Aaron Ginoza, Social Media & Community Engagement Coordinator, University of Maryland Libraries Ceylon Mitchell, Communications and Media Coordinator, Office of Community Engagement You've gotten the followers, planned your content calendar and post often - but no one's liking your posts. How do you keep your followers and fans engaged? Learn the in's and out's of planning and executing social media contests, giveaways and more.

1. Everybody Wins: Social Media Contests & Strategies
Ceylon Mitchell, Office of Community Engagement | Aaron Ginoza, University of Maryland Libraries

2. Overview
• A Sweepstakes or Giveaway = winner determined by a random draw.
• A Contest = a game of skill.
• Defining Audience
• Promotion Strategy
• Distribution Channels
• Promotion Options
• Collecting The Data
• Visual Appeal
• Do’s & Do Not’s
• Summarize Results
• Bonus Ideas

3. Pre-Contest: Know Your Audience
Demographics, Interests, Motives, Goals, Challenges
Current Followers
• Survey & Interview
• Involve & Empower
• Build Trust & Add Value
• Shout-Out & Showcase
Desired Followers
• Research & Experiment (A/B)
• Collect & Curate
• Introduce & Meet
• Shout-Out & Showcase

4. http://blog.capterra.com/10-smart-goal-setting-best-practices-for-project-planning
• Start Small & Simple, Then Scale
• Make it Replicable
• Your Audience = Your Platform
• Promotion Budget (Hours, Creative, Ads)
• Relevant Prizes & Partners
Pre-Contest: Your Plan
& Purpose

5. Pre-Contest: Distribution Channels

6. Contest: Your Choice
Ex: Photo, Video, UGC Contest
(Voting Optional)

7. Contest: Entry Form
Get That Data!

8. Contest: Gallery
Keep Track of Your Entries

9. Contest: Summary
Entry Page & Design
• Brand Awareness
• Clarity
• What prize(s) can be won?
• Who is eligible to win?
• What users need to do to enter?
• When does the contest end?
Hosting & Engagement
• Website Embed
• Facebook Page Tab
• Woobox Microsite
• Blog / Live Shows
• In-person
• Likes, Shares, Follows
• Email Marketing!!!
Prize packs and gift cards are great
catch-alls for entrants interested in
your brand.

10. Contest: Summary (Do Not’s) pt. 1
“Like & Share” Copy “Wrong Prize”
http://blog.woobox.com/2017/07/immediately-fail-with-6-terrible-contest-ideas/

11. Contest: Summary (Do Not’s) pt. 2
“Too Much Data” “Bare Bones”
http://blog.woobox.com/2017/07/immediately-fail-with-6-terrible-contest-ideas/

12. Post-Contest: Your Analysis & Review
• Expand Content Library
• Crunch The #s
• Solicit Feedback

13. Post-Contest: Your Analysis & Review

14. Post-Contest: Content Curation

15. Post-Contest: Your Analysis & Review
Thank Your Partners

16. Next Level Ideas…pt.1

17. Next Level Ideas… pt.2

18. Next Level Ideas… pt.3

19. Next Level Ideas… pt.4

20. Overview
 About me
 5 reasons to run contests
 7 library examples
 8 things we’ve learned
 What’s next for us?

21. About me
 At UMD Libraries since 2013
 Outreach focus = undergrads
 Helped launch Instagram,
Snapchat & outreach team
 Interested in themed contests
& challenges
 I don’t just run contests…
My entry for DOTS’ 2016 Halloween Costume Contest

22. Why create & run contests?
I. Taps into desire to compete & have fun (and not miss out…
FOMO!)
I. Drives attention to social media channels (has been critical for
Snapchat)
I. Showcases imagination & creativity – yours & your
community’s
II. Play & curiosity are integral parts of learning & relationship
building
I. Identify & connect with talented students

23. Contests at the Libraries
Formats we’ve experimented with…
• Poetry contest
• Scavenger hunt
• Coloring contest
• Costume contest
• Points-based tournament

24. Finals Haiku Contest
poetry contest
 Twitter-based
 Finals care package
giveaway
 40 students participated
 Promoted online and
offline
 Successful finals week
study break

25. Halloween Zombie Hunt
 8 zombies hidden
 Clues released via Snapchat
 Got some ideas from U of
Houston
 Gave away 8 zombies & 1
iPad
 150 new Snapchat followers
 Snapchat story view count up
to 50+
 Opportunity to promote new
MakerSpace
scavenger hunt

26. DrogonTudo Snapchat Challenge
 15 Dragon Turtles hidden across libraries
 Tied to Game of Thrones story of missing
dragon
 Gave away t-shirts & 3D printed DrogonTudos
 60 students participated
 300 new Snapchat followers
 Snapchat story view avg up to 150+
photo scavenger hunt

27. #ColorTheTurtle Contest
 Throwback Testudos on
fliers
 Finals care package
giveaway
 Great UGC
 Bump in followers
 Routed people to our
Snapchat
 Finals week study break
 20 students participated
coloring contest

28. #ColorTheTurtle - Snapchat
 Throwback Testudos
 VIP study room prize
 Great UGC
 Slight bump in
followers
 Finals week study
break
 20 students
participated
coloring contest

29. Alice in Wonderland Costume Contest
costume contest
 Alice-themed Halloween
party contest
 iPad prize
 Voting on Instagram &
Snapchat
 10 student entries
 400+ votes cast on
Instagram
 200+ Snapchat story
views

30. Terpindor Wizarding Tournament
points-based tournament
 Harry Potter-themed
Challenge
 Points-based tournament
 11 challenges released
on Instagram & Snapchat
 Gave away t-shirts &
stickers
 60 students participated
 400+ Snapchat story
views
 Won 2 CASE awards

31. 8 Things We’ve Learned
I. Timing & Simplicity
 When do students have the time to participate in a contest?
 Is the contest ask simple enough for busy students?
II. Topicality
 What’s already happening we can build on?
 Can we tie a contest to a campus event, holiday, or broader cultural trend
III. Student/audience input
 What types of contests are they participating in?
 Can we pull members of the target audience into planning?
IV. Leveraging trends
 Are our peers running contests we could learn from?
 Do any pop cultural themes match up with our contest?

32. 8 Things We’ve Learned
V. Prizes & giveaways
 T-shirts and stickers have been popular
 Offering multiple levels of prizes has been effective
VI. Offline outreach
 Promoting at existing campus events - Terp Market, First Look Fair
 Getting students to help spread the word
VII. Importance of visuals
 Does the contest have a strong, unifying visual?
 Do you have graphic design help?
VIII. Think about metrics from the start
 Is the contest going to drive engagement for a specific channel?
 How many students do we think we can mobilize?

33. What’s next…
At the University Libraries:
 Next Contest: Fall Stranger
Things Challenge
 Snapchat’s new paperclip
feature
 Gamifying Snapchat filters
 Buttons
At Office of Community
Engagement:
• Communications:
Facebook Live Series
• Graphic Design: Adobe
Spark
• Video Production (Apps):
360, Plotagraph, Ripl,
Splice, Quik, Clips
• Website: Search & Social
Ads (Google & Facebook
Ads), Storify Articles