Contest Management and Mailings Database Management: A Marketing Plan For
Winners
by David G. Petten
Contests can be an exciting part of a marketing campaign. But contest management
and the attendant need for mailings database management must be considered
before selecting a contest as part of any marketing campaign. If your marketing
firm has engaged in contests before you already know this, but for those new to
the process it seems important to at least go through some of the pitfalls, so
you approach your contest fully informed.
What, you may ask, is contest management? Contests basically take care of
themselves, right? No. And anyone who believes that is not only in for a world
of trouble, but potential legal problems. For this reason, when creating a
contest it is essential to create a project team which a specific project
leader.
This project team will design the contest, operate the contest, and offer all
the contest management support required during the contest period. Among the
most important of contest management tools is a mailings database and its
management. Almost all contests require the contest applicant to send you
something. A form, a box top, the answer to a question, something. And the
receipt of all this material must be tracked, so that it can be shown that the
contest function according to its rules -- if questions are ever raised.
The project manager of you contest management team should appoint a single
person to oversee the mailings database management. Like all records management
activities this is uniquely important to ensure quality control. You may have
the best data entry clerks on planet earth, but even they cannot do their job
without a system. You mailings database management team and its leader will
create this system, and ensure that it is efficiently and accurately
administered. It is probably best if you offer the mailings database management
position to someone in your firm who is an expert in records management. This,
for instance, might be a great chance to allow someone in research or even
accounting to get a taste of the creative side of your business. Although
running a contest is hard work, there is something inherently exciting about it.
The promise of prizes. The randomness. The novelty. And because of these factors
will believe you will have no problem attracting highly qualified people to the
project in-house.
However, if you have no one in-house, we recommend selecting a contest
specialist. Although there may be many people outside your firm who could handle
contest management or mailings database management, it is always unwise to bring
someone new into the equation who is not an expert in the task at hand. A new or
temporary employee already has the problems of acclimating to your practices and
procedures. In most firms, that can take days, even weeks. There is not need to
complicate this process by forcing them to do "on the job" training.
Running a contest can be an exciting prospect. We highly recommend it. However,
as we have laid out in this brief article, one needs to understand the
importance of contest management and mailings database management. But, if you
get this right, and we know you will, your client will be very happy. And so
will those contest winners! And, by the way, make sure to send us an entry form!
About the Author:
Contest Management and Mailings Database
Management .
Source of this article:
www.goarticles.com
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