Impediments to Effective Contests: Part Two

Last week we showed the percentages of listeners who hold on to the belief that most radio station contests are rigged (about three in eight among the ratings-likely respondents in our sample of over 3000 respondents). We wrote about how that headwind can diminish contest participation and blunt the possible ratings lift that you’re counting on from your contest expenditures.

This skepticism about contests comes at the same time that listeners are increasingly concerned about the ability of social media platforms and other websites to keep their personal information secure. That concern has spilled into the radio station contest arena, with about half of our ratings-likely respondents expressing concern about stations’ ability to safeguard their personal information.

And, we wrote about how listeners are concerned that stations ask for too much personal information to enter contests. Our data shows that close to half of our ratings-likely respondents have that concern. And NuVoodoo’s marketing wing has one-the-ground experience: they know that asking for too much information from registrants causes contest entries to plummet. Among our best practices is keeping contest entry information at a minimum.

While many ratings-likelies are comfortable giving you their age, the best practice is to use a simple check box to confirm they’re of age to play your contest. While Zip Code isn’t a big stretch for a lot of respondents, it will take some potential registrants out of the running. You need to ask yourself, “Do we need that information?” And these data show clearly what a big stretch it is to give up a home address (and do you need that information in 2019, when there are so many powerful online targeting tools).

Finally, it’s critical to plan where and how you’re going to try to get listeners to register. If you are advertising a contest via digital display and video ads, you may be asking listeners to click away from the online content they are consuming to sign up for your contest on your website. NuVoodoo marketing guru Mike O’Connor advises, “People don’t like to enter lengthy bits of personal stuff on their mobile phones – it’s inconvenient. We favor digital ads that offer one-click convenience when we manage name game campaigns for clients.”

A recording of the NuVoodoo Contesting Guide: 2019 Edition, is available at nuvoodoo.com/webinars.