7 Amazing Australian Social Media Competitions in Action
Get inspiration for your social media competitions with these 7 examples of amazing Australian social media contests in action. We check out some creative ways in which brands are using competitions on Facebook and Instagram to connect with their fans, offer amazing prizes and share their content.
There’s nothing like a bit of competition to get people buzzing.
Think about it. People love to show off, debate and make their voices heard, right?
This rings especially true on social media, by the way.
And so the more you can ramp up a sense of competition among your followers, the better.
There’s a reason why brands that run frequent social media competitions, contests and giveaways grow a staggering 70% faster than those that don’t.
The takeaway here?
If you want to a build a base of rabid followers and score some serious engagement, maybe it’s time to experiment with social contests.
Why Social Media Competitions Are Totally Worth It
Here’s some food for thought: contest and competition-related posts are oftentimes the most engaged-with on any given social account.
But beyond getting people’s attention, consider some of the big-picture benefits of why so many brands run competitions:
- Encouraging meaningful activity and engagement with your social posts (hint: this is a major must-do the updated Facebook algorithm and on Instagram, too)
- Reactivating current followers while bringing new ones into the fold
- Creating a consistent channel for social proof and user-generated content from your followers (think: positive comments, customer photos and so on)
Sounds nice, right?
If you’ve never run a social media competition before, you might be hesitant.
Totally understandable!
At a glance, running a social competition might seem like a lot of legwork.
That said, modern brands have shown us time and time again just how easy it is to set up a contest in no time flat. Whether it’s with the help of a third party or by taking a DIY approach, running your own competition doesn’t have to be rocket science or a massive money-sink.
But first thing’s first: what does an effective contest look like in action?
We’re glad you asked!
7 Aussie Brands Doing Social Media Contests Right
There are tons of social media contest ideas to pick and choose from, and so we took it upon ourselves to break down some Australia-based brands doing them right.
The social media competitions highlighted below prove not only how simple contests can be, but also serve as nice dose of inspiration for your own campaigns.
And with that, let’s dive in!
1. Bellabox
Giveaways are the bread and butter of beauty brands like Bellabox. Given how competitive the beauty box space is, running request contest and giveaways provides an extra incentive to encourage long-term followers.
Tag-a-friend posts like the one below do double-duty to introducing yourself to new followers and signalling engagement within the Instagram algorithm.
As an added bonus, tagging only takes a second or two which means a lower barrier to entry (and therefore more people getting in on your contest). Again, an Instagram competition doesn’t have to be anything crazy in-depth or complicated.
Note also that giveaways represent a prime opportunity to partner with other brands and influencers to increase your reach.
Much like Bellabox partnered with Hello Fresh for this particular contests, such partnerships are likewise staples of influencer marketing. Big brands are always on the lookout for relevant influencers with engaged audiences they can push promos to.
2. GoPro Australia and New Zealand
Despite popular belief, not all social media competitions and contests require fabulous prizes.
For example, consider how GoPro ANZ creates a sense of competition among its followers taking awesome snapshots by tagging them with #GoProANZ.
In this case, simply getting featured on their ‘gram is the “prize” in question.
Seems stupidly simple, right?
But hey, it works.
The takeaway here is that people will take action or enter your competition as long as they get something in return. Being featured on your page might not seem like much, but providing that sort of instant gratification to followers is totally unique to social media.
3. Black Milk Clothing
This recent posting challenge from Black Milk is proof of just how in-depth yet valuable social media competitions can be.
In short, the brand challenged followers to tag themselves in an Instagram post every day for the month of May, each post representing a different theme. The brand then picked a winning photo for every week and awarded winners with a $100 AUD voucher.
Black Milk also featured winners throughout the Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Through this contest, Black Milk was able to score a ton of user-generated content and subsequently social proof. Treating followers like billboards is a proven way to increase conversions, all the while 50% of consumers want brands to tell them which types of content to create.
4. Vegemite
If you take the time to run a Facebook or Instagram contest, it’s important to make sure that it doesn’t go unnoticed.
This post for Vegemite’s #VegemiteValentine is a shining example of effective cross-promotion of a social contest.
By hyping their Instagram competition on Facebook, they managed to funnel more entries from Facebook and likewise encourage more followers on Instagram. This is a smart way to migrate followers and boost numbers for accounts that may be lagging.
Oh, and consider how a crucial piece of any social media competition is what happens after it’s over. Not only does announcing a winner prove that your contest was legit, but also represents a way to celebrate your followers (take note of how much love this post got):
5. Redbubble
Social followers oftentimes represent a tight-knit community. As is the case for ecommerce giant Redbubble, who regularly run contests among their community of artists and designers.
Each of these challenges asks designers to tag their creations centered around a particular theme.
Offering up the chance to get featured on the front page of their store and win some cash, these contests are fun for both the artists involved and the brand’s followers in general.
This type of contest is unique as it engages all of your followers without explicitly requiring them to enter. This also proves that social media competitions can create a sense of hype regardless of how many entries you get.
6. Virgin Atlantic
As with any type of content, creativity counts when it comes time to run a contest.
While “chance to win” hashtags and tag-a-friend posts are indeed fair game, experimenting with off-the-wall competitions can be a nice touch.
For example, consider Virgin Australia’s dumpling contest which is looking for the best Aussie dumpling recipe in exchange for two business class flights.
Yeah, you heard that right.
And although this particular contest isn’t exclusive to Facebook, it is the sort of thing that goes viral or gets widespread coverage for being so unconventional.
7. Luna Park Sydney
When in doubt, it pays to keep your competition simple.
From prizes to entry methods, it should be pretty straightforward for your followers to understand what they’re getting into.
This recent Facebook contest from Luna Park Sydney is an effective example of keeping it simple.
Meaningful entries? Plenty of likes? Easy to enter?
Check, check and check.
Small giveaways like this are brilliant for brick-and-mortar businesses, too. The initial investment to get people interested and through the door is always worth it, as is the organic engagement that comes as a result.
And with that, we wrap up our list!
Ready to Run Your First Contest?
Whether it’s more followers, engagement or simply giving back to your loyal fans, social contests do all of the above without fail.
And based on your goals, your competitions can be as in-depth or as complex as you need them to be.
Either way, assume that running your own is out of your reach. If you need help getting started, feel free to get in touch with Hello Social today!
