Sweepstakes are a great way to earn some extra cash while promoting your business. However, there are many ways that you could go about it. Below, we will talk about how to pick the right one for you.
In 2020 alone, over $1 billion was spent on lottery tickets by Americans every year. The US government runs several national lotteries such as Mega Millions, Powerball, and Lotto America, which generates billions each year through ticket sales. This makes them attractive targets for anyone looking to make money off their website or blog.
There are three main methods of earning commissions with a sweepstakes affiliate program. First, you may be asked directly if you want to sign up for the company's affiliate program. Second, you may have to pay a fee for access to the product. Third, there might be a combination of both options. Usually, these fees are not very high. However, they should still cover the cost of running the sweepstake itself.
For instance, MyLottery has two separate ways to become an affiliate. You either need to purchase a subscription (which costs around $10 per month) or you buy 10 entries into the lottery (worth approximately $100). Both options offer a commission rate of 2 percent but only if the user buys at least 50 entries. If they buy fewer than 50, then the rate drops down to 1 percent. There is also a bonus option where you can double your earnings if you refer people who actually win the prize.
The biggest benefit here is that all of the revenue comes back to you once again. Once someone wins the jackpot, you get 25 percent of the total amount won - even though you didn't sell anything! That means you're making more money without having to spend any time marketing. It doesn't matter whether you've been using a particular platform for years or just started out because you'll always see profits regardless of whether or not you work hard enough.
If you don't want to run ads yourself, you can look at third-party platforms like Affiliate Hubs, ShareASale, ClickBank, PayDotCom, etc., to find the most profitable products. These sites act much like eBay does when it comes to selling items. They allow users to create accounts and post listings for various products. Then, other members of the site browse those listings and decide whether or not they'd like to buy something from the seller. If they do, the merchant pays the affiliate a percentage of the sale price.
You probably already have heard plenty of buzz surrounding Bitcoin, especially after its value skyrocketed last year. But did you realize that its popularity has led to hundreds of new cryptocurrency-related businesses popping up across the internet? One of the newest companies to take advantage of this trend is BitRewards, which offers a rewards system based entirely on bitcoin transactions.
BitRewards allows merchants to set up shops within their own websites. When customers use the shop's payment method, they receive points that translate into real dollars. Merchants can redeem these points for gift cards, discounts, or PayPal credits. For example, let’s say you were shopping at Amazon but instead used BitRewards' payment processor on your account. After completing your transaction, you would end up receiving 3 points towards your reward balance.
Once you reach 100 points, you can claim a free $20 Starbucks card. At 500 points, you can claim a $50 discount code for an upcoming event. And finally, reaching 1000 points earns you a $75 PayPal credit. To put it simply, BitRewards uses cryptocurrency technology to turn everyday purchases into opportunities to save money.
Unlike traditional affiliate programs, BitRewards doesn't require merchants to advertise on behalf of the company. Instead, the system relies on word of mouth. As long as the customer receives a point for purchasing goods or services, they'll keep spreading the word. So if you had a friend who wanted to start accepting payments via BitRewards, you wouldn't need to tell him/her about the service. He/she would learn about it naturally thanks to his friends.
Affiliates usually get paid in two forms. Firstly, there is a flat rate. An example of this type of compensation model is when you join a Facebook group. Every member gets paid the same amount regardless of how active they are or how many posts they write. Secondly, there is a tiered structure. With this kind of payout plan, your income depends on how much activity you generate for the company.
An example of tiered payments is when you join a gym membership club. Your first month is free, but you must stay enrolled throughout the entire duration of your contract to avoid being charged additional amounts. By signing up early, you gain priority access to facilities and classes. You also stand a better chance of getting a spot during peak hours, which leads to higher revenues overall.
Another possible form of payment is when you participate in contests sponsored by the company. You can expect to receive prizes ranging anywhere between $5-$1000 depending on the competition. Some of these promotions come with huge bonuses attached to them. For instance, you can potentially score up to 20 times your investment in cash or merchandise if you qualify for a contest.
Another common form of payment is when you recruit others to join the company. Many big brands rely heavily on affiliates to drive foot traffic to their stores. As soon as someone signs up through your link, you receive a portion of the commission generated from that person's purchase.
It isn't uncommon for companies to give away small incentives to entice newcomers. A good rule of thumb is to ask your potential recruits why they joined the company. If they mention a specific goal or reason behind joining, try to tailor your pitch accordingly. You never know until you ask.
One of the easiest ways to market sweepstakes is to host giveaways. Companies love seeing their logo plastered everywhere, including social media pages, blogs, forums, newsletters, and emails. People tend to share content they enjoy, so hosting a giveaway helps spread awareness among consumers.
But don't stop there. You can also include links to these events wherever else you publish articles. Just remember to disclose that the promotion is being hosted by you in order to protect against copyright infringement lawsuits. Another popular strategy involves creating a list of subscribers and sending exclusive invites to them. This tactic requires less effort and lets you focus on building relationships rather than spending too much time on marketing campaigns.
You can also promote sweepstakes on your own personal website. Most bloggers prefer writing original content, but sometimes you need to throw in a few plugs. For instance, you can add banners to your sidebar that direct readers to certain sweepstakes. Or you can place a banner ad on your page whenever you hold a drawing.
Finally, you can leverage existing advertising channels. Google AdSense, Yahoo!, Bing Ads, LinkedIn Sponsorships, and Twitter advertisements are just a few examples. Since you aren't buying space, you can reach a larger audience, which increases your chances of winning. Even if you fail to land a single sponsor, you can still reap the benefits of increased exposure.
Now that you understand how sweepstakes works, how can you apply it to your business? Here are some tips to help you maximize your efforts.
First, consider what types of sweepstakes you want to run. Do you have a large following that wants to play games regularly? Maybe you're interested in offering daily draws. Or perhaps you want to hold monthly drawings. Think about what type of sweepstakes appeals to your target demographic.
Next, think about the format that suits you best. Would you rather manage a team or individual competitions? Are you looking for a quick turnaround or a longer timeline? What kinds of prizes do you want to provide to winners?
Last, but certainly not least, think about the tools you'll need to implement your plans. Will you need software to track progress and communicate with participants? How often will you send notifications to contestants? Which email provider will you use? What kind of tracking URL do you need to redirect visitors to?
These questions are important ones to answer before beginning your campaign. Otherwise, you risk wasting valuable resources trying to figure things out later. Fortunately, there are solutions available to handle everything you need. Whether you opt to build your own software or hire freelancers to assist, you'll find the experience rewarding.
When you follow the above steps, you'll ensure that you hit the ground running. Not only will you boost your brand recognition, but you'll increase engagement rates as well. Ultimately, you'll grow your subscriber base and attract more prospects.
To learn more about how to succeed with sweepstakes, check out our full guide below.
Sweepstakes have been around since the birth of Internet. They are one of the oldest forms of marketing used on websites. And they still remain very popular today. The most common form of contest involves giving away money or prizes, but there's also something called "sweeps", where companies offer free gifts to their customers as a way to increase sales and build brand loyalty. These two terms are often confused with each other. However, it's important to understand how these promotions differ from traditional advertising. Here's everything you need to know about sweepstakes.
A sweepstakes is when someone wins a prize by participating in a game or activity. It usually takes place online, either through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc., or through email newsletters. You don't really need to be creative here because everyone knows exactly what a sweepstakes is - all you need to do is ask your followers/subscribers to take part in a giveaway to win some cash, gift cards, or even cars! But why should anyone care about taking part in sweepstakes? Let me explain...
It helps to boost engagement on any website. When you run a sweepstakes, you're encouraging users to visit your site regularly (or at least once). This means more chances for them to see ads, which increases ad revenue. So if you want to maximize profits, then running a sweepstakes is a great idea.
You'll get more clicks on your link too. If you've ever tried promoting products on Pinterest, YouTube, or anywhere else, you probably know that getting links shared will help you drive leads into your business. That's because whenever someone shares your content, they're going to click on your link before visiting your page. A lot of times, people share your posts without reading them first, so having a good-looking link might just make the difference between whether they end up buying your product or not. Plus, if you run a regular sweepstakes, you could potentially earn commissions every time your entries generate new leads.
There are several ways you can go about promoting your sweepstakes. First off, you can simply post a giveaway on your own blog or social profiles. Another option is to create a landing page for the event and submit the link to various directories. Lastly, you can use third party services to manage your campaigns such as ClickBank Affiliate Network, PayDotCom and many others.
The best thing about using a service provider is that you won't have to worry about creating a landing page yourself. Instead, you can focus on writing compelling offers instead. On top of that, these providers typically provide tools to track results, keep tabs on performance metrics, and automate tasks. For instance, most of them allow you to set daily budgets for your campaign, customize banners, add tracking codes, integrate with social channels, and much more. Some even let you monitor conversions and view analytics reports directly from within the dashboard.
Whether you're hosting a single contest, or launching multiple ones, it's always recommended to give out unique incentives to entice participants. People love winning things! Whether it's tickets to concerts, trips overseas, or even luxury items, offering rewards will certainly excite potential winners. To avoid losing interest over time, try adding fun elements to your competitions. For example, you could host a trivia quiz on your landing page, or invite readers to enter a drawing to win a free digital camera.
Another tip is to start small and gradually introduce bigger prizes as the competition progresses. You may think you're saving money by holding smaller giveaways, but remember that larger prizes attract more attention than smaller ones. Also, consider starting your sweepstakes with a few hundred dollars worth of cash prizes, while slowly increasing the amount until you reach $5,000. After reaching that milestone, you can switch to gift certificates, travel packages, electronics, and anything else you'd normally sell.
If you're planning to launch a multi-stage competition, make sure you follow a clear structure. Set ground rules for the duration of the competition, how many stages there will be, and who qualifies for each stage. Your goal should be to reward loyal visitors with additional benefits, while making newcomers feel welcome enough to stick around. For example, you could award 10 finalists with a special badge, and give five finalists the chance to win a trip abroad. Make sure to include a call to action section at the end of the last page, so that visitors can stay engaged throughout the entire process.
Once you finish designing your competition, you should test its effectiveness by sending emails to a group of subscribers and measuring response rates. See if there were any issues during registration, and fix those problems immediately. Then move forward with confidence knowing that your next sweepstakes promotion is bound to succeed.
Best sweepstakes affiliate networks:
Top earning affiliate networks:
1) G2G Marketing Solutions
This company has earned a reputation among marketers for providing high quality software, training materials, webinars, and support teams that are available 24 hours a day. Its suite of products includes a list building tool, lead management system, conversion optimization toolkit, and more. One of G2G’s strengths is its ability to develop custom solutions based on client needs.
The company provides lifetime access to its platform. With that said, you can expect a certain level of technical expertise from its team members. As an added bonus, the company gives clients full control over their data, allowing them to use their information however they wish.
2) Paydotsolutions
PaydotSolutions specializes in helping businesses grow through pay per click marketing. It uses a highly advanced technology to deliver effective PPC strategies. The company also focuses on developing customized solutions to meet specific client needs.
3) Algosoftware
Algosoftware was founded in 2003 and now boasts more than 1 million active accounts worldwide. The company is known for being extremely responsive to customer inquiries and feedback. Most importantly, it provides exceptional value for money and outstanding customer satisfaction.
4) iWinNetwork
iWinNetwork is another reputable affiliate network that promises to deliver only the highest quality products. While it doesn't offer a fully automated solution, it does provide comprehensive reporting capabilities and a 30-day refund guarantee.
5) SmartAffiliates
SmartAffiliates is considered one of the world’s leading affiliate networks. Since 2008, it has partnered with hundreds of thousands of merchants including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Target, Whole Foods Market, Overstock.com, Newegg, Rakuten, Expedia, Apple Inc., Dell, Nike, Microsoft, Sony Music Entertainment, Disney Store, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, H&M, Old Navy, Gymboree, TGI Friday’s, Sephora, American Airlines, Marriott International, Hilton Hotels, Starbucks Coffee Company, Lufthansa, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Express, PayPal, Home Depot, Office Depot, Sears Holdings Corporation, Gap, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Papa John’s Pizza, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreen Co., and more.
6) Clickbank
Clickbank offers a wide variety of digital products, ranging from software applications to ebooks. Products sold through the marketplace are backed by a 90-Day Money Back Guarantee. There are no monthly fees associated with membership.
7) Clickfunnels
ClickFunnels is a well-known funnel builder that allows entrepreneurs to easily design stunning landing pages and squeeze pages. It comes equipped with a drag-and-drop editor, prebuilt templates, and plenty of features to ensure success.
8) Wealthy Affiliate
Wealthy Affiliate is a community of internet gurus devoted to teaching beginners how to become successful online entrepreneurs. The company offers training resources, tutorials, live chat sessions, and coaching opportunities designed to enable aspiring marketers achieve financial freedom.
9) Clickbooth
ClickBooth is a powerful WordPress plugin that enables bloggers to quickly create beautiful opt-in boxes and popups on their sites. The plugin supports both popup windows and lightboxes so that users can display the same box across multiple locations on their blogs.
10) CashCrate
CashCrate is an excellent choice for affiliate marketers looking to find passive income streams. It pays out 50% commission on signup bonuses alone. Additionally, the payout threshold is low compared to similar networks, meaning you can earn more per sale.
11) ShareASale
ShareASale is a simple yet reliable affiliate network that focuses primarily on selling physical goods. Although it lacks impressive technological infrastructure, it compensates for this shortcoming by maintaining a close relationship with its merchants.
With all the changes happening with COVID-19, most of us are either working from home or at least have more free time than usual. This has given rise to many companies looking to capitalize on the situation by offering ways to entertain their audience.
Sweepstakes are one such way to give your viewers something fun to watch while staying entertained themselves. They’re also an easy way to generate leads through paid social ads. If you want to learn how to build a successful business using these methods, then keep reading!
If you haven't heard about them before, sweepstakes are online games where participants enter without any purchase necessary. The prize usually includes some sort of digital content like eBooks, apps, or other digital items, but it could be anything really.
In its simplest form, a sweepstake involves giving away a prize (or prizes) to multiple entrants who complete certain tasks during a designated period. These tasks include filling out surveys, watching videos, answering questions, taking quizzes, etc.
The winner(s) will receive the prize after completing the task(s). It's basically a game that rewards players with points as they play along. You don't need to use any specific software to run a sweepstakes campaign because there are plenty of tools available to help you manage everything from start to finish.
Here are our favorite ways to promote sweepstakes campaigns on Facebook.
Facebook offers several options when it comes to promoting sweepstakes. Whether you're running a single page promotion or building an entire sweepstakes marketing strategy around it, here are the key features of each option:
1. Promote Your Page
You can create a special landing page dedicated solely to your sweepstakes by creating a custom tab within your existing fan pages. To set up this tab, follow these steps:
Create your new tab.
Click Get Started next to Create Tab " Add Landing Page.
Add your offer details and select whether you'd like visitors to share your page.
2. Promote a Sweepstakes Campaign via Ads Manager
To advertise your sweepstakes campaign on Facebook, first head over to your Ad Manager account. From here, click on Account Settings & Privacy Policy. Then scroll down until you find Promotion Tools. On the left side, you'll see two sections called Content Recommendations and Promoted Posts. Clicking on either of these options opens up another section where you can add your sweepstakes to both lists.
3. Promote Your Offer With Sponsored Stories
Sponsored stories are similar to promoted posts except instead of being shown to users based on their interests, they appear in front of users' news feeds based on their location, age group, gender, education level, relationship status, and device type among other factors. For example, if you wanted to target men between ages 18 and 35 living in California, you would search for those parameters under Location and Gender. Once you've found your ideal user demographic, you can proceed further into making sure your story shows up in their feed.
From the results page, hover your cursor over the ad you want to edit, then click Edit to open up additional settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on View All Options to expand the dropdown menu. Here you can adjust your budget and schedule. Tap Save Changes to save your changes.
4. Promote Your Sweepstakes Using Video Views
Video views are essentially the same thing as sponsored stories, but instead of targeting a particular demographic, they show your video across various demographics. So if you were interested in reaching women aged 25-35, you would look for video view audiences that fit that description.
5. Use Custom Audiences Through Facebook Pixel
Custom Audience allows you to reach people based on interest, behavior, and geography. However, this tool isn't meant for general promotions, only for highly targeted ones. Therefore, if you're planning to conduct a regular sweepstakes campaign, it wouldn't work well due to low engagement rates. Instead, consider using custom audiences to send emails to your subscribers (if applicable), post links to your website, or even advertise products directly to potential customers.
6. Set Up A Call-to-Action Button
Call-to-action buttons are simple yet effective promotional elements that encourage readers to take action immediately. When used correctly, these buttons can increase conversions significantly. But just as important as the button itself is the call-to-action text you write above it. Make sure it clearly states why someone should act now rather than later.
7. Promote Your Sweepstakes Via Email Marketing Services
Email marketing services allow you to communicate with your subscriber list regularly. There are tons of email automation platforms available today that enable you to automate messages sent to your database automatically.
8. Integrate Social Media Plugins Into Your Website
Social media plugins aren't limited to Facebook alone. Most websites integrate popular social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube. To install these plugins, simply visit your site builder and navigate to the plugin area. Drag&Drop them onto the design grid and apply them to relevant areas of your website.
9. Run Paid Advertising Programs Like Bing Ads
Bing Ads lets advertisers pay per impression which gives them access to millions of qualified prospects. They can target keywords to narrow down their search results, display ads based on location, and track conversion data.
10. Leverage Influencer Networks To Increase Engagement Rates
Influencers are famous personalities whose followers trust their opinions. By partnering with influencers, you can drive organic traffic to your page easily. And since they already boast huge following counts, chances are high that they'll share your link naturally.
However, not every influencer is worth pursuing. Before considering adding anyone to your list, check their follower count, number of recent engagements, total number of followers, and average daily engagements. Also, ensure that they actively engage with others on social media.
11. Promote Your Sweeps Offline As Well
Many businesses still rely heavily on traditional offline advertising strategies. While it may seem old fashioned in comparison to modern technologies, print advertisements remain quite effective thanks to their ability to deliver personalized information right to consumers' homes.
And if you ever decide to opt for an online advertisement approach, remember to always test different mediums (i.e., billboards, radio spots, TV commercials, etc.) to determine which method yields better results.
12. Host Interactive Events Online
Host interactive events online whenever possible to maximize participation rates. Since most sweepstakes require little effort beyond signing up, hosting them online makes sense. Not only does it reduce the barrier to entry, but it also enables you to invite everyone in your database (not just fans of your page) to join in.
13. Partner With Top Affiliate Networks
Top affiliate networks provide numerous opportunities for marketers to earn commissions from third parties. One advantage is that you don't necessarily have to invest much money upfront because most of these networks charge a small monthly fee in exchange for commission payments. Another benefit is that you can scale your efforts quickly. Plus, once you become part of a reputable partner, you won't have to worry about getting banned by Google or losing credibility with your own clients.
14. Join Multi-Channel Funnels
Multi-channel funnels enable you to combine different types of sales funnel together seamlessly. You can sell merchandise alongside sweepstakes entries, for instance, or host giveaways on your blog and collect payment through Paypal.
15. Participate In Group Buys
Group buys are great ways to attract buyers. Group buys are typically organized by retailers who pool resources to buy large quantities of goods at discounted prices. Many times, the seller pays a portion of the cost for participating in a group buy.
16. Conduct Offers That Are Easy To Share
Offer ideas range from providing discounts to buying things off your wishlist. Whatever you come up with though, make sure that it's something that's easy to share with friends and family members. Otherwise, few will bother joining your sweepstakes.
17. Don't Forget About Mobile Users
Mobile devices continue to dominate the Internet landscape. According to Statista, mobile usage increased dramatically between 2015 and 2016, rising from 58 percent to 71 percent globally. Although desktop computers still rule the roost, mobile phones are catching up fast. If you plan to launch a sweepstakes campaign, make sure to optimize it accordingly.
18. Build An Effective Backlink Strategy
Backlinks are valuable assets that point towards a webpage from external domains. Building backlinks requires consistent SEO activity. For example, sharing articles related to your sweepstakes on sites like Quora, Reddit, Medium, and HubPages will boost your rankings in search engines. Plus, writing guest posts on blogs related to your niche will help too.
It doesn't matter how big or small your sweepstakes is, unless you have a lot of luck, you probably won't win yourself. Instead, you must entice others to participate. Here are three tips to get started:
Start Small
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.