Success Stories

Moonfruit

Before Twitter: Below the radar web-site building company.

After Twitter: After a Twitter contest went viral, the London-based company had acquired 47,000 followers on Twitter, traffic to its home page had increased by 1,300% and the word “moonfruit” was appearing all over the Internet. In addition to creating a much bigger brand awareness, the firm’s products have more than tripled and paying customers have increased by 20%.

Chickdowntown.com

Before Twitter: Average online retailer.

After Twitter: Since its May ’09 Twitter contest the company began tweeting on a regular basis, and their following has grown to 4,100 from 300 with on average 200 new people following each day. Twitter followers account for 5% of traffic to the site whereas the email blasts, which reach 100,000 people, account for 4% of traffic.

Clickbooth

Before Twitter: Mediocre digital media publisher

After Twitter: Clickbooth teamed up with blogger John Chow for a successful Twitter contest, where contestants had to follow both Clickbooth and John Chow and then retweet a post. As Clickbooth reached different milestones of followers, they gave out more prizes. Eric Schechter, Clickbooth’s social media manager, says since the contest launched there has been an enormous increase in Twitter traffic and they have brought in new publishers.

Why is Twitter effective?

“While companies have used traditional contests for years to generate buzz, a Twitter contest is superior because ‘retweeting’ spreads brand awareness even quicker”, says Dan Zarrella, a social-media consultant based in Boston.

People always want free things. Social media and marketing experts say the combination of freebies and Twitter’s inherently viral nature is particularly powerful in creating a strong brand identity.

And although being on Twitter alone isn’t going to provide the highly effective recognition one hopes for, it is an integral part of a beginning for a smaller business. It’s important that communication and interaction keeps on going and the audience is engaged.

Tips for Twitter contest?

If you’re looking to replicate successful Twitter contests like Moonfruit’s, aim for high tech. Moonfruit integrated Apple Macs and iPods as its prizes. Not only did this resonate with potential clients but it also reinforced the firm’s innovative high-tech image, strengthening their reputation.

Source: Wall Street Journal