How to Make a Bank’s Holiday Giveaway On-Brand and More Social
First Tennessee is running “12 Days of Holiday Giveaways,” and as it says on the giveaway’s Facebook app, “Every day is a new chance to win!” For each of 12 days, First Tennessee posts a set of prizes that centers around a theme (cooking, kids, fitness, etc.) and selects a winner randomly from all entries.
Media Logic is an advocate for social promotions (when they’re done right!) –not only for retailers but also for financial services institutions, like banks. So let’s see what works in First Tennessee’s holiday giveaway… and how the bank could take it to the next level.
This works:
By allowing multiple entries and changing the prizes daily, the giveaway encourages repeat visits.
Take it to the next level:
Repeat visits mean greater exposure for the bank on Facebook. However, except for posts about the giveaway, First Tennessee’s timeline is silent. This is a missed opportunity: why not share other branded content and engage fans in conversation while the bank has the attention of its likers?
This works:
Participants can share their entries on their own Facebook timelines.
Take it to the next level:
Make the sharing more robust and the promotion more social. It’s far easier to build buzz when a brand offers incentives (like extra entries) for sharing and incorporates other social elements, like voting or a way for participants to see which items are most popular.
This works:
The 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways plays by the rules. Since First Tennessee promoted its giveaway on its timeline but housed it in an app (and at a companion mobile site for users on phones and other devices), it’s compliant with Facebook’s guidelines. (Reference “Is Your Bank’s Facebook Promotion Legal?” for details.)
Take it to the next level:
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should! Although the giveaway is legal, it could be more relevant to the brand. Unfortunately, neither the theme nor the prizes seem to have anything to do with the bank or its products. When designing promotions, always consider direct tie-ins to your customers… and your business.
