Editor’s note: Amazon retired its sweepstakes service, Amazon Giveaway, in October 2019
Giveaways have long been one of the most popular marketing strategies. Radio stations do it all the time, like with prime concert tickets. And now that Amazon has gotten on board, it’s time you do, too. If you’re curious, read on to find out what RepricerExpress has learned.
Amazon Giveaway for Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)
You’ve probably heard whispers of Amazon Giveaway, as it’s been around for approximately a year-and-a-half. But in early spring of this year, Amazon made FBA products eligible, opening up things to even more sellers and helping them get even more exposure. There are three different ways you can make a winner out of a shopper:
- Random and instant win
- First-come, first-served
- Lucky number instant win
Different products will suit different win options and different marketing strategies to showcase your giveaway. But before we get to that, let’s dive into what’s involved in setting up an Amazon Giveaway.
How to Set Things Up
- Amazon Account: We’re assuming most people reading this already have an Amazon account. If you don’t, you’ll need to sign up to take part.
- Product Selection: Like we briefly mentioned before, not every item you sell will be right for a giveaway. And whatever you settle on will require its own advertising strategy, as there’s no one-size-fits-all. You can give away up to 50 items that add up to $5,000 in Amazon stock, so choose carefully.
- Product Availability: If you don’t have the item in stock, you’ll have to purchase it. And if you have to buy it, it’ll be at the listed price, plus whatever taxes and shipping fees are involved.
- Fees: There’s a charge you’ll have to pay upfront. You’ll also have to pay taxes and shipping costs, but some of that’ll be refunded when the prize is given away if it was lower than originally estimated. You’ll get back the difference between the estimate and actual. And if the winner doesn’t claim the prize, then you’ll get a refund for the amount of the item in the giveaway
How to Choose the Right Item for an Amazon Giveaway
Now that we alluded to product selection twice, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of what makes for a good choice. Right off the bat, there are two directions in which you can go:
- 1. Cheaply-Priced Product This is a good idea on a couple of fronts. One, you don’t have to part with much money to give away an item. Two, you can afford to give away more items to more people and gain exposure through quantity (this is especially useful for new sellers who want to build up their brand).
- 2. Higher-Priced Product Generally, the best situation for this to work is when you have a higher-priced item performing worse than a lesser-priced item from the same brand, and if they attract roughly the same consumer. It’ll be a bit more of a financial hit, but the clear trade-off is drawing more attention to your brand, especially if you already have a bit of a following around your more cheaply-priced product.
How to Get the Word Out
Now that you’ve settled on which item(s) you want for your Amazon Giveaway, it’s time to let people know about it.
- 1. Social Media This is probably the most obvious place you want to start, like getting the word out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or whatever else you’re using. However, one of the quickest ways to a failed giveaway is to start up a campaign and then abandon it. Like, if you tell people that they have to follow you on Instagram to be entered into the giveaway, you’d darn well better be more active than usual on it in the time both leading up to it and in the days and weeks to follow and source out the best hashtags to use. If you don’t, you’re just leaving your newfound audience high and dry and wasting a valuable opportunity to build on a new foundation.
- 2. Email Marketing List You definitely can’t ignore this channel, as it converts at the highest rate. But if you’re going to go at it through email marketing, then you should take full advantage of it. Do something like include downloadable guides that explain how to use the product being given away. And then in turn, require entrants to sign up for emails.
Final Thoughts
If you’re still a little stuck on how to run a slick Amazon Giveaway, then look at the best contests going on in your area and take your cues from them. It might take a bit of trial-and-error but once you get the hang of it, you should notice an up-tick in sales. And when that happens, have RepricerExpress on standby to take full advantage of it. In fact, start right now by signing up to get your first 15 days free and have it ready to hit the road once you undertake your first giveaway.
