Sweepstakes. You see them worked into consumer programs all the time but much less so in technology B2B programs. Why is that? We find that there are plenty of compelling reasons to work them a larger program mix. Here’s why you should consider adding a sweeps component to your fall marketing program:

Want to surprise your customers and prospects — in a good way? Try something out of the ordinary. A sweepstakes can add the perfect breath of fresh air.

Sweepstakes raise visibility. They increase exposure for refreshed branding, a new program that deserves priority, a major product/service launch or a big seasonal push.

Every marketing touch should strengthen your message and expand on your brand, including a sweepstakes. Case in point: a program we created for Iron Mountain featured The Ultimate Grilling Package, which prospects were automatically entered for after registering to download informational, branded content. Why a grill? Because our prospect should be the one doing the cooking rather than a potential disaster frying their backup tapes.

You hear the word ‘viral’ thrown around a lot in this business — done right, a sweeps can actually get more people talking about your business and what you have to offer. Come up with a novel and exciting opportunity and people will naturally want to share it.

The more opportunities you give your customers, fans and followers to get engaged, the more likely they are to participate. An ongoing sweepstakes program gives you a reason to reconnect when your audience has heightened awareness. Bringing them back to your site (for content updates, for instance) or getting them involved socially gives you a way to deepen your relationships.

There’s nothing to limit your imagination for potential prizes as long as they fall within budget — and further your promotional idea and your brand message. Come up with something people wouldn’t spend money on for themselves. It could be a thing or it could be an amazing experience they’d love to win. You can make it one incredible grand prize or set different prize levels so that more people can win.

Highlight it in emails. Talk it up in all social channels. Write it up your blog. Get the attention of other blogs. Keep it front and center. Work it into a tradeshows to increase booth traffic. Make sure reps are getting it in front of customers. Promote it via your other marketing programs if that gets your sweeps in front of the right prospects. Make sure emails and online ads push to a dedicated sitelet where informative content and the sweeps registration page aren’t buried.

Got questions? We’re happy to answer. Talk to us any time.

After years of observation, we’ve noticed a tendency among some outdoor retailers to simply apply a festive filter to their marketing plan for the holidays and be done with it. If they only took the time to create an innovative holiday promotion that worked a little harder, more consumers would pay attention and more product would move off the shelves during this critical selling period.

Summer is planning time, so here are our six recommendations for getting the most out of your holiday marketing promotion this year. We’ll use a program we created for Maui Jim Sunglasses as our example.

Holiday or not, every promotion should support and expand on your brand. In the case of Maui Jim, premium sunglasses don’t come cheap. Every touch has to support quality and advanced lens technology, indirectly reinforcing the idea of a worthwhile investment in high-quality sunwear. The benefit is all about the view (tied to quality and technology), so that has to be front and center. The brand’s Hawaiian roots are key to differentiation, so that has to come across as well. The attitude: easy-going and fun loving.

It’s the holidays — if you want turn it up to 11 and get shoppers really stoked, come up with a sweepstakes that ties to your promotion. Want to increase sales during your busy holiday season? They already own a pair or two of your sunglasses? Then, dial up the sunglasses they love as the perfect gift for someone special — complete with a gift guide to simplify the choice. They’ve never tried your sunglasses before? Then give them an incentive to try and buy their first pair: go beyond the boilerplate product details and give them the chance to win a catered luau and sunglasses for 12.

Consumers are a moving target. Simply putting up a poster in a store isn’t enough these days. Sure, send emails and direct mail. But also intercept them where they are: in store, online, reading a magazine, on Facebook and Twitter, etc. Capture their attention, plus build awareness and generate buzz at the same time. Be brief and consistent across touches, and drive them toward deeper information.

We probably don’t have to say it again but we will: being an active presence in your fans’ and followers’ network of social friends lets them know the latest from a company they raised their hand for. Give them compelling ways to participate, add to the conversation or just learn more. Every company has a Facebook page and Twitter feed these days. The question is will you be using yours to its fullest this holiday?

You’ve done the hard work, now let your customers carry some of the load. Create a promotion that can be easily shared by customers, fans and followers, and you’ll build awareness among a whole new audience.

This has to go a step further than in-store displays. You’ll need those, sure. But if you want to sell more don’t forget the store sales team. Give them a reason to sell more — this Maui Jim promotion included a separate luau grand prize for top-selling sales clerks and stores.

Also make it easy for stores to get the message out to customers: providing an email template and a direct mail postcard does a lot to spread the word.

Thinking about holidays yourself? Talk to us about ways to make your seasonal sales promotion all the merrier.

The hottest new tool in today’s marketing arsenal is the iPad. Considerably lighter than a laptop, just slip it in your bag and go — without busting a shoulder lugging it around. Turn it on and people are instantly drawn to it. Why? Because it stands out. So will your company and what you have to offer — with the right sales presentation.

Now we can’t tell you in a blog post exactly what “right” means for your business — obviously every brand has its own specific needs. But we can offer three suggestions based on our experience in creating iPad presentations like this one…

Suffolk Construction, one of our clients, is bold, progressive, technically savvy. The iPad embodies those things, so the technology itself is reflective of the brand. But from the look to the tone, every last pixel of design and content has to be in synch with the brand, too — on every screen. It has to justify the prospect’s attention. This may sound simplistic, but if you’re going to be on the iPad you really want to aim for perfection. Anything less than impeccable will look even worse in a gloriously streamlined and glossy iPad environment.

Whether your presentation will be guided by your sales team or clients and prospects will explore on their own, user interaction has to be intuitive. This requires the input of someone with UX experience during the design stage, not just an art director. Nav cues have to be consistent and immediately clear. Everything on the screen has to make sense. One “hold on a sec while I figure this out” will grind that presentation to a halt. That’s a lost opportunity.

When you’re investing in a new presentation — your own iPad app, if you will — you want it to be irresistible. On the iPad, that means crisp, brief and unforgettable, not encyclopedic. Keep screens focused. Let graphics, photography, music and sfx reign. Use navigation to break up content into digestible chunks. Whether you’re at a tradeshow, talking one-on-one on a flight or at a restaurant, or projecting to a group, the iPad allows you to tailor the presentation to the moment so that you don’t need to overload every screen with information. This creates clarity of message for the prospect and smooth, seamless navigation for the presenter.

Got questions? Ask away. We’re happy to answer.

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This is the second in a series of posts on the marketing potential of iPads. Did you catch the first one, What’s Your iPad Potential? Next week: Even More You Can Do With It.

A big thanks to our friends and partners for sending all the holiday cheer our way. Although our insulin levels are extremely high, so far we continue to be productive. A few staff favorites…

The amazing cupcakes:

We’d show you the actual cupcakes, but they were gone in a day. Nom nom nom.

The surprise-filled awesomeness:

At least 10 are gone every morning. Preferably washed down with coffee.

That mystery box of chocolates:

Didn’t stand a chance.

The chocolate and caramel popcorn:

Good gawd make it stop. (But not really.)

Finally, something healthy:

Alas, only one taker so far. But don’t worry, nothing lasts for long around here.