100 Small Actions: #53 and #54

53. Hold a contest or sweepstakes

People LOVE to win things. The possibilities here are almost endless; some work with small prizes, others will require more substantial winnings to ensure participation. Here are some ideas:

• A prize to the 1,000th fan on your Facebook fan page

• Sign up for your email newsletter and be entered in a drawing for a gift

• Partner with other neighborhood businesses to hold a scavenger hunt (a Philadelphia jewelry store did this VERY successfully – the prize was a diamond ring)

• A basic online contest on your website, designed to capture visitor contact information

• Everyone who retweets you on Twitter is entered to win a prize

• For each $50 a customer spends during the year, they get an entry into a prize drawing

 

54. List your contest or sweepstakes on http://www.online-sweepstakes.com/

People love to win things so much that some of them devote hours each day to entering contests. Not surprisingly, there are several websites devoted to listing sweepstakes and contests. Among the most comprehensive and popular is Online-Sweepstakes.com. You’ll only be able to submit contests that can be entered online, but you’re certain to generate a lot of new visitors to your website.