Why Sponsors LOVE Digital Contests

In an over-saturated attention market standing out is key. Sponsors have Instagram ads to grab that attention…but those are getting pretty oversaturated.

I’ve talked before about how your influence as a team can help with the over saturation. A logo from a team they know will get them to stop their scrolling.

But the goal for any brand is to help create a relationship with the user. Something that will create a great first touch point for the user and start that relationship off right.

This is why digital contests are so effective today. They grab attention and start that first step on the fan journey to a relationship with the brand.

Here are a few specific reasons why fans and brands LOVE digital contests:

Today the eyes are glued to the phone, which is nothing new.

This is where digital contests become important over analog ones.

While your in-stadium lucky row contest is great. Coupons get lost, they forget about the reward, and you lose the attention.

Brands understand where the attention is and want to put their dollars behind those platforms. If your lucky row isn’t working as well…offer them digital contests and watch as they gravitate towards those assets.

Reciprocity is a very interesting psychological item. Really it is amazing that as humans we feel the need to reciprocate value that other people bring us. I love it.

This is why prizing, when done right, is such a POWERFUL brand building tool and why digital contesting works so well in driving brand affinity.

This is why brands LOVE digital contests…because it brings reciprocity and a great way to build brand affinity. You can drive real value to your sponsor through contesting to build reciprocity.

Sponsors love digital contests because they earn fan insights. This goes in line with the need for brands to build a relationship with their customers.

With lucky row winners you can build reciprocity, but when you want to follow up there is usually no data.

With digital contests, you earn their insights, an email, phone number, and with their permission, you can continue to follow up with value.

It is HUGE to understand the EARNING their insights part. You need to establish yourself and value away from what you see with a lot of contests.

You need to bring value to them first and foremost with the experience & the prize. A sweepstake is cool, but are you really earning the right to connect with them after?

Your contests should bring so much value through experience AND prize wise that when you do follow up, the reciprocity makes them want to engage with your sponsor further.

And ultimately you need their consent to follow up as well. Don’t be a sleazy contest, your fans won’t appreciate it, your sponsors won’t appreciate it, and most importantly you will see a negative impact.

This goes in line with the earning insights, but digital contests can continue the connection all year long.

Really the best digital contests have a recurring mechanism. You can connect with your participants multiple times in a season, year, whatever.

Digital makes this easy because of the access. Everyone has a phone, it has never been easier to get their attention in each game.

Remember the goal here is to connect with fans to sponsors and build a great relationship. Nothing builds relationships better than multiple touch points. It’s like going on multiple dates, you build a relationship with them through multiple contacts.

Brands love digital contact to build a relationship, which is why they love digital contests.

Overall sponsors are looking to connect with your fans and build a relationship through your influence as a team.

Digital contests are the best way to do that in today’s attention saturated market. They grab attention on the phone, build reciprocity, earn insights, and create a recurring contact with the fan.

If you don’t have them in your sponsorship package, you should add some. They hit all the items sponsors are looking for.

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