See how one Minnesota daily created a sweepstakes series that successfully drives ongoing reader engagement and advertiser revenue.
CREATE:
When the Albert Lea Tribune team decided to run a multimedia, multi-sponsor sweepstakes leading up to Valentine’s Day, they turned to the MetroCreativeConnection.com Creative Library for inspiration. Their Valentine’s Day image search turned up a series of gnomes that sparked an idea for a campaign concept.
Advertising manager Amanda Nelson says, “We thought they were absolutely adorable, and because we were doing several sweepstakes with different themes throughout the year, we decided we wanted to keep the gnomes as a constant in these sweepstakes.” Nelson then contacted Metro with a custom content request for gnome artwork to match their upcoming themes. She describes the request process as “entirely seamless” and was able to plan ahead for carrying out the series through the end of the year.
SELL:
Nelson says the promotion appealed to local advertisers right from the start, explaining, “Many of our advertisers chose to do the multi-buy because they not only got them at a slightly discounted rate, but also they liked the idea of a campaign with a low investment and high return. For these sweepstakes, our advertisers also give away a prize of $25 or more. Many of them give away a gift card because their average customer spends more than $25 in their store.”
Advertising participation was sold as a six-time buy at a slightly discounted rate. Participants receive a multimedia campaign providing digital, print and social media exposure that lasts for three weeks. The Tribune team also creates house ads for their website, print paper and social media feeds to promote the contests.
PROFIT:
Nelson reports the promotion has generated $15,000 annually for the publication. The concept has also strengthened community engagement. Nelson says, “We typically have over 150 participants in these sweepstakes. The community has enjoyed it, and our advertisers have seen their return on investment.” The Tribune plans to continue the series with tailgating and holiday season themes coming soon!
Metro subscribers are always welcome to make requests for images, layouts and editorial features they would like to see in future issues, or for a special project. To make a request, clients can call 800-223-1600 or email service@metro-email.com.
An added bonus for all of our news media partners are the educational webinars that Metro hosts — free of charge for all attendees. Here is a link to our webinars page where you can see what we have coming up, as well as the archive of past webinars.
