How to run successful online video contests

Video contests generally are most effective for websites with a very specific demographic. According to a Marketing Sherpa report, "the tighter your niche, the younger and more Web savvy your demographic, the more sense it makes" to run an online video contest.

Why use online video contests?
- To benefit from the power of user generated content
- To break barriers associated with traditional video contests
- To better connect with your younger audience
- To keep costs under control

When running video contests
- ask yourself if you really need to run a video contest as contests based on other media can be less expensive
- utilize the power of social networking sites to get the message out there.
- advertise the contest on all important pages of your website, including your home page.
- use newsletters to announce contest
- advertise contests on sites that cater to the same niche
- think of contest page as a landing page -- optimize for conversion
- reward all submissions with at least something to avoid negative press by users who didn't win

Choosing a partner destination site to run your contest

By utilizing the power of established video focused destination sites such as YouTube, you can significantly increase participation rates. Also by using the social networking features of such popular destinations, viral marketing becomes much easier for contest participants.


Companies like Votigo now allow marketers to create co-branded or white label video contests complete with comments, rating rules and social networking features.

Case study: Online video contest by Nestle for Nesquik brand



Nesquik online video contest on YouTube with a grand prize of $10,000.


On its home page, Nesquik featured its "happy place" video contest very prominently.


Nestle using the power of search advertising to advertising its Nesquik online video contest.