How NOT to organize Instagram give-away

Today I run across an Instagram give-away and since the theme clicked I was thinking of entering. I was THINKING of entering as the product looked really neat, until I read the conditions then my mind drifted to the ever-green theme of the strangeness of a social media in general and Instagram in special. With its follow-unfollow game Instagram is a pain to anybody who takes it too seriously. Our expectations, hopes and what we are willing to give in return make an interesting mixture.

This specific case strike me as a way how NOT to do a social media marketing in Instagram. Give-aways are common enough when brand is looking into a growth hacking the social media.

Following example text is only altered by removing the specific names (and cutting off some more mundane bits at the end).

As a thank you for the warm welcome I’m hosting an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY! I’m so excited for this.
Read everything below carefully:
?
WHAT YOU’LL GET:
⭐ 3 candles of your choice from my shop (so not the ones pictured here, though you may choose from them)
⭐ 2 bookmarks by Oriandle
⭐ 2 bookmarks by Read and Wonder
⭐ 2 bookmarks by Bibliophile Prints

Fair enough, three candles are not a too shabby offer, specially when shipped anywhere in the world. Bookmarks and prints are usually advertising materials but could still be handy. So far, so good.

Naturally, giveaway comes with the cost, there is a reason why they are hosted. Everybody know and accepts that a person organizing giveaway hopes to improve their post engagement, get followers and in general spread the word. How much is sensible to expect in return from participating in the give-away? Apparently quite a lot, as this person stops short from asking your firstborn.

✨ Like this picture
✨ tag 3 bookish friends who might be interested! You can do this as often as you like, and every time will count as an extra entry, but be sure to tag different people every time ;)
✨ Must be following both me & @xxxxxxxxxxx [I will check! Don’t follow to unfollow, that is just rude since I am giving you this chance ? ]
✨ Share this giveaway on your story and tag me in it. You can do this daily and every time will count as an extra entry. (Except for the first time because that one is required to enter!)

First two and half points are fair enough, she and her partner accounts would get engagement (to help to build the brand recognition, etc.), word spreads and hopefully it will lead to increase in sales.

Fourth point is asking to build a content around her. It’s a lot to ask and probably will already exclude most of potentially interested people, but even that’s not unheard of.

How about this pearl: Don’t follow to unfollow, that is just rude since I am giving you this chance ?

You are expected to keep following her forever(?) because a chance to enter a competition. Don’t get me wrong, I dislike the follow to unfollow game as much as the next person (specially when people unfollow you the moment you have followed them not because you didn’t follow in return).

What makes the whole campaign silliest is that the organizers account follows 29(!) people, while her followers count was over 1000 (at least 400–500 from this same campaign). Does that make it a success story? After all, she does have a fair amount of people following her account and her following few seems to imply that they are important, right?

While this may be a case when build a lifestyle brand, it’s not a way to go when you are a small business trying to build a loyal customer base. Organizer has fallen for an idea that you need to have as many followers and follow as few people back as possible. Her claim, that by unfollowing her you would be rude, makes her seem hypocrite since her own engagement in social media is extremely unbalanced.

Four mistakes to avoid when doing Instagram give-away:

1. Don’t over-complicate it. Most people use Instagram on their phones. With 4–5 different conditions over multiple accounts it’s not likely that people will follow through and even when they do they end up feeling frustrated with you.
2. Make sure you know why you are doing your campaign and what kind of engagement you hope to attract. International giveaways are great but people mostly buy local (unless you can wave a shipping cost, small businesses usually can’t).
3. Don’t insult your audience. Yes, there is a follow to unfollow going on in Instagram, but people who do it don’t stop because you tell them, and people who don’t do it are more likely to be offended by it.
4. Make sure what you expect is in balance to what the winner would receive (not the cost you will have with it). This example asks for all they can possibly think of and that ends up being a lot of effort for a few trinkets. Such a campaign might attract professional giveaway hunters but is not too likely to resonate with people to buy these products in the future.

An effective social media marketing campaign should go beyond trying to lure people into following you. If your aim is to build a brand and increase sale it’s more important to focus on reaching your target audience rather than only boosting followers number by professional bargain-hunters.

What mistakes have you noticed in social media marketing?

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