Deciding to do a contest is one thing. Running that contest is another. After number crunching and consideration, a promotion is the best available option in building your brand. But how do you make sure the blueprint is reliable? Here are some pointers on safe contest management.

Curation

In a user-generated content campaign, you collect and accumulate brand-relevant images submitted by your audience. It can be a stellar way to strengthen engagement, but there will always be people with less-than-stellar intentions. Protect against that inevitability.

When determining your promotions vendor, seek a company that offers curation. Why? Because it’s more than a promotion — a contest is a reflection of your brand. Public mistakes undermine your credibility, so thorough curation management is essential to protecting your image.

Rights Management

The content your consumers create can be used in future marketing efforts. Consider past efforts from Apple and their use of pictures taken on the iPhone, crowdsourced to advertise a feature of their product. The use of pictures from your contest is dependent on a sound set of terms and conditions.

By contest management best practices, if your terms and conditions explicitly state that you may choose to employ user-generated content (images, videos, stories) from your promotion, you will be safe to do so. To read more about promotions law, give this blog a read.

Official Rules

Your official rules are the foundation of your contest. Drafting your rules is the main component of contest management and one that requires meticulous attention to detail. A strong set of official rules can secure your promotion and your company, throughout its lifespan.

When drafting, take into account:

  • Eligibility
  • Guidelines for Submission
  • Winner Notification
  • Conditions
  • Dispute Resolutions
  • Contact Details

The alternative to worrying over every detail of contest management — from curation to rights management, official rules and more — is to partner with a company that has experience in running successful promotions.

When searching for a promotions company to manage your next contest, consider Realtime Media. With over 20 years in contest management, our dedicated project managers are invested in upholding every full-service campaign to our high standards.

If you’re interested in a consultation on contest management, free of charge, contact 484.709.1400