How To Use Contests For List Building
By Anna Johnson on November 17th, 2009A recent MarketingSherpa case study highlights the potential of running a contest to not simply boost your email list in the short-term, but as an ongoing method of building a quality list.
Last summer in 2008, CoolComputerBags.com began running an ongoing, monthly computer bag giveaway to build a list of qualified prospects for its computer bag products.
The company ran a very simple contest – where entrants had only to enter their email address and click the ‘submit’ button to participate – to be in the running to win one of its computer bags. Each winner was randomly selected on the last Friday of each month.
CoolComputerBags.com opted NOT to ask for people’s names or other personal information on the contest entry form in order to keep the contest simple and to attract the most entrants as possible. After all, anyone wanting to claim their prize could always provide additional details, such as their name and shipping address, later.
To generate interest in the contest itself, CoolComputerBags.com used three main tactics. Firstly, the company submitted the contest to freebie sites i.e. those offering free stuff, giveaways and contests. Secondly, the company ran a display ad on the home page of its website, and, finally, it sent promotional emails to its house list.
Within 8 months of beginning the ongoing contest campaign CoolComputerBags.com doubled its list and now the ongoing contests generate 55 percent of all new opt-ins to CoolComputerBags.com’s email list. According to the company, the contest generated list is also more responsive than its regular list, with better click-through rates.
