An Insider's Guide to Social Contest Platforms

An Insider's Guide to Social Contest Platforms

One of the best ways for brands to garner visibility on the social Web is with promotions like contests and sweepstakes. The rules and regulations of social networks, however, can turn this fun task into a rather large headache.

For instance, Pinterest recently announced updates to its Acceptable Use Policy that put numerous restrictions on brands running contests and sweepstakes on the image-based social network. One of the rules prohibits brands from running contests that require participants to Pin from a specific selection, like a website or a list of pins. Conversely, brands on Facebook cannot ask their audience to share promotions on personal Timelines (including their own) as a way to enter a contest.

That being said, staying compliant with social network rules is actually just the tip of the iceberg. Brands must also take into consideration how they will track contest entries, host contest terms and conditions and announce winners. Luckily, there are a variety of platforms on the ‘Net that can ease the social promotion process – helping brands with everything from the content landing page to their marketing. Learn more about these platforms and their features below:

---

Wishpond

Supports Contests On: Facebook+Brands can run a variety of social promotions via Wishpond’s Contest Apps on their Facebook Pages, including contests for Pinterest and Instagram. This means, for example, that brands can create a Pin-to-Win contest that is actually hosted on Facebook. Aside from multi-channel contests, it is important to note that Wishpond’s robust Contest Apps are compatible with mobile devices, are compliant with Facebook guidelines, can be embedded on websites, enable brands to collect email addresses from participants and can even require participants to Like a page in order to enter a contest.

---

Piqora

Supports Contests On: Pinterest and InstagramPiquora supports contests and sweepstakes on image-based social networks Pinterest and Instagram. With Pinterest, brands can see which pins are most engaging, as well as view all participants and their eligibility in a single dashboard. The platform supports a variety of promotion types and provides templates so users can customize their contest landing pages. Brands can also launch Instagram hashtag contests with Piqora, which can help users grow their community and get discovered on the social network. Additionally, marketers can create customizable mobile-friendly landing pages for their Instagram contests and can monitor participation through an automated tracking dashboard.

---

Votigo

Supports Contests On: Facebook, Twitter, Vine, YouTube, Instagram, PinterestThe Votigo social marketing platform supports contests on most of the ’Net’s most popular social networks. Brands can leverage the platform to launch integrated Twitter, Facebook and Instagram contests, YouTube video contests, custom Instagram promotions and more. By integrating multiple channels into social promotions, brands can maximum their exposure and engagement.

             

---

Statigram

Supports Contests On: InstagramBrands can grow their Instagram following by launching photo contests through Statigram. In order to launch a contest with this platform, brands simply need to fill out a form and upload their Terms & Conditions. Then, the contest is promoted in Statigram’s contest directory and can be intertwined into a brand’s Facebook Page. Brands also have the ability to moderate contest entries, monitor contest performance and can announce winners and prizes on their contest page.

---

ShortStack

Supports Contests On: FacebookShortStack enables brands to create apps for Facebook contests, promotions and sweepstakes. Through the platform, brands can store entry data, implement voting and entry restrictions, as well as allow fans to enter promotions via their Instagram feed. Moreover, brands can also launch user-generated contests, where fans upload videos and photos to be voted on.

---

These are far from the only platforms that brands can leverage to launch contests.

- See more at: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/must-know-rules-amp-regs-for-hosting-social-contests.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter#sthash.3agZTfLs.dpuf

'via Blog this'

MediaPost Publications iPad Driving Email-Based M-Commerce 11/13/2013

MediaPost Publications iPad Driving Email-Based M-Commerce 11/13/2013:

A new study released Tuesday offers more evidence that tablets -- especially the iPad -- are more m-commerce friendly than smartphones.

The report by email marketing services provider Yesmail Interactive found that 16% of online transactions driven by marketing emails took place on a mobile device. Within mobile, more than half (56%) of purchases originated on a tablet, and virtually all (99%) of the tablet transactions happened on an iPad.

So while Android devices have steadily gained a larger share of the tablet market, they’re still not gaining a bigger share of m-commerce activity -- at least according to this email-based data set.

More than half (52%) of all email opens took place on smartphones in Q3, up 8% from the second quarter. Furthermore, 82% of all email opens and click-throughs occurred on Apple devices, based on Yesmail's analysis of 5 billion marketing emails sent by the company in the third quarter.

Of smartphone purchases coming through email, 59% came from iPhones and the balance from Android phones. The Apple smartphone accounted for 26% of email-driven purchases, and Android handsets, 18%. And in addition to generating the majority of m-commerce, the iPad was also responsible for a quarter of all mobile opens and clicks.

The desktop conversion rate, however, was still more than double that of mobile in the third quarter, at 2.8% versus 1.1%. And the average order size on PCs was still larger than on mobile devices across industries, at $88.32 compared to $78.96. But the gap in the key retail vertical had narrowed to $61 versus $59, underscoring the mobile shift.

That trend was also shown in the incidence of users who increasingly choose a single device to get email. The number of “hybrid” email viewers in the third quarter dropped to 14% from 45% in the prior quarter. Industry categories including B2B, consumer services, financial services, insurance, and retail had a larger proportion of mobile-only than desktop-only email subscribers.

The Yesmail data also suggests that although mobile email still has a lower click-to-open rate, clicks more often lead to purchases. As a result, mobile clicks were valued twice as high at $7.14 compared to $3.26 on the desktop.

During the upcoming holiday season, mobile consumers are expected to turn both to smartphones and tablets for shopping help. A recent Deloitte survey suggests people will rely on their smartphones mainly to find stores, check prices and get product information, while turning to tablets more to shop and browse online.

'via Blog this'

Jersey Mike’s Subs doubles down on mobile with ordering, POS roll out

Jersey Mike’s Subs doubles down on mobile with ordering, POS roll out 

November 11, 2013

Jersey Mike's Subs ups mobile play

Sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s Subs is upping its investments in mobile with a revamped mobile application that lets consumers place orders for pick up and tightly integrates with the company’s loyalty program.

Jersey Mike’s Subs announced its plans to roll out mobile ordering earlier this year and has now launched a revamped app that the company plans to make a central part of its loyalty program. Additionally, the chain is implementing mobile point-of-sale systems into stores to elevate the in-restaurant experience.

“We started with just the loyalty program and knew from customer feedback that we had a good start, however, we felt like it was not complete enough,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer of Jersey Mike’s Subs, Manasquan, NJ.

“We have learned that creating a relevant app is an ongoing process and that, based on ever-changing technology, we’ll continue to evolve it, adding new and improved features, to ensure we are providing our customers with an exceptional experience,” he said.

Order on mobile
Jersey Mike’s Subs initially began working on its mobile ordering plans in May (see story).

The brand has now integrated a mobile ordering feature to its existent, loyalty-based app. Jersey Mike’s Subs claims that its loyalty program has 1.7 million members.

Consumers can first find nearby Jersey Mike’s locations and view directions to locations. The app also integrates nutrition information from the sandwich chain’s menu.

The new app

Locations can be favorited to speed up future orders as well.

Once a location has been selected, consumers can add items to an order and link it to a credit card.

Consumers then set a time to pick up their order and are asked to bring their credit card into the store with them to verify that their name and credit information matches the same information on the order.

Additionally, the app also integrates social media so that consumers can post content on Facebook and Twitter.

The app is available for free download on iPhone devices and will also roll for Android owners in the near future.

Jersey Mike’s Subs is also rolling out mobile point-of-sale terminals with a bar code scanner where consumers can redeem their loyalty points from the chain’s Jersey Mike’s Shore Points Rewards program.

The company plans to add in the ability to pay at the counter into the mobile POS.

The POS terminals also allow consumers to swipe a credit card themselves at the register to pay for their meal.

Another screenshot of the app

Past efforts

This is not the first time that Jersey Mike’s Subs has leveraged mobile to build up its loyalty efforts.

In 2012, the company saw 650,000 members sign up for its loyalty program after taking it mobile (see story).

Jersey Mike’s Subs joins a growing list of brands tapping mobile to enhance the in-store experience.

Compared to other restaurants though, Jersey Mike Sub’s is a step ahead of the game with online ordering, which is an area that still has plenty of kinks that need to be worked out. Two of the main issues are around educating employees and prepping items before they are picked up by diners.

“Online ordering is a growth opportunity and mobile is where everything is going so it made sense to combine the two,” Mr. Hope said.

“This way our customers have a simple, easy-to-use app to take advantage of features like geo-location when ordering their favorite sub,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York 

'via Blog this'