Hoping To Make Entering My Giveaways Easier On You...Any Feedback Is Appreciated!

4/9/2011

I am hoping to make my giveaways as easy to enter as possible. I know I hate leaving comment after comment...Here is a generic form I created in hopes of making your lives easier! What do you think? Should I adopt this new entry system, or stick to comments? Any feedback is appreciated!

11 Comments

Gabby link

4/9/2011 07:29:36 am

Dude.. I've been actually thinking of doing this myself, but I've always had the concern as someone ENTERING giveaways like that of how do you pick a winner? Do you use a plug-in or how do the #'s show on your end? I was afraid others would have that same concern so I've never done it but I'm seriously considering it now b/c your form is ADORABLE!! So yeah... answer that for me and we'd be gravy ;)

Corinne Soto

4/9/2011 07:31:41 am

yes i would LOVE this form! so much easier thanleaving comment after comment, and sometimes getting frozen out for commenting to fast!

brandy nelson link

4/9/2011 07:38:20 am

Gabby, as far as I can tell, you create and view using Google Docs through your google profile. I guess you can create it, make it private, and the responses can be viewed in a spreadsheet format. (From what I can tell.) Looks simple enough! And Corinne, yeah, I HATE getting comment-frozen. It's not MY fault I type quickly! lol

Kristen

4/10/2011 12:58:25 am

I just left a comment on your Flash Giveaway post, but i'm going to leave another one here. I LOVE this form! This is exactly what i meant by putting all extra entries on one form. But there's still the question of how many other people are entering. And i've read on several forums that people are leery with entering giveaways thru Google Docs because they don't know how the winner is picked, or if they give the prize to a friend, stuff like that.

brandy nelson link

4/10/2011 04:36:55 am

Hi Kristen!
Thanks for your feedback. If I were to switch, I would definitely put all entries on one form. I agree it's a pain in the butt to have to refresh over and over again. I wonder if there's some way to show the number of entries? I have had the same thoughts when entering doc form giveaways. I love the ease of use, but I never know what the odds are. Winners are still chosen using random.org. I view the entries on a spreadsheet form, and they are all numbered. I have never, and will never, just give a prize to a friend. That is unethical and just plain wrong, in my opinion. I have never had a winner that I actually know in real life. Wait, I take that back. It has happened once, but they won fair and square, since the random number generator just happened to pick them. I will look into seeing if there's any way to have a running total of entries. I have seen this done on one site, but I am not sure if the blogger was using google docs or if she was just manually updating. Hmmm...This is a lot to think about. Maybe I will just use this format during events when I have several giveaways going at once to make it easier for my readers? I don't know...Definitely something to think more about.

lisa

4/10/2011 06:01:41 am

I'm not the majority here, but, you asked.Not all of us use face book and twitter. (not computer savvy!) That shouldn't limit the ability to enter daily. I don't believe it should be mandatory to visit the sponsors site and comment.I like the form an Lip gloss Break. Very easy! Any chance of something like that? I'm older and fairly new to computers, but, still love entering contests! Thanks!

brandy nelson link

4/10/2011 07:09:36 am

I understand your concerns, Lisa. Let me take a moment to explain why those types of entries are offered, and why 99.9% of the giveaways out there utilize them. It is generally the Sponsor's wish to include Twitter and Facebook "likes" or entries because it greatly increases the traffic to their site. After all, a blog giveaway is a form of advertising that they, as a company, can gain many customers with very little investment. Just the cost of a few free products. When you think about the thousands of dollars regular ad campaigns cost a company, utilizing Facebook and other social networking sites is very profitable for them, and a great way to spread the word about their business. Especially for smaller companies, like WAHM businesses. So if a few followers "tweet" the giveaway or "share" on Facebook, the exposure for the company is HUGE, as it increases their potential traffic by literally hundreds or thousands of people. This is also why as a mandatory entry, by the sponsor's request, you'd often have to visit their website. I feel this isn't a lot to ask, since the sponsors are being generous enough to offer a free product to begin with. Often, while visiting a sponsor's website, I have found different products I have been interested in and have actually bought them, all because I saw their website while entering a giveaway. So this type of entry is very beneficial to the sponsor as well. As far as liking ME on Facebook or Twitter, those will always be options because companies look at those social networking numbers when choosing bloggers to work with. They want to see that you can reach a lot of people. The better those numbers are, the better and bigger giveaways I can offer my readers. It's all about marketing. There are, however, other options for a daily entry that do not involve Facebook or Twitter. On the right sidebar of my blog, there is a blue box with a fence on it. That is Picket Fence Blogs. I am listed there, and a simple click of that box will add a vote for me. It's easy, and there is nothing to fill out. Just a click. This is always listed as an entry option, and can be done daily. I agree that Lipgloss Break has a very easy entry system, but that kind of entry is just not equitable to the sponsor, or to me as a blogger, and they are not the norm for offering such a simple entry. Most sponsors want to see certain criteria met. So that's why the vast majority of blog giveaways require these things. I hope that makes sense. We don't make you all jump through hoops to be a pain in the butt. I personally don't mind these entry types, since they allow me to increase my chances at winning, and I never mind visiting a sponsor's website. After all, they are being generous enough to offer a free product!

Angela

4/10/2011 09:51:19 am

Hello! Just stopping by from the Weekend Blog Hop! I am your newest follower and cannot wait to read more! I hope you will stop by my blog to visit and to follow me back :)
http://divvyupdiva.blogspot.com/

lisa

4/10/2011 10:56:45 am

Yes, I get that! I was simply stating that for some people face book and twits aren't an option. Not because it's a "hoop".All I was asking is if the people that are using the above mentioned daily get extra points, can you add a way for those of us that want to receive your newsletter and be supportive enter daily also?

brandy nelson link

4/10/2011 12:10:59 pm

Okay, I get what you're saying now. I thought you were asking why I had to include those types of entries. Like I said, the sponsors like those, so I would not be able to eliminate them,I do have daily entry opps that don't include FB or twitter, such as daily voting on Picket Fence Blogs.That is a simple click with nothing to fill out. I can try and think of others, but they couldn't simply be a repeat entry, such as "I subscribe" or "GFC follow". Perhaps I could offer daily entries for commenting on non-giveaway posts or something along those lines? If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them! I want to make giveaways fun for all my followers, even those who don't utilize social networking platforms.

Melissa E.

4/18/2011 06:17:48 am

I know I'm late to the game but this site makes daily tweets a breeze with google docs: http://babydickeysgiveaways.com/index.php/2011/04/bossypants-review/

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