Most of the Facebook and web-based contests I see lately involve people posting something for an entry (an idea, picture, comment, etc.) and then encouraging friends, family, and the general public to come by and click that they "like" your entry better than the others.  There is no true contest here, simply the social media game of who can push the most folks to the site repeatedly to vote and cast "likes" for an image or comment.  The prizes range from small gift cards to local stores to national retailers giving away all sorts of things, including large cash prizes.  See, for example, the Dockers Wear the Pants campaign.  

The crux of the issue with these contests is how they are driving traffic and what that traffic is focused on when they arrive on the companies page.  In most cases, it goes something like this:

• Mary enters a contest online, she wants that prize they are offering
• The contest runs either in one round or in a series of rounds
• The site has little traffic that is organic and regular, so there is a small base of random visitors to vote and push opinions
• The contest is segmented in a tab on Facebook or a separate section on a website, so that folks must actively seek out the page and place to vote
• Entries are rarely limited to a reasonable number, so sorting through and honestly selecting a favorite is unlikely for a visitor
• Entrants are tasked with pushing traffic to the site and their entry, in many cases forcing friends, family, and anyone else they can convince to register and/or "like" the page in order to cast a vote (in one recent twist, hhgregg required folks to not only 'like' them on Facebook, but to also 'like' their partner, All Pro Dad in order to enter)
• People go, and respond, but true engagement with the brand and message is left behind
• Voters go to the subpage or entry they want to vote for and then leave
• Folks with strong online social networks stand a huge advantage, but also may deliver markets to the site which are not ideal prospects or customers (high school and college age markets come to mind immediately, but may work for some brands and goals)
• At the end, the "one with the most votes wins!" or is entered into yet another round of voting and plying on their social connections to get folks to vote for their entry and help them win a prize

My challenge here is not with the contests themselves, but with what they are saying and doing to the brands which are implementing them as a quick way to drive traffic.  Without engagement, the message and purpose fall flat.  Who cares if you had 200,000 hits to your site (unless your goal is simply page ranking in Google searches...and many major brands don't need this kind of help there) if 199,000 of those hits were driven by folks who couldn't care less about your brand and barely remember who you are in their quest to help a friend?

Is this really what we want to be harnessing the power of social media for as brands and brand ambassadors?  Clicks and hits have become the new buzzwords of measurement, but they hold less than ample value in the greater picture.  The true question should always be how engaged and what quality of engagement did visitors feel?  Messaging that engages awards people for clicking through and gives them a reason to click through again, and pass along the info to friends and family while feeling good about the message.  Walgreen's does a fantastic job of this with their regular photo specials and promotional codes distributed via Facebook.  I can get the deal, and share it with my friends and family.  And in order to create even more engagement, on an occasional basis Walgreen's runs amazing offers that anyone can tap into.  Valentine's Day of 2009, for example, they allowed visitors to submit a picture of themselves and their sweetheart and displayed it live on their jumbotron in Times Square NYC.  They then snapped a picture of the display and allowed users to download and print the photos as a unique gift.  Engaging, interesting, sharable, and memorable.  

Market research is all about touching the drivers and motivators, the reasons that people emotionally connect with your brand and products/services.  Social media contests, at least what the majority are doing today, are approaching things all wrong.  They may drive traffic, but they don't drive true fans and engagement.  And I wonder how many of the push messages that are published to those new 'followers' are deleted from news feeds and how many 'unlike' pages after a campaign ends.  The trickle may be slow, but skipping messages and blocking from feeds are simple steps that make the initial reason for running a campaign all but moot.

Have a differing opinion?  I'd love to hear about it.  

Jared Spool tells the tale of the simple change in design of a web form at a major retailers check-out pages that resulted in such a massive and immediate increase in sales.  

How did he uncover the snags and traps that were holding back folks from purchasing and turn that insight into $300million in sales for the company?  

He asked customers to go through a purchase process, and then he watched and listened to their reactions.  A simple shift, based on understanding the consumer psychology and desires and removing an unnecessary step in the buying process increased the number of folks who bought by 45%, virtually overnight.  

It's a fantastic story, of how excellent qualitative market research can help just about any company increase sales and profits.  

Read Jared's Article Here

 (Many thanks to Kim William's and the folks at Bem Interactive for sharing this article with me.)

After the event, one attendee, Bruce Lande, who runs a networking series named American Business Networks asked if he could post a summary of my suggestions on the network's blog.  I graciously accepted.  

Click here to read his outline and summary of the content.  

Source: American Business Networks (http://www.americanbusinessnetworks.com/abn_blog/) by Bruce Lande

My story:

I've lived in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina since 1998, yet I hadn't found a church that felt like home in all of those years.  I was searching for something, but I couldn't put into words exactly what that something might be.  Eventually, I stopped actively looking for a church family and focused my spiritual development in self-study.  

Then, this past Saturday morning, a 90-year old lady knocked on my door.  When I answered it, she was kind and gentle and shared her pleasure at some aspects of our community.  She was not there to evangelize about her church, she was there to get to know a neighbor.  (That's a lesson most brands forget, building connections and relationships before selling!)  But as our conversation continued, she asked about what church I attended in the area and I shared a bit with her about my plight at finding a church family.  (She was pre-qualifying me there, without even realizing it.)  It was then that she mentioned her church home and invited me to come with her the following morning.  

Sunday morning I came to find her in the 9am service.  The feeling there was more casual than I preferred, but the songs and symbols spoke to me and the folks there were welcoming.  (How many brands forget to make new customers feel appreciated and welcome?)  So, I decided to stay for the 11am service, a more traditional service in the main sanctuary.  It was there that the deepest message resonance occurred.  In the sanctuary were stained glass windows similar to those in the church I remembered as a young girl, a minister with story telling talent along the lines of what I recalled, and signs and symbols that revealed the messages behind the faith I'd grown up with.  Without even trying, the church felt like home.

I've since been to the church and the feeling was the same.  This time the messages were deeper as they had provided me with a booklet that outlined the meaning behind the symbols throughout the sanctuary and chapel, symbols I knew were powerful for me, but for which I had forgotten their intricate meaning.  And my experiences there got me thinking about brands and businesses.  What has gone amiss that so many forget the power of inviting new folks in, embracing their presence, educating them about what is available, and remaining with them to build a story together?  Business could learn much from my experience with this church, starting with the power of tapping into childhood memories, dreams, and beliefs.

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The final resultSometimes, especially in a tough economy, we can have our focus so pointed on work and maintaining our source of income that we forget about giving back to the community.  But, I try to avoid this trap as much as possible and so when I heard of an opportunity to decorate a model house that would be auctioned off for charity, it struck me as an opportunity to help others in a unique way.  The event is sponsored by a non-profit.  Houses will be displayed and auctioned off on Friday, September 24th 2010.

I spent quite a bit of time considering what image I'd like to create.  Over 40 hours later, with donations of old beer, wine, and liquor bottles from Foothills Brewing in downtown Winston-Salem, the masterpiece was complete.  I thought some might like to see the results of my work and decided to publish a few pictures.  

But this story has a twist.  

I turned in the house on September 7th.  The guidelines had been broad, allowing for artistic expression in the creation of the homes, but a few days later I received an email telling me the house could not be displayed as created due to fears of someone cutting themselves on the glass surfaces.  The solutions were thin and expensive, I'd invested too much in the creation already to be able to afford them.  I was told the house would not be displayed or auctioned as intended because the lines of communication had not been clear and constant.  

What could the sponsoring organizations have done?  Well they could have taken simple steps to ensure that all submissions were within their expectations.  From asking for a brief description of the artist's plans for approval before they commenced work, to restricting the kinds of products and surfaces engaged for the project, to simply making a rule that all results must be child-friendly in design.  I have a feeling that next time around such steps will be taken, but this story goes to show that without excellent communication and a constant focus on what various audiences are thinking, mishaps can occur, even if they are unintentional.

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I was asked recently to speak about the challenge of brand positioning in a business like healthcare where consumer decisions are complex and emotions run high. In a world of mass-marketed prescription drugs, rankings, word-of-mouth, and regular scientific advances, the average consumer is overwhelmed with both myth and fact. So, how do you cut through the clutter of information to become a preferred healthcare provider?

I’d recommend the first step is engaging what I call the E-volution Cycle of Stories. A process which will allow you to understand and build a better brand story that tightly aligns (and evolves) with what your consumers need and desire. I’ll focus here on understanding your current consumers, but this cycle is just as effective at gaining potential/prospective consumer insights.  

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Connie with Terri Starnes-Bryant--Check out the COOL sword!

One of only 13 awards to be presented across North America this year, the award will be presented as part of a 2-day conference held at the prestigious Piedmont Club in downtown Winston-Salem, entitled:  Reach It SUCCESS! in 2010! Why Wait?

The conference will be held August 26th and September 23rd from 11:00-2:30pm and includes an impressive array of speakers and insights on approaching life success in a fearless manner.  Ms. Chesner was nominated for the award by Scott Davis for her fearless approach to all aspects of life.