Contest marketing has been around for a long time. Most radio shows use contests to get users to participate with their show. Sports and charity events always do draws or give aways to engage their attendees, and companies as well have found ways to run contests that help increase their sales.

Since the start of the internet, running online contests has been a very effective way to generate traffic and attention to your website. Everyone likes receiving prizes, especially when they don't have to pay for them.

As customer review sites become more popular on the internet there is a race to see who can achieve the most reviews. The power of reviews comes when a critical mass has been reached. Reading only one good or bad review does not really give a customer enough information to make a decision. This is why for a review website to be successful, it requires a large user base to post their review and share their experiences. Many review websites find different ways to encourage customers to write reviews. Some are using contests to encourage customers supporting their site.

“We’ve found that offering our customers a chance to win $1000 by writing a review is a good incentive to get people to write a review and share it with their friends,” says Max Kalles of Autoshopit.com

Autoshopit.com is an online directory that specializes in the auto repair industry. With thousands of local mechanics it can be difficult to find the right one to use. Many customers have low trust when dealing with auto mechanics, and these reviews go a long way in increasing credibility.

To encourage reviews Autoshopit.com offers an entry into a draw for $1000. The first draw is coming to a close and will be held on Dec 31st, 2011. One lucky customer will earn a nice cheque just for spending the 2 minutes to share their experience with the local car mechanic.
If you’re interested in getting your chance to win the $1000 make sure to visit http://autoshopit.com/review/ You can earn multiple entries by writing more than one review. Any service you have had done on your car whether it’s changing your tires or getting an oil change counts. Who knows maybe you will get the lucky email that announces a surprise holiday gift of $1000 from Autoshopit.com

This is just one example of how running a contest can benefit your business and increase your customer/user base.

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