Running a local “Best of” contest is a fantastic way to engage your community and highlight standout businesses and services. Whether you’re aiming to spotlight the top eateries, favorite local spots, or hidden gems in your town, Proxi is here to make your contest a breeze. Let’s explore how to set up and run a successful “Best of” contest using Proxi’s powerful tools.

Why Build ‘Best of’ Contests with Proxi?

Easy to Build and Use

Proxi’s intuitive platform simplifies the process of setting up your contest. With a user-friendly interface, you don’t need to be a tech expert to create an engaging and professional voting experience. The straightforward design ensures that you can launch your contest quickly and focus on what really matters - connecting with your community.

Visualize Results on a Map

One of the standout features of Proxi is its ability to visualize voting results on a map. This unique functionality sets Proxi apart from other software and provides a dynamic way to present your contest results. By showing where votes are concentrated geographically, you can offer a more engaging and informative view of the contest outcomes.

Supercharge Your Campaigns with Gamified Experiences

Forms are great, but maps bring the fun factor to a whole new level. Imagine transforming your "Best Of" campaign into an interactive adventure with Proxi’s mapping features. By integrating a dynamic map into your contest, you create an engaging experience that captivates voters and keeps them coming back for more.

Let’s Dive In: How to Build Your ‘Best of’ Contest

1. Set Up Categories

The first step in building your contest is to define the categories in which people will vote. You can choose broad categories such as ‘Restaurants’ and ‘Hotels,’ which cover a wide range of options, or get more specific with categories like ‘Best Brunch’ and ‘Best Espresso Martini.’ 

Pro Tip: Aiming for 5-10 categories is ideal - this range is manageable for voters and keeps the contest organized without becoming overwhelming.

2. Develop Contest Settings

Duration: Decide on the start and end dates for your contest. This will help you set clear expectations for both participants and voters about when the contest is active and when they can cast their votes.

Button CTAs: Craft compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) for your contest buttons. Simple and direct CTAs like ‘Vote Now’ work well, but you can also tailor them to fit specific categories, such as ‘Pick Your Tini’ for a martini contest. This customization can make your contest more engaging and relevant to voters.

Category Descriptions: Provide detailed descriptions for each category to guide voters. Clear, informative descriptions help participants understand what they’re voting for and why it matters, which can lead to more thoughtful and accurate voting.

Email Options: Choose whether to collect email addresses from participants. This option is excellent for lead generation and building a mailing list. Voters will need to opt in to receive emails from you for the duration of the contest, which can also help with future engagement.

However, some voters might be discouraged from voting and not want to give out their email. 

Voter Submission Settings: Determine how frequently voters can submit their votes. Options include daily, weekly, monthly, or just a one-time vote. This flexibility allows you to tailor the voting process to fit your contest’s needs and encourage more participation.

3. Gather Nominations

When it comes to gathering nominations, you have two main approaches:

Curated: 

Selecting nominees yourself allows for a more controlled and purposeful contest. You can handpick the groups or businesses to include and reach out to them with a personalized message, such as, “You’ve been selected to take part in the ‘Best of Our City’s Nightlife’ contest!” This approach can be less labor-intensive, ensures that the nominees meet your criteria, and gives you the most control over your contest. 

User-Generated: 

Alternatively, you can invite the community to submit their own nominations. This method helps engage local fans and build awareness for your contest. Promote the nomination phase through your website, social media, and email newsletters to attract submissions from passionate supporters of local businesses and services.

Be aware that user-generated nominations might skew toward certain types of businesses. For instance, in a city known for its vibrant nightlife, you might see an overabundance of nominations for bars and nightclubs, while other businesses like coffee shops or family-friendly restaurants might be underrepresented. To balance this out, consider reaching out to different demographic groups, or combining user-generated nominations with curated selections to ensure a well-rounded contest.

4. Promote to Voters

With your contest ready to go, it’s time to promote it to your audience! Embed the Proxi map on your website to give voters easy access to the contest. Share the contest link across social media platforms and include it in email newsletters to reach a broad audience. QR codes can also be a useful tool to drive traffic from physical locations to your online contest.

Additionally, reach out to candidates in each category and encourage them to promote their nomination. Provide them with promotional materials and ask them to engage their own supporters through social media and email. This collaborative effort will help maximize participation and visibility for your contest.

5. Manage Your Contest and Calculate Results

Proxi makes managing your contest straightforward with its real-time results tracking. Monitor the leaderboard to see how different categories are performing and manage any ongoing issues.

Once the contest closes, you can easily view and analyze the winners across categories. Exporting the data to CSV allows for further analysis, helping you understand voting trends and participant engagement.

6. Announce the Winners

Once the results are in, it’s time to celebrate the winners! Announce the results across all your communication channels, including social media, your website, and email newsletters. 

Encourage winners to share their achievements and ask voters to amplify the announcement. This broad outreach helps generate excitement and reinforces the success of your contest.

7. Prepare for Next Time

After the initial buzz of the contest subsides, take some time to review and assess the event. Evaluate aspects such as the number of nominations, category engagement, and overall voter participation. Use these insights to refine and improve future contests. 

For instance, if the category “Restaurants” saw high engagement, consider breaking it down into subcategories for more focused voting next time. Analyzing what worked well and what didn’t will help you enhance the experience for everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

Running a local “Best Of” contest with Proxi is a powerful way to engage your community and celebrate standout businesses and services. By leveraging Proxi’s intuitive platform and unique features, you can create a seamless and interactive voting experience that captures the excitement and participation of your local audience. From setting up categories and gathering nominations to promoting the contest and analyzing results, Proxi provides all the tools you need to make your contest a success.

Ready to launch your contest? Start with a free week on Proxi to explore the ‘Best Of’ Add-On, then upgrade to bring your contest to life! If you’d like a personalized touch, our team is here to provide a tailored demo and assist you in crafting your next successful campaign.