find advice on an array of wedding business topics such as how to market to brides, social networking, wedding PR, wedding sales, vendor networking, branding, pricing and much more. Please pass this news along to your own professional wedding network. To receive this advice in your email inbox each week, Sign Up for a Free BridalTweet Membership.