Win-iT© (Contest and Sweepstakes Management)
Win-iT© (Contest and Sweepstakes Management) Empower businesses to organize and oversee contests, sweepstakes, or giveaways while facilitating electronic drawings to enhance customer engagement and loyalty. When you think innovation, think SMS-iT.
Create a Generic Template
Creating a Generic Template:
To set up your Win-iT contest, you'll first need to configure 10 mandatory fields.
1. Start by creating a generic "Win-iT Contest" template that includes all the required fields. This will save you time when setting up future contests - you can simply clone the template and fill in the unique details.
2. The 10 mandatory fields you'll need to configure in the template are: - Contest Name - Keyword - Select Send Number - Group - Auto Reply Message - Start Date and End Date - Max Entries per Mobile Number - Grand Prize or 1st Prize Name - What is the prize? - Winning message
3. Once you've completed the template, you can use it as a starting point anytime you want to create a new Win-iT contest. Just clone the template, update the unique details, and you're ready to go!
Create a generic temp group
Before creating the Win-iT template, we will create a group specifically for the template.
Click on "Quick Links"
Click on "Add a Group"
Name your group and click on "Save"
Create a generic Win-iT template
Click on the "Smart Tools" icon.
Click on "Win-iT©"
Click on "Create"
Complete Mandatory Settings
The Contest Name and Contest Keyword fields are mandatory - you'll need to fill those out before you can save the contest. Even though the Description field is not required, it's a good idea to provide a brief note there to remind yourself that this is a cloned template. Note: Since the contest keyword will not be actively used by participants, we've created a long alphanumeric keyword that contestants are highly unlikely to ever text.
Select Send Number, Group, and Auto Reply Message are mandatory. Note: Select the Temp Group you created fro the pull-down menu.
Start Date and End Date, and Max Entries per Mobile Number are mandatory fields.
Do Not Save at this point, we need to add three more fields from another page.
Click on "Sweepstakes Prize"
Grand Prize or 1st Prize Name, What is the prize?, and Winning message are mandatory fields.
Click on "Save"
Your Clone Template has been created.
Create a Win-iT contest
In this guide, we'll be walking through some of the more advanced variations of the Win-iT contest. This will allow you to start with a simple contest setup and then build up to more complex configurations based on your specific use case.
Create a group
Click on "Quick Links"
Click on "Add a Group"
Name your "Group".
Add a double opt-in
This is an optional feature available with all your Smart Tools; you can choose not to add a double opt-in.
A double opt-in process ensures that participants are genuinely interested in joining the contest. When users initially enter the contest by texting a keyword, they receive a confirmation message asking them to confirm their entry by replying with a specific keyword or by clicking on a link. This confirmation step helps verify the participant's intent to join the contest and ensures that only valid entries are included in the contest pool. It also helps prevent issues such as accidental entries or spam submissions.
Toggle the Settings to "Green"
Scroll down and toggle the Double Opt-in to "Green". This will engage the double opt-in message.
Close the settings by toggling off the "Text to Join Settings"
Click on "Save" Note: even though you toggle off the "Text to Join Settings" your Double Opt-in is still engaged. To learn how to set the double opt-in message that your contestants will see, please review the "Global Settings" guide.
Create contest Page 1: Introduction
To get started, click the "Clone" icon in your Win-iT contest dashboard. This will allow you to quickly create a new contest based on your pre-configured template.
Note: If you haven't created a clone template yet, you can easily go back and complete the previous steps to do so. While having a clone template is not strictly required, it's highly recommended. Starting with the mandatory fields already saved will help you avoid losing any important work down the line.
Click on the "Pencil" icon to edit.
First, enter a descriptive Contest Name. This will help you and your team keep track of the different contest variations you may run.
Next, the Description field is optional, but it's a good practice to provide a brief note here. This could be something like "VIP Customer Giveaway" or "New Subscriber Contest" to remind you of the specific purpose of this contest instance.
The final mandatory field to complete is the Contest Keyword. This is the keyword that your contestants will text in order to enter the promotion. Make sure to choose something memorable and easy for participants to remember.
Remember, the Keyword you enter here is what will trigger the automated contest entry process when a subscriber texts it. So choose wisely!
Moving down the page, we'll Select Send Number from our list of available numbers. Select the Group we just created from the Group pull-down menu.
Next, we have an optional field where you can ask contestants for their names. (Request Name Info) This is set up in the Global Settings, so you won't need to configure it here in the individual contest setup.
The Auto Reply Message is the message that contestants will receive after they text in the contest keyword. This is a crucial component, as it not only confirms their entry, but also provides important details.
Note: Contestants will also receive a separate double opt-in message as part of the signup process. The Auto Reply Message is the response they get specifically for texting in the contest keyword.
Lastly, we're going to toggle on the Appended Message setting. This means the Auto Reply Message will automatically include the "STOP to opt-out" instructions at the end, so contestants have an easy way to unsubscribe if they choose.
By incorporating these optional name collection, Auto Reply, and Appended Message settings, you can create a smooth, informative, and compliant contestant experience for your Win-iT SMS contest.
Start and End Dates This is a critical step - you'll need to carefully select the start and end dates for your contest period. These dates will determine how long the contest is active and when participants can submit entries.
Be sure to choose start and end times that align with your overall marketing campaign and give contestants enough time to hear about and participate in the promotion. A standard contest duration might be 2-4 weeks, but you can adjust this based on your specific goals.
Max Entries per Mobile Number The "Max Entries per Mobile Number" setting controls how many times a single contestant can enter the contest using their mobile number.
Typically, this is set to 1 - meaning each phone number can only be used to submit one contest entry. However, in certain use cases you may want to allow multiple entries per number.
For example, if the contest is tied to a sales funnel, you may want to give customers an additional entry for every milestone they achieve. In that scenario, you might set the Max Entries higher, like 3 or 5 per number.
Adjusting this setting can help you incentivize desired customer behaviors while still maintaining contest fairness and integrity.
Click on "Update"
You've now filled out all the key information for your Win-iT contest first page.
Note: This process is significantly easier if you start by cloning an existing template that had the mandatory fields already pre-populated.
If you skipped that cloning step and tried to create a new contest from scratch, you may see some red error banners indicating that the required fields were not completed. That's why beginning with a clone template is the recommended approach - it helps you avoid missing any crucial contest setup details.
Click on the "pencil" icon to continue editing.
Page 2: Qualifications
Click on "Qualifications"
Click here
If New Numbers Only: If you only want new subscribers to enter the contest, you can exclude specific groups from being able to participate. To do this:
Identify the groups of existing customers/clients that you want to exclude from the contest. from the pull-down menu, select the group(s) you want to prevent from entering. These selected groups will then be excluded, and only new, unaffiliated contacts will be able to participate in the contest. This is a useful tactic if your goal is to specifically target and incentivize new signups or first-time customers. By excluding your existing customer base, you can ensure the contest is driving the acquisition of new leads and brand engagement.
Just be sure to carefully select the groups you want to exclude. You don't want to inadvertently block any valuable customers from participating if that's not your intent.
The Already Entered text field is where you can customize the message that will be shown to contestants if they attempt to submit more entries than the maximum allowed per mobile number.
Similarly, the New Customers Only text field allows you to craft a custom message that will be displayed to any existing customers or contacts that belong to the groups you've excluded from this contest.
These two text fields give you control over the specific messaging presented to contestants in those scenarios, helping to manage expectations and provide a clear explanation.
Page 3: Prizes
Click on "Sweepstake Prize""
Add your Prize Name, How Many, What is the prize, and Winning message fields. Note: Only the first section, the Grand or First Prize fields are mandatory. All the other prize fields are optional. Leave them unfilled if you do not want 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place prizes.
If you want more winners and prizes, continue filling out the additional contest sections. However, this is not a required step.
3rd prize.
4th prize.
If you wish to include additional prizes, just click the "+" icon to add as many prize fields as required.
Entering into a Grand Prize drawing
Winners can be seamlessly entered into a grand prize drawing at a later date, offering contestants an enticing opportunity to vie for an even greater reward.
Choose "Yes", and select the "Group" you want your winners to enter into (You'll want to create a new group for this purpose, in this example, we're using GrandPrize.)
Choose the winners eligible for the grand prize by selecting the appropriate boxes. In the Message Sent to Winners Eligible for Grand Prize field, carefully craft your message to be sent to these eligible winners.
Reminder
You have the option to send one reminder before the drawing. Simply select "Yes" and fill out the fields for the message, start date, and time it will be delivered. The end hour will be determined based on your gateway and its message delivery capacity.
Update to save, then re-enter the contest and continue to Page 4.
Page 4: Drawing
Navigate to "Drawing"
Do winners need to confirm? If you prefer winners not to confirm their win, select "No," and your contest setup is complete. Just "Update," and your contest is ready for launch.
Winners need to confirm
If you would like some or all of your winners to confirm, follow the guide below.
Choose "Yes" for Do winners need to confirm? If YES then Only - check the winners to be notified to confirm.
If YES then Message sent to the winner(s) - craft your message that includes the keyword they must reply with inorder to claim their prize. KEYWORD sent to participant to text back to confirm - Please make sure this is the same keyword you have used in the message.
After the randomizer sends the participant a text to confirm, you have the option to specify the duration they have to reply with the keyword before the randomizer selects a new winner. Consolation Text Message - This message notifies the participant that they did not respond within the designated time frame. Note: If they do respond within the allotted time, they will receive the winner's message.
Your Win-iT contest is ready to launch.
Done