Design contests can help you get creative designs and source ideas from around the world. But a design contest can also help you promote your product or service, generate positive PR, engage with consumers or other businesses (i.e. potential customers), generate buzz, and/or build a strong social media following.
Big brands are fantastic at promoting design contests. A large juice company in (Nudie Juice – backed by Richard Branson) chose to promote their contest to design a TV ad across their community. The budget was $5,236 but the email they sent was free and the publicity they received priceless.
Big brands have had great success getting PR through large crowdsourcing projects for example Smiths Chips ‘Name a new flavour’ Contest, Kraft Vegemite Contest, and Doritos Video Contest. Getting PR isn’t everyone’s objective for running a design contest but – whether you want to get the most design options for your budget or whether you want to generate some buzz, following some of the techniques big brands use to promote their contests is worth exploring.
Here are eight (mostly free) techniques to promote your design comp like a big brand on DesignCrowd and receive the most designs possible:
1) Invite designers to your project
Customers who personally invite designers to their project receive, on average, 21 more design options than customers that do not send invites.
Pro tip: use our graphic designer directory to browse designer portfolios.
Cost: Free / Benefit: More Designs
2) Tweet your contest brief
Get your project link and share it on your social media accounts. For example, “Looking for handsome, noble, and talented logo designers to submit to my project…”
Pro tip: use a tool like Rebrandly URL shortener to generate a concise URL.
Cost: Free / Benefit: More Designs + Buzz
3) Share your brief with friends on Facebook
Everyone knows a designer! Ask your friends, and you’ll get some extra interest in your project from within your personal network. Post the contest from your business Facebook page. If you don’t have one, this is a great opportunity to launch a Facebook fan page!
Cost: Free / Benefit: Buzz + Promotion</9>
4) Share your brief with friends on LinkedIn
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Another way to share your project with your professional network. Successful business people are great early adopters. Let them know about your contest and your business.
Pro tip: consider using a tool like Tweetdeck so you can post to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn with 1 click.
Cost: Free / Benefit: Buzz + Promotion
5) Post a link to your contest on Craigslist
Craigslist.org is a good way to drum up interest in anything.
Pro tip: consider posting your project URL in locations / cities / countries where you know there would be lots of interested designers.
Cost: Free / Benefit: More Designs
6) Make your project featured
A good way to get extra interest through DesignCrowd is to make your project ‘featured’. This makes sure your project is at the top of the graphic design jobs list.
Pro tip: do this when your project launches for maximum effect.
Cost: $49 / Benefit: More Designs
7) Email people about your contest
This is what Nudie Juice did – and he presto, people took note. Email is free so why not try it. If you own a blog or company website, why not post a link to your project! Tip: consider including a screenshot of your project to make your blog stand out.
Cost: Free / Benefit: Buzz + Promotion
8) Post an interesting budget
Nudie Juice offered $5k+ – why? To get attention. Post a big budget and/or a strange amount to make your contest stand out.
Pro tip: make your invite interesting – format the email, include a screenshot or a stock photo.
Cost: Up to you! / Benefit: More Designs + Buzz
Start your graphic design contest or logo contest on DesignCrowd today!
A version of this article was originally published on October 5, 2016.
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Written by DesignCrowd on Monday, September 12, 2016
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.