If your business is active on social media, as it should be, your objectives probably include driving traffic to your website or store; expanding your email list, which provides you with an easy way of contacting interested parties; and increasing customer engagement.

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All of these objectives can be achieved through the means of competitions. After all, everyone loves a competition. Some people make a living from them, while most people just like the thrill of entering and possibly winning a prize.

According to Entrepreneur, contests and other social media campaigns will help you gain visibility and generate leads.

There are dozens of different methods you could try, many of which will cost you very little. Here are just a few of the best ideas.

Coupons and discounts

One of the most common ways to encourage people to engage with your brand is by offering them a financial incentive to do so. Providing a coupon or discount will help drive people to your website or visit your shop. After all, everyone loves a bargain.

Giving something away is less of a competition and more of a giveaway. However, you could link the coupon or discount to a competition, offering it as a prize for everyone who gives you their email address.

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To make it more challenging, set a question (but don’t make it too hard), and then reward a set number of correct answers with the special discount.

If you’re finding it difficult to run your website effectively and need some help, you may benefit from a firm that provides SEO services in London, such as http://www.elevateuk.com/seo-services/.

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One simple competition idea is to ask customers to create a video or photograph related to a particular theme, which will ideally be something linked to your product.

Judge it properly, and give the winner(s) a prize worth having. Again, if it’s linked to your brand, that’s even better.

Referrals

Using referrals as a means of gaining new contacts is another great way of boosting your potential customer pool.

Simply ask your existing customers to refer friends who may be interested in your products or services. They could do this by email or through tagging on social media.

Then, pick one or more of the entrants, and reward them – and the person they refer, if you like – with a prize.