SEO contest to promote your site

[epithet]

Hello guys!

In order to advertise our site, get visitors to our site and to increase our overall site traffic I'm planning to have a certain contest wherein it will involve only our clients. These clients will be required to submit a story regarding their experiences while working with us. Whoever gets the best story will win a free webmaster for a month.

Any comments on this guys? Do you think this is a good idea?


epithet

[Gert Leroy]

Originally Posted by epithet

In order to advertise our site...

Since this contest is for your clients, how is it gonna bring you new visitors?

Originally Posted by epithet

Whoever gets the best story...

Whoever sucks up the most?

Originally Posted by epithet

free webmaster for a month..

you wanna make a fool of this guy?

[Webnauts]

Well said Gert!

[epithet]

Oho! Another concept of WELL-SAID IDEAS!!!

Okay, if you say so...


epithet

[freetraff]

Good idea. And keep running that contest on regular base. Like - once a month. This will make your site visitors more sticky.

[ospreybmf]

I have a monthly design contest and it keeps my regulars but it hasnt attracted the new viewers liked I hoped.

[epithet]

Since this is going to be the first time that our copany will hold a contest maybe I will have to check first the returns and the effect on our clients. Then from there maybe I could already tell whether or not I should have this on a regular basis. What can make you decide to continue doing it regularly anyway? Are there any criteria freetraff?

About your design contest ospreybmf? Was it open only to clients or to anybody? At least you have made your regular clients stick with you...Soon new ones will just come along. Is this design contest still on-going?

epithet

[Webnauts]

I guess I would like to participate with my web site at the design awards. How will that work?

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by epithet

Hello guys!

In order to advertise our site, get visitors to our site and to increase our overall site traffic I'm planning to have a certain contest wherein it will involve only our clients. These clients will be required to submit a story regarding their experiences while working with us. Whoever gets the best story will win a free webmaster for a month.

Any comments on this guys? Do you think this is a good idea?


epithet

You are making a number of assumptions:
1) Your clients have the time.
2) Your clients have have story to tell
3) The grand prize is grand enough to get any entries.
4) Somehow this will advertise your site and increase traffic.

Frankly, a how-great-my-wedsite-designers-are competition sounds - well let's be polite: dull.

[greeneagle]

My clients (as most entrepreneurs and small business owners) barely have time to talk to me. They have to run a business, and just don't have time to play.

It wouldn't work for mine at all, without any doubt.

Ken

[epithet]

Thanks for being frank Paul B. I do want an honest reply to my query because I assume that in every thing that we do, there will always be loopholes.

Hmmmm let's be optimistic greeneagle...Do you think this thing will not work at all? You mean no other thing that you can suggest to make the impossible possible?

Thanks guys.


epithet

[ospreybmf]

Originally Posted by epithet

About your design contest ospreybmf? Was it open only to clients or to anybody? At least you have made your regular clients stick with you...Soon new ones will just come along. Is this design contest still on-going?

epithet

Epithet, I was responding to do contests work. My contest isnt web design but car design but its the same principle. I get great retention of regulars but find it hard to get lots of new members since my rankings are so bad.

[Pedro Monteiro]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

My clients (as most entrepreneurs and small business owners) barely have time to talk to me. They have to run a business, and just don't have time to play.

It wouldn't work for mine at all, without any doubt.

Ken

Yep, pretty much the same thing here.

The idea just seems a bit far fetched an unappealing. But hey, that's just me.

Instead of promoting a contest where the contests have to submit stories about you, why not make the grand prize better and make them submit stories about them. Makes more sense to me.

[epithet]

Hmmm...stories are quite too heavy as a burden for busy people I suppose. How about a short testimonial from them? It's basically requiring them to describe in one to two statements how our company helped them.


epithet

[Gert Leroy]

epithet, are your clients Americans?

Because Americans seem to love testimonials, however most Europeans don't... it scares them away.. they think it's just too much ...

[greeneagle]

Gert Leroy,

You have got to be joking there, surely!

Humans are "Social Animals"... They want some validation!

Where did you come up with that?

Ken

[Gert Leroy]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

Humans are "Social Animals"... They want some validation!

Absolutely ! But are testimonials the right way to get this validation?

Originally Posted by greeneagle

Where did you come up with that?

Just my own opinion, being a european..
Forgive me, but this whole testimonial thing just sounds too much American to me.. which is not bad off course, but it might scare away other clients. It's too obvious it's a sales technique.

[Pedro Monteiro]

Originally Posted by Gert Leroy

epithet, are your clients Americans?

Because Americans seem to love testimonials, however most Europeans don't... it scares them away.. they think it's just too much ...

I don't know about that, I'm European and I love testemonials! :D

[epithet]

We have clients all over the world.

[greeneagle]

Gert Leroy:

..."It's too obvious it's a sales technique."

There is a good deal of "Made Up Testimonials.... I agree.

2 comments there though:

1) Many times it is easy to spot the perps.

2) If you intend to do business, make sure they have a client page or something else that corraborates a mktg speal. Many, believe any spin they hear.

"Spin" comes off with a "hollow" sound many times.

Ken

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by epithet

Hello guys!

In order to advertise our site, get visitors to our site and to increase our overall site traffic I'm planning to have a certain contest wherein it will involve only our clients. These clients will be required to submit a story regarding their experiences while working with us. Whoever gets the best story will win a free webmaster for a month.

Any comments on this guys? Do you think this is a good idea?


epithet

Sounds like your asking for incentivised testimonials. I don't agree that would be a good idea. If you are selling the best product/service at the best price testimonials should not be hard to come by at all.

Also how would getting clients to submit testimonials increases web traffic exactly? If you're having troubles getting testimonials, just offer a 5% discount on the next purchase when clients first buy from your website, if they leave a testimonials.

I would think of a different kind of content and offer a discount or free product or service.

[epithet]

Nice tip!

But contest is anoter way of promoting a site right? So more likely by doing so we can generate more traffic, more referrals, etc. I'm trying to fix some loopholes in the plan guys..and I;m just being optimistic...:)

[greeneagle]

I believe we should distinguish between selling products and services to further refine this thread.

Obviously, selling services require more testimonial emphasis than product peddling.

We were discussing selling somewhat arcane, highly competitive services here, weren't we?

Ken

[epithet]

OK, please tell me what's your point greeneagle.

Thank you.

[greeneagle]

Don't services being non-physical in nature require more testimonial promotion than physical objects you can see, taste, feel or smell?

Ken

[Webnauts]

I am involved in Advertising & Marketing since 21 years now, and I was living and working in different European countries Greece, Italy, Austria and now in Germany.

I am watching this thread from the first beginning, and I still did not understand the concept.

You want to run an SEO contest only for your clients, and who are webmasters? And the best one will be entitled as the best webmaster of the month?

And the best one is the one who writes the best testimonial?

Please everybody here, help here to understand, so I might can add something here too.

[Gert Leroy]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

Don't services being non-physical in nature require more testimonial promotion than physical objects you can see, taste, feel or smell?

i agree and i should have thought about it when i spit my fire on testimonials.

[scanmonkey]

Originally Posted by Gert Leroy

i agree and i should have thought about it when i spit my fire on testimonials.

In Service Marketing you want to emphasize the tangible.

[epithet]

Yes I agree greeneagle.

Our company deals with clients through agents leased from us. I admit in this kind of business, the power of words coming from referrals and satisfied clients is one of the best promotional strategy.