subject: Creating Buzz And Marketing Materials At The Same Time [print this page] As you well know, attracting search engine spiders is much easier if you have regular fresh content on your site. Of course, it is time consuming to develop new content on a regular basis, which is one of the reasons that blogs and forums have become so popular.
Each of those features prompts your users to develop your content for you.
Another excellent way to develop content as well as create buzz for your site is to run contests. People love to enter contests and will follow contest drama endlessly. If you would like to capitalize on a contests potential for creating buzz, the value of added content for search engine rankings and the fast growing addiction to watching homemade videos, sponsor a contest that includes your products or website and customer videos.
Design a contest that meets your objectives
Think about what you want potential customers to hear about your company and your product then design those elements into the contest. For example, if you sell jeans for women, you might want them to know that your jeans are not just beautiful, they are comfortable as well. You might also want to convey the sense that wearing your jeans makes a woman more attractive. You might then sponsor a contest that asks women to demonstrate just how comfortable your jeans are or just how beautiful your jeans make them feel. Can you begin to picture videos of women swimming in your jeans, sleeping in your jeans or winning a beauty contest while wearing your jeans?
Establish a sub domain for entries
Do not try to add the all of the contest info to the main site though certainly provide a link to the sub domain that you set up. Use the sub domain to:
Be the landing area for search traffic
Explain contest rules
Accept entries
Collect votes
Provide a link to the main site selling page so that contestants and voters can shop once they have been inspired by the contest.
Announce your contest broadly
You can announce your contest using press releases which also help with search engine rankings. You can also use pay per click ads to announce the contest and invite entrants. You should certainly send the announcement to your email list and post on your social networking pages.
Encourage contestants to go viral
Give your contestants the tools to solicit voters. Send them info that they can forward or tweet. Give them a postcard template to hand out to friends and ask that they go to the site and vote. Basically, let your contestants sell your site.
Sign up voters
Require just a bit of info from voters such as email address. After they vote, ask if they want to receive info. You can even ask for additional information in exchange for being placed in a prize raffle associated with the contest.
Announce the winner or winners with a splash
In addition to press releases, do something special that you can promote such as interviewing winners by webcam and posting the interviews or hiring local videographers to go to homes and film prize winners receiving their prizes. If your business is more local, you can host an in person gala and premiere the winning videos.
It is fun and it is an easy way to attract traffic and buyers.
