Social Media Contests Ecommerce Best Practices (2025)

Social media contests ecommerce are a big deal. They promote products and encourage brand to audience interaction.

Benefits:

• More visibility
• More customer interaction
• More sales

Social media contest can be giveaways or challenges, so ecommerce brands can reach new customers and strengthen relationships with existing ones.

In this post we will go over the best practices for running social media contests in ecommerce, the types of social media contest ideas, the benefits and practical tips to make it all happen.

Types of Social Media Contests

1. Giveaways

What are Social Media Giveaways and How do They Work?

Giveaways are a type of social media contest where participants enter to win prizes by completing specific tasks, such as following the brand, liking a post or tagging friends.

The winner is chosen randomly from the pool of participants who have completed those tasks. Simple and broad appeal.

Running social media giveaways gives ecommerce brands:

• More Visibility: By asking participants to share the contest with their networks, they can raise brand awareness and can reach a much wider audience.
• Audience Engagement: Social Media Giveaways create interaction between brand and customer, excitement and anticipation around products.
• Lead Generation: Participants often provide valuable information, such as email addresses, that can be used for future marketing.
• Brand Affinity: Offering great prizes helps associate positive feelings with the brand, customer loyalty.

Example of a Giveaway Campaign by an Ecommerce Brand

Example is GlowUp, a skincare brand that recently ran a social media giveaway to promote their new organic face masks.

The rules were:

1. Follow the GlowUp Instagram account
2. Like the giveaway social media post
3. Tag three friends in the comments

The campaign ran for two weeks and had over 10,000 entries.

Results:

• Follower count up 25%
• Engagement on related posts up 40%
• Email subs grew from the data collected during the entry process

This example shows how well executed social media giveaways can drive engagement and product promotion in ecommerce.

2. Contests

Contests are a great way to engage on social media posts. Unlike giveaways where winners are chosen randomly, contests require participants to show their own creativity.

What are Contests:

• Participants submit entries such as photos, videos or written content.
• Winners are chosen based on criteria set by the brand, usually creativity or originality.

Encourage Creativity:

This format allows participants to show off their skills. By doing creative tasks, users become more involved and brands can get unique content for future influencer marketing.

Performance Based Winner Selection:

Evaluating entries based on performance creates competition and excitement among participants. Brands can use this competitive spirit to boost engagement big time.

Example of a Contest Campaign:

One example is an ecommerce clothing brand that ran a photo caption contest “Best Outfit Challenge.

Participants submitted photos of themselves wearing the brand’s clothing. A panel judged the entries on creativity and styling and saw increased visibility and user generated content that drove sales.

Now that you know these elements, you can apply them to the bigger picture of social media contest ideas.

Why Run Social Media Contests in Ecommerce?

1. More Follower Count

Social media contests are a great way for ecommerce brands to grow their social platforms and follower count. When participants engage with a contest idea by following the brand’s social media account, they will stay up to date with future promotions and product launches.

This grows the numbers and creates a community around the brand.

How to Grow Follower Count:

• Entry Requirements: Many contests require participants to follow the brand as an entry requirement. This one simple action can grow the follower count big time.
• Engagement Incentives: Ask users to tag friends or share posts and you’ll reach a wider audience and get new followers organically.

Example is XYZ Fashion, an ecommerce brand for trendy clothing.

During their “Summer Style Challenge” participants were asked to follow their social media account, post photos wearing XYZ Fashion outfits and tag friends in the social media posts.

Participants had to spread the word while engaging with the brand’s products.

Results:

• Within 2 weeks XYZ Fashion grew by 150%.
• The contest got over 5,000 entries and many participants shared their posts across multiple platforms, increasing the reach even more.

By using these social media strategies, ecommerce brands can tap into existing audiences and convert them into social media engagement followers.

Since contest ideas not only raise awareness but create long term connections between consumers and brands, they are a valuable social media analytics tools to increase engagement metrics.

Social media contests driving follower growth proves they are an essential part of any ecommerce marketing strategy.

As brands get creative with formats and prizes, the potential for follower growth will always be a benefit for those who run contests.

2. Higher Lead Conversion Rates

Running social media contests in ecommerce not only grows follower count but also is a lead generation strategy. By collecting participant information, brands can build a valuable list of potential customers for future marketing.

Information Gathering

• Collecting email addresses and other relevant data allows brands to nurture leads through targeted campaigns.
• Engage with participants post contest to build customer relationships and promote products.

Example of Conversion

• A well known ecommerce brand ran a photo contest where participants had to enter by providing their email address. This one simple requirement grew their mailing list big time.
• After the photo contest, the brand sent targeted promotions to the participants and got a notable conversion rate, many of the entrants became paying customers.

The lead conversion along with follower growth shows the overall benefits of social media contests. As brands plan their campaigns, knowing how to convert interest into sales is key to long term success in engaging audience’s preferences and raise brand awareness.

Check out also our blog post about the best social commerce tools in ecommerce to do it right and get the best results.

3. Brand Awareness

Running social media contests in ecommerce increases brand awareness through brand exposure. Collaborations with other brands or influencers play a big role in the reach during these contests.

By partnering, brands tap into each other’s right audience and build a bigger community.

Collaborative Giveaways

When 2 or more ecommerce brands team up for a social media giveaway, they combine their follower bases. This increases visibility and potential for social media followers growth.

Influencer Partnerships

Partner with influencers to promote contests and introduce brands to new demographics and participate and brand recognition.

Case Study: Joint Giveaway Success

A great example is when a skincare brand partnered with a wellness brand for a joint giveaway online. Participants had to follow both brands and share the referral contest post.

This resulted in:

• 50% follower growth for both brands in a week.
• A lot of entries that gave valuable leads for future marketing.

This is how social media contests can be a powerful tool for brand awareness and lead conversion social media strategy.

4. Customer Loyalty

Running social media contests in ecommerce can strengthen customer loyalty. Engage with social media users through exciting prizes and build lasting relationships, make customers feel valued and appreciated.

When participants see their favorite brands offering rewards, it creates a sense of community and belonging.

Benefits of using contests for loyal customers:

• Emotional Connection: Prizes are incentives that speak to customers and creates an emotional investment in the brand.
• Ongoing Engagement: Regular contests keeps the audience engaged and connected and makes them interact more often.

Example

Prize Based Contest A ecommerce brand for eco-friendly products ran a successful contest where participants had to share their sustainable habits for a chance to win a prize pack.

The campaign got:

• 30% follower growth during the contest period.
• Better lead conversion as participants signed up for the newsletter to join the contest.
• More brand awareness as user generated content was shared across social media.

This built customer loyalty while engaging, shows how well structured social media contests can build long term relationships and a social media community with customers.

Best Practices for running social media contests ecommerce

1. Set Goals for Your Contest

Defining your objectives before launching a social media contest is key.

Having clear contest ideas goals will help you focus and make decisions throughout the campaign.

Here are some common goals:

By setting goals you can measure success. For example if your goal is to increase social media followers, measure the growth during and after the contest.

A great example of goal setting isXYZ Ecommerce, a clothing brand that wanted to increase their social media presence.

They ran a giveaway with specific targets: increase followers by 20% and collect email addresses for their newsletter.

The mechanics were simple:

• Follow their Instagram account.
• Tag 3 friends in the comments.
• Share the post on their stories gets an extra entry.

This structured approach got a lot of follower growth and email list expansion—10% more than their target.

Setting goals affects everything in your contest strategy from budgeting to promotional tactics. When participants know what to do and what to get, engagement increases.

Implementing these will make your campaigns more effective and aligned with your business objectives.

With clear goals ecommerce brands can use social media contests as a tool to achieve desired outcomes and build community.

2. Budget Right to Maximize ROI on Prizes and Promotions

Budgeting wisely for both prizes and promotions is key to achieving contest goals.

A well planned budget will directly impact your social media contest success and social media ROI ecommerce.

Budgeting considerations:

• Prize Selection: Choose prizes that are relevant to your target audience. Higher value prizes will get more audience’s interest but should be within your means.
• Promotion Costs: Allocate a portion of your budget to promote the contest through paid ads, boosted posts or collaborations with influencers to increase reach.
• Measurement Tools: Invest in social media analytics tools to track, boost engagement as well as conversion during and after the contest.

Case Study:

An ecommerce brand for eco-friendly products ran a giveaway.

They allocated 60% of their budget to prizes (their best selling products) and 40% to promotional efforts through targeted ads on Instagram and Facebook. This balanced approach got 150% follower growth and significant website traffic increase, shows effective budgeting for the contest.

Following these budgeting strategies is part of the best practices for running social media contests in ecommerce and will give better results and more brand visibility.

3. Know Your Audience and Target the Right Platforms for Maximum Participation

Knowing your target audience is key to maximize social media contest effectiveness. Understanding who your customers are will allow you to target the right social platforms where they are.

1. Audience Research

Conduct surveys or analyze existing customer data to know demographics, interests and online behavior. This will guide your decision on which social media channels to focus on.

2. Platform Selection

Various social media platforms are for different audiences.

For example, Instagram is for visually driven products, Facebook page or Facebook shop is for community oriented engagement.

Example

An ecommerce brand for luxury bag products did audience research before launching a contest. They found out their target audience is mostly on Instagram shopping and Pinterest.

They focused on those social media platforms and created a visually driven photo contest asking participants to show off their sustainable lifestyle using the brand’s products.

The result was higher participation and engagement than their contest goals.

Using audience insights is part of running social media contests in ecommerce. This strategic approach will get more participation and deeper connection with potential customers and ultimately drive sales and brand loyalty.

4. Plan Thoroughly with Structured Timelines, Clear Rules and Compliance in Mind

Good planning is key to a successful social media contest.

A planned approach includes:

• Detailed Timeline: Set key milestones like contest launch date, entry period and winner announcement. This will allow participants to engage.
• Clear Rules: Define eligibility, entry methods and prize details. Simple and concise rules will prevent confusion and smooth experience for participants.
• Compliance with Platform Guidelines: Each social media platform has its own contest rules. Following these guidelines will avoid penalties or disqualification of your campaign.

A case study shows the importance of planning.

An ecommerce brand ran a contest without a timeline and clear rules. They got numerous participant inquiries and complaints about eligibility. The brand learned a valuable lesson about the importance of process.

They regrouped and planned thoroughly for their next contest and saw significant increase in participant satisfaction and engagement.

By focusing on contest goals, budgeting and best practices for running social media contests in ecommerce, brands can get their contest ends organized and successful.

5. Measure Results after the Contest to Evaluate against your Initial Goals using Key Metrics like Engagement and Conversion Rates

Measuring your social media contest is important to know its impact.

Focus on:

• Use tools like Google Analytics or social media insights to get the data. These tools will tell you what part of your contest resonated with your audience.

Example

An ecommerce brand ran a photo contests to increase engagement and follower count. Post contest analysis showed 30% growth in follower base and 15% increase in conversion rates.

With these data driven insights, the brand adjusted their future contest strategy to focus on high engagement tasks to get better results in their next campaigns.

Measuring and adjusting based on past results will get better results in future social media contest and reinforces the importance of goal setting and budgeting.

Dario’s Conclusion

Social media contests are a great way for ecommerce brands to get engagement and sales.

To run these campaigns effectively you need to know the different contest formats:

• Giveaways: For new products where winners are chosen randomly.
• Contests: Where participants need to submit their best entries.

The benefits of running social media contests:

• Follower growth: By asking participants to do actions that require engagement like likes, shares or comments on posts.
• Higher lead conversion rates: By collecting participant information through entry forms or sign-ups.
• Brand awareness: By collaborating with influencers or partnering with other brands to reach a bigger audience.
• Customer loyalty: By offering prizes that your target audience will love.

To get it right, follow these best practices:

1. Set goals: What do you want to achieve with your contest, increase brand visibility, grow your email list or drive traffic to your website.
2. Budget: How much are you willing to spend on prizes, promotions and ads to get a positive ROI.
3. Know your audience: Who is your target customer and tailor your contest to them. This will help you choose the right platform and messaging to get more participation.
4. Plan: Create a detailed calendar for your contest, including launch date, entry period and winner announcement. Also consider any legal requirements or compliance issues for running contests in your country.

After the contest is over, measure the results and evaluate its performance. This will tell you what worked and what didn’t and use analytics to track metrics like engagement rates, conversion rates and follower growth.

By following these tips ecommerce brands can get the most out of social media contests.

This will get them closer to their audience and better in the digital game.

Frequently Asked Questions