Best Application Service Provider Social Media Campaign, Best Computer: Software Social Media Campaign

In 2012, VerticalResponse (an email marketing service software provider for small businesses) kicked off its first Next Teen Tycoon video contest to support business-minded teens and help advance youth entrepreneurship across the U.S. In total, the prizes included $8,000 in cash and a trip to TEDxTeen in New York.

Our goals were twofold: 1) To build awareness of VerticalResponse through press, word-of-mouth and social media efforts; and 2) To drive traffic to the VerticalResponse-branded Next Teen Tycoon microsite and VerticalResponse Facebook Page.

To participate, entrants age 13 to 18 were required to submit a two-minute video about their business. An open voting period gave the public an opportunity to vote for their favorite entries via Facebook.

We built a microsite with contest information, tips on how to create a great video, and links to organizations that support youth entrepreneurship. The site also featured a stop-motion “sizzle” video that we produced using hand-drawn illustrations (in the style of whiteboard animation).

And, of course, we launched a PR campaign to get the word out on traditional and social media.

The results? The contest brought in nearly 40 entries from across the U.S. More than 17,800 Facebook votes were cast over 2.5 weeks, and the videos attracted nearly 21,000 views. The microsite received more than 10,000 visits with 19,355 pageviews and an average time on page of 02:36 minutes, and our Facebook Page received nearly 50,000 visits. Press stories included front page/above-the-fold stories on the Huffington Post, FOX Business, CNBC, Inc.com, San Francisco Chronicle and TreeHugger, among others. Estimated total unique views of online press coverage were 15.1 million and estimated total print circulation was 582,968. Two press releases collectively were re-posted on 534 websites.

Contributors:

CEO/Founder:	Janine Popick
Director of Marketing Communications:	Alf Brand
Public Relations Manager:	Connie Sung Moyle
Senior Web Graphic Designer:	Laura Pierczynski

VERTICALRESPONSE

Location: USA