Giveaways are an excellent way to create buzz around your brand, attract new followers, and build a loyal customer base.

Today, we’ll explore various giveaway ideas for businesses to maximize audience engagement. This includes strategies that utilize social media platforms, user-generated content (UGC), and tagging mechanisms. 

By the end of this article, you’ll have a more thorough understanding of what a giveaway is, the different types of giveaways, and how to run one effectively. We’ll also provide some cheap giveaway ideas for small businesses, ensuring that even those with limited budgets can take advantage of this powerful marketing tool. 

So, let’s get started!

What Is a Giveaway? 

If you’re wondering, “What is a giveaway?” we’re here to tell you that they are a powerful marketing tool for businesses looking to engage their audience, increase brand visibility, and build loyal customers.

Essentially, a giveaway involves offering a prize or incentive in exchange for participation, such as following your social media account, liking a post, tagging friends, or submitting content. These contests generate excitement and encourage interaction, making them an effective way to attract attention to your brand.

If you’re a small business, there are plenty of cheap giveaway ideas you can implement to achieve your goal. From simple comment-to-win contests to creative photo or video competitions, the possibilities are endless. 

Below we explore various giveaway ideas for businesses to maximize audience engagement. This includes leveraging social media platforms, harnessing the power of user-generated content (UGC), and utilizing tagging mechanisms to expand your reach.

Getting the Most Out of Various Giveaway Ideas for Businesses

Before diving into specific ideas, it’s important to understand why giveaways are effective. Giveaways create excitement and anticipation among your audience. 

They provide an opportunity for potential customers to engage with your brand and learn more about your products or services. You may even get a brand deal in the long run. 

Here are some benefits of running giveaways:

• Increased brand visibility: Giveaways attract attention and encourage sharing, which can increase your brand’s visibility on social media and beyond.
• Audience engagement: Engaging your audience through giveaways can create a sense of community and keep your followers interested. 
• Customer loyalty: Offering valuable prizes can build customer loyalty, making your audience more likely to return for purchases.
• Lead generation: Giveaways can help you collect valuable information about your audience, such as email addresses and preferences. 

Photo Contest

One of the most popular and effective giveaway ideas is a photo contest. Ask your audience to submit photos related to your products or services. 

For example, if you sell beauty products, you can ask participants to share photos of themselves using your products. This not only promotes your brand but also generates user-generated content that you can share on your social media channels.

How To Run a Photo Contest

A photo contest is one of the more popular competitions, certainly on picture-based platforms like Instagram. Practically anyone can participate, so it helps cast a wide, inclusive net to participate in your competition. Here’s a quick rundown on how to run a photo contest:

1. Set clear rules: Clearly outline the rules for the contest, including how to enter and the deadline for submissions.
2. Choose a prize: Select a prize that is relevant to your target audience. It could be a gift card, a bundle of your products, or a special experience.
3. Promote the contest: Use social media, email newsletters, and your website to promote the contest and encourage participation.
4. Engage your audience: Share entries on your social media channels and encourage your audience to vote for their favorite photos.
5. Announce the winner: Announce the winner on your social media channels and thank all participants for their entries.

Video Contest

A video contest is similar to a photo contest but requires participants to submit videos instead of photos. This type of giveaway can be especially effective on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where video content is highly engaging.

How To Run a Video Contest

1. Define the theme: Choose a theme for the contest that aligns with your brand. For example, a fitness brand might ask participants to share workout videos using their products.
2. Set entry guidelines: Clearly outline the guidelines for submitting videos, including length, format, and any specific requirements.
3. Promote the contest: Use social media and other marketing channels to spread the word about your video contest.
4. Encourage sharing: Encourage participants to share their videos on their own social media channels and tag your brand.
5. Select a winner: Choose a winner based on creativity, quality, and adherence to the theme. You can also involve your audience by allowing them to vote for their favorite videos.

Best Cheap Giveaway Ideas

Running a giveaway doesn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of affordable options to engage your audience and boost your brand’s visibility. Here are some cheap giveaway ideas that can create a big impact without costing a fortune.

1. Branded Merchandise

Giving away branded merchandise is an inexpensive way to promote your business. Items like custom pens, stickers, keychains, or tote bags are cost-effective and can be ordered in bulk. These items keep your brand in the minds of your customers every time they use them.

2. Social Media Shoutouts

Offer a shoutout on your social media channels as a giveaway prize. This is free and can be very appealing to your followers, especially if you have a large or engaged audience. It provides them with exposure and recognition, making it a win-win situation.

3. Digital Products

If you have digital products like eBooks, printable planners, or exclusive access to online content, these make excellent low-cost giveaway prizes. The initial creation might require some effort, but distributing digital items incurs no additional cost.

4. Discount Codes

Providing discount codes to your store is another inexpensive giveaway idea. Offer a certain percentage off their next purchase or a dollar amount discount. This not only rewards your customers but also encourages future sales.

Small Business Giveaway Ideas

Running a giveaway can be an excellent strategy for small businesses to increase engagement and attract new customers. Focus on personalized and relatable prizes that resonate with your target audience. 

For instance, offer a “behind-the-scenes” experience, such as a virtual tour of your workspace or a day with the owner, giving participants an exclusive look at your business operations. This creates a personal connection with your audience and builds brand loyalty.

Another great idea is to collaborate with other local businesses for a joint giveaway. Partner with complementary businesses to create a bundle of products or services that provide more value to the winners. 

For example, if you own a café, team up with a local bakery to offer a coffee and pastry package. This not only reduces costs but also expands your reach by tapping into each other’s customer base.

How To Do a Giveaway on Instagram

If you’re wondering how to do a giveaway on Instagram, follow these steps:

1. Define your goals, such as increasing followers or boosting engagement.
2. Select an appealing prize relevant to your target audience. 
3. Set clear rules for entry, like following your account, liking the post, tagging friends, and sharing the post. 
4. Promote the giveaway across your social media, 
5. Set a deadline, and use an Instagram giveaway picker to choose the winner. 

Instagram Giveaway Picker

An Instagram giveaway picker is a tool that simplifies the process of selecting winners for your giveaways. These tools are designed to randomly choose winners from your pool of participants, ensuring a fair and transparent selection process. Using a giveaway picker saves time and eliminates bias, making it easier to manage contests and maintain credibility with your audience.

To use this tool, you typically need to input the details of your contest, such as the post URL and the rules for entry (e.g., comments, likes, tags). 

The tool then scans for eligible entries and randomly selects one or more winners based on your criteria. Popular options include tools like Comment Picker, Woobox, and Gleam, which offer user-friendly interfaces and various customization options to fit your specific needs.

How To Do a Giveaway on TikTok 

TikTok is the social media platform of the minute. If you’re wondering how to do a giveaway on TikTok, follow these steps: 

1. Define your goals. Is your aim to get more followers?
2. Select a popular prize that will engage others.
3. Set rules for entering your giveaway.
4. Create a captivating video that highlights the prize and explains the rules, using trending sounds and hashtags to increase visibility.
5. Promote the giveaway across your social media, set a deadline, and use a giveaway picker tool to choose the winner.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the best type of giveaway for my business?

The best type of giveaway for your business depends on your goals and target customers. If you’re looking to increase user-generated content, a photo or video contest might be ideal. 

For rapid follower growth, consider a simple “Follow to Win” or “Tag a Friend” contest. Think about what will most engage your audience and align with your brand values.

How do I promote my giveaway effectively?

Promote your giveaway across multiple channels like:

• Social media through posts, stories, and ads
• Email newsletters
• Websites through your homepage or in a banner
• Collaborations with influencers or other brands 

How do Instagram influencers pick giveaway winners?

The most common way to pick a giveaway winner is to do it randomly. You can make an Excel sheet with all the participants and get a friend to choose a random number. However, there are also Instagram giveaway pickers that many influencers use to choose winners for them.

Use Giveaways and snsflow.com To Boost Your Followers

By now, you should no longer be scratching your head wondering, “What is a giveaway?” We’ve covered just a few great giveaway ideas for businesses to increase their engagement with their audience. Giveaways are a truly effective way to enhance brand visibility and build loyal customers. By implementing creative and effective giveaway ideas, you can create excitement and anticipation among your audience. 

There are plenty of small business giveaway ideas, too that can be equally as effective for larger, more established businesses. 

However, building a strong Instagram following can also significantly improve your business. At snsflow.com, we specialize in delivering quick, effective results. When you sign up and make your first payment, we instantly start increasing your TikTok and Instagram presence. Watch your follower count grow rapidly as we enhance your content to reach your desired audience.