A Fun Way to Increase Blog Traffic - Have a Contest!

Blog contests are gaining more popularity as bloggers begin to see the benefits that a simple contest or giveaway can bring.

Why Run a Contest?

Traffic
Running a contest can double the amount of traffic coming through your site. Making sure you advertise your contest will drive more people to your blog to see and enter. Use your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and ask your followers on Twitter to retweet your contest information and they’ll gain an entry to the contest. Word of mouth is key, and who doesn’t like free stuff?
You can also list your contest at sites like these:
•    tipjunkie.net
•    online-sweepstakes.com
•    contestblogger.com
•    myblogcontest.com
•    contestbeat.com

New Readers
New Traffic means new readers as well. People who stop by to enter themselves in your contest might also find themselves enjoying the content of the rest of your blog, and come back for more.

Loyalty
Giving away the right prize for your readers can produce a sense of loyalty and an eagerness to come back. Make sure you’re giving away things that are of interest to your particular group of followers, and things that somehow pertain to your particular expertise. Books, CD’s and gift certificates are popular giveaways.

Relationships with Marketers
When your blog generates enough comments and traffic, marketers will be interested in teaming up with you to promote their products, and often this means they will provide you with free products to use as prizes in your contests. This means free advertising for them, and no out of pocket expense for you to run your contest.

Running a successful contest can take time and practice, but judging from the success of other bloggers, blog contests can be a real way to help your blog become successful and popular.

We found some blogs that are currently having their own contests, check them out!

• Karikuy is giving away a 6 day trip to Machu Picchu!
• Sterling Roses Design is giving away three 4 x 6 metallic prints from Jennifer Dickerson Photography
• Joyce Cherrier is giving away a pair of New Balance Women's Cross Training Shoes (ends this Sunday, 1/31)
• The Centisible Life is giving away various prizes including gift cards, books and other cool stuff in honor of their 1-year anniversary!

We want to hear from you! Have you run a contest on your blog? What were the results, and what did you learn for next time?

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