Published 17/08/2021 by Josh Tucker
Competitions and giveaways are an excellent way to market your brand to new and existing customers. However, if you’re going to take this approach, then it’s important that you’re thinking about who you’re trying to entice. As with all types of marketing, making sure that your competition is geared towards the right demographic is important. The approach will be different depending on if you’re appealing to students or parents, for example. In this blog, we’re going to look at marketing to mums, and specifically how you can use competitions and giveaways to fuel audience growth in that sector.
What to Giveaway
It’s all good and well hosting a giveaway, but if you’re not giving away something that mums will want, then it’s unlikely to be effective. And so what do mums want? They want things that will either make their lives easier or which will allow them to have more fun with their family. If it’s not fulfilling one of those objectives, then you’ll be less likely to receive entries. And entries are what you’re looking for. So when you’re thinking of what to include, ask yourself whether it’s something that you’d stop and read if you were a parent.
Methods
There are plenty of ways for accepting entries to your competition. The key part is to make it engaging and not overly difficult. User generated content is a good idea. For example, if you’re hosting it through a social media channel, then you could ask for comments -- for example, in the form of a question, such as ‘what’s the one essential item you pack for a family holiday?’ Once you know what you’re giving away, the question will be easy to come up with. If the promotion is child-focused, then you can ask for things such as a child colouring competition or the best fancy dress.
When to Host Giveaways
You can host a giveaway at any time, but there are some periods that are more “family-focused.” For instance, during the ‘back to school’ period or before the summer holidays. Mother’s Day and around big holidays, such as Christmas or Easter, are also recommended. To increase engagement, it’s also important to pick the right time during the week. Saturday mornings are chaotic. Sunday evenings are a little more relaxed. You’ll also want to keep the competition open long enough, so people have a chance to see it and enter.
What’s Your End Goal?
Mums love giveaways, but you should also think about what you’re hoping to achieve when you establish the competition in the first place. Are you hoping to build your social media following or get people to sign up for your email list? Having a target will allow you to measure the success of your campaign, and will also ensure that you get something out of all your effort, too.
Conclusion
Everyone loves competitions and freebies, and especially mums. Use giveaways as a part of a broader marketing strategy, and you’ll be on your way to growing your audience within this demographic.
