If your company wants to implement a marketing tactic that will reach a large audience, generate interest in your brand and keep your audience engaged, you should invest in a contest.

Contests are great tools to help your business generate interest, but in order to be successful, your company needs to make sure that you’re running the right contest and running it in the best way possible.

Before diving head first into the sea of contests, make sure to use these tips to help build the best possible contest for your business.

1. Aim for the right demographic.
Your contest is still a marketing tactic, so you need to have a main demographic in mind. Make sure that you thoroughly research who will best benefit from and participate in your contest, and make sure that you aim your contest towards this group.

Some companies think that by targeting a smaller and more niche group that they will lose out on a great deal of exposure, but this isn’t true. Contests that are run with a specific audience in mind expertly determine the best way to promote the contest. Once the initial audience is aware of the contest, they will spread the word and the awareness of your contest will grow.

2. Make it beneficial to your brand.
A contest is a marketing tactic, and your marketing tactics should be an extension of your brand. In order to see success from your contest, make sure that it falls in line with your brand. For example, if you create baby products, run a contest looking for the cutest baby and make the prize baby-related. When the contest correlates with your brand, it will help build brand awareness, and all of your participants will know what you have to offer and will think of you when they need the product or service you offer.

If your contest has nothing to do with your brand, not only will you not see much success, but it will also confuse your target audience. If you create baby products, but your contest is looking for the best vacation spot and your grand prize is a new car, your contest is not going to build any brand loyalty.

3. Keep it simple.
Your audience will be more willing to participate in your contest if it is simple. Contests that require a great deal of effort will turn off a great deal of people, and if you want your contest to reach a large audience and generate many participants, you need to use a simple approach. Don’t make signing up a long process and don’t ask them to submit a 5-page essay. You won’t generate interest by doing this.

4. Follow the rules.
Different states and online platforms have specific guidelines for contests, and it’s important that you understand these guidelines before you start your contest. Some states may require you to file certain paperwork, and some online platforms, such as Facebook, have their ownsetofguidelines that you need to follow if you want to use their platform for your contest. If your company breaks a guideline, your contest could face numerous penalties, which will not only be costly, but could ruin your entire contest effort.

5. Hire a professional promotions company.
Professional promotions companies specialize in running contests for other companies, and if you’re not sure how to go about running a contest or if you don’t have the resources to fund or manage your contest, it’s a smart idea to hire a professional company to do this for you. By hiring a company, you’ll gain the experience and attention of a dedicated team whose sole purpose is to help you succeed.

When it comes to running a contest, make sure that you have a thorough understanding of what you’re about to get into, and make sure to use these tips to help your company have the best contest success.

Jarrod Smith works for several promotional marketing firms, providing consultative services in the hiring and selection of marketing and promotions companies.