In 2016, a Bloglovin survey revealed that Instagram is the most engaging social media platform. Users of the super popular photo-sharing app are more likely to like, comment and follow businesses and brands than users on all other social media networks. But, at the end of the day, if you are a business owner, you want to know how to convert some of those social media followers into new customers.

Meet your future customers where they are – social media

Hosting a contest on Instagram is a great way to extend the reach of your business – while also engaging your customers – without having to shell out big bucks for advertising. Before your start your contest, set up measurable goals so you can gauge the ROI of your contest. Your goals and the specifics of your contest will depend on your business type and brand needs.

For example, say you’re a new business in town that wants to increase your brand awareness. Hosting a “like and follow to win”-type contest will deliver measurable outcomes such as:

  • More followers
  • Increased post engagement
  • Website traffic

Or, if your goal is to drive social media followers to a big sale or new product launch, you should aim for followers to “share” or repost your content to maximize your impact. In this case, you could measure ROI based on number of shares and website traffic.

Choosing the right Instagram contest for your business

Here are three types of Instagram contests that you can use to engage your current customers and spread the word about your brand to potential new customers:

  • Like/Follow-to-win contest: In this type of contest, you’ll simply post an image with a caption asking Instagram users to follow your account and like that post. All users who follow your brand’s account and like the post are entered to win. Increase the effort to enter – as well as extend your reach – by asking users to tag a friend or two in a comment on your post.
    • Benefits: This type of contest is simple to set up, monitor and determine a winner at the end. Because it has a low barrier to entry, this contest can be an easy way to boost your Instagram follower count.
    • Risks: Simple is good, but there is such a thing as too simple. In fact, because users don’t have to spend much effort to enter the contest they probably won’t spend much time thinking about or engaging with your brand either. They may even forget about the contest before it even ends.
    • Example: A local bakery posts a photo of a new flavor of cupcake they’re releasing for the summer. The caption reads: “We’re giving away a dozen of our new pink lemonade cupcakes to one lucky winner! Like this post and follow us to win. Winner will be drawn at random on June 30. For an extra entry, tag a friend in the comments.”
  • Comment-to-win contest: In this type of contest, your goal is to get Instagram followers engaged with and thinking about your brand in a more meaningful way. You ask them to comment on a photo you’ve uploaded for the chance to win a prize. Not only is this a great way to tap into your customers’ creativity, but it also provides the opportunity to solicit feedback.
    • Benefits: Encouraging engagement is what social media is all about – plus this contest provides the best kind of free advertising for your company: customer advocacy.
    • Risks: Because commenting takes a bit more effort on users’ part than just “liking” a post, you run the risk that many people will just scroll on by.
    • Example: A coffee shop asks their Instagram followers to comment on their contest photo with their favorite buzzy beverage from their shop. The shop then chooses a winner at random from all those who shared their favorite.
  • Photo/video submission contest: Ask your followers to upload a photo to their feed, tag your brand’s Instagram account in the caption and use a custom hashtag to enter the contest, like #BrandSelfieContest.
    • Benefits: This type of contest makes your customers your #1 advocates, plus it transforms their accounts into mini ad campaigns for your brand – expanding your reach and exposing your company to potential new customers.
    • Risks: Because you’re trusting your users to submit their own content, you can’t control the message and quality of the media they submit. Proceed with caution.
    • Example: A cruise line asks their users to post a selfie with the name of their ideal port-of-call, tag the cruise line in the photo caption and use the hashtag #SelfieCruiseContest. A winner is then chosen at random.

As a final note, make sure to check out Instagram’s promotion guidelines just to be sure you’re staying on the up-and-up with contests you’re running on their platform.