When creating a social media contest, you always have a big picture idea. Normally, in people’s minds, coming up with that totally rad concept for a contest is the hardest part – the most pivotal part. For me, in my experience, a great idea is nothing without great execution. I immediately think logistics. That’s why I’d like to start off Part 2 (Read Part 1) with 5 things you HAVE to think about . . . that you may not think about . . . before you get to far ahead of yourself.
1. Personnel – Contact Person
Honestly, no matter how tight a ship you run or how flawless you think your execution is, ultimately, someone is going to have questions/comments about your contest. (Questions are actually a great gauge of “real” interest. If people are invested enough to ask a question – it’s a pretty good contest.) It’s absolutely necessary in my mind to have a Real Life “Contact Us” point person available to field any questions, comments and complaints. The last thing you want is to have irritated contestants and participants who walk away feeling like the whole thing was a waste of time, not very well organized or ignored etc. A knowledgeable, friendly and dedicated point person can smooth out almost any kink.
2. Personnel 2 -Tell your staff
When running any contest/promotion/campaign, not just a social media contest, make sure your staff knows about it. They need to understand the basics about what your doing – and this goes for businesses small and large. Write an executive summary – E-mail it; hold a meeting – whatever works for you. If an interested party calls in and has a question, “Uhhh – I don’t know what you’re talking about” immediately zaps all credibility. That person is sooo0000 not going to participate and may even be a little miffed. In addition, your staff is a great source of word-of-mouth advertising!!! They tell their family and friends etc. etc.
3. Know Your Platform
Facebook has a long list of rules that in my opinion are somewhat subject to interpretation. You’re supposed to get contests approved . . . but honestly, I haven’t had much luck with my “customer service rep.” Twitter is well-known for crashing or being “overloaded.” YouTube videos – you need to know the guidelines of what video content is acceptable. Do your research on the platform you plan on using and make sure that your contest adheres to the standards outlined and that it is compatible with your platform – meaning, if Twitter crashes for 4 hours, it won’t devastate your contest.
4. Fine Print
Who’s participating? 18 year olds+? Minors. Who is ineligible? What “disclaimers” or fine print does your company mandate? Every online contest should have a “Rules and Regulations”, “Contest Policy”, etc. page that outlines the type of commitment they are making, what information you are collecting, how is a winner determined, contingencies regarding a winner . . . . and the list goes on and on. Typically, this is not cooker-cutter copy, but well thought out and organized Fine Print. Make sure you have someone who can write this copy and someone that can OK this copy. Very importante.
5. Consolation Prize
I throw this in because Prizes are always part of the budget. Now, no matter what you truly believe about the idea that “Everyone is a Winner” – this is a sentiment held by A LOT of people. Especially if your contest includes minors in some way, have a Consolation Prize or some sort of acknowledgment. We’ve run contests where we narrow the entry pool down to Top Finalists – like 20 people. Those 20 people, we acknowledge in a cool way or we give them something. That exchange is a great opportunity to further build rapport and leave everyone with a good taste in their mouth. Really, it’s the smart thing to do! Every contestant should be “Thanked” in some way – my opinion 
More Considerations to Come!!!
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