It’s common practice in mobile marketing to offer prize promotions, run contests, and give stuff away as incentives to encourage people to participate in marketing programs. You could run a program that gives small prizes instantly throughout the campaign period and ends by awarding one lucky participant a grand prize. This format works well in traditional marketing programs, and it works well in mobile marketing programs too.
You can enhance any of your mobile marketing promotions — text-based communication programs, voice programs, mobile Internet programs, and so on — with incentives. The process is simple:
Promote the incentive along with the call to action to participate.
Set the odds of winning (often a configurable element) in the mobile marketing application.
If you’re going to have an instant-win component or a grand prize, configure the odds for that too.
Coordinate with your prize fulfillment house if you’re going to be giving away physical goods or services, or configure your mobile marketing application to award content (such as a ringtone) to be consumed on a mobile phone.
When you run any type of contest, sweepstakes, or giveaway program, you must work with your legal team to document the rules and the related terms and conditions of your program. The law requires you to provide this documentation. Every state has its own laws about these types of programs; if you’re running a campaign, make sure that you’re compliant with all the individual state laws.