10 Social Media Contest Ideas for the Holidays

The holidays are a time for giving, and what better way to spread the cheer than by running a social media contest? We’ve brainstormed 10 different types of contests that you can run on your social media channels for your health and wellness business. We will provide examples of each type of contest, as well as tips on how to make them successful. So without further ado, let’s get started!

Social Media Contest ideas for the Health & Wellness Industry

Get Started with a FREEBIE! 6 Holiday social media graphics to post on social media.

1. Get People Moving With a Step Challenge Contest

A step challenge contest is a great way to get people moving and interacting with your health and wellness business. In this type of contest, participants are asked to complete a certain number of steps within a given time period. For example, you could ask participants to complete 10,000 steps in one week. Alternatively, you could ask participants to complete 100,000 steps in one month.

To make this type of contest more successful, you can offer prizes for the most active participants. You can also encourage participation by asking participants to share the contest with their friends. The more the merrier!

This is a great contest to encourage your followers to stay healthy during the holiday season, or a motivator to get back on track in January for the new year.

2. Encourage Creativity With an Art Contest

An art contest is a great way to get people creative and interact with your business during the holidays while having fun. In this type of contest, participants are asked to create a piece of art related to your service or general health and wellness. For example, you could ask participants to create a holiday-themed drawing or painting about what they are most grateful for this year. Alternatively, you could ask participants to create a holiday-themed piece of photography.

To make this type of contest more successful, you can offer prizes for the most creative or original submissions. You can also encourage participation by asking participants to share the contest with their friends.

3. Give Back With a Charity Contest

A charity contest is a great way to get people involved with your brand during the holidays and give back to the community. In this type of contest, participants are asked to donate to a charity of your choice. For example, you could ask participants to donate to a local food bank or toy drive. Alternatively, you could ask participants to donate to a national charity, such as the American Red Cross.

To make this type of contest more successful, you can offer prizes for the most generous donors. You can also encourage participation by asking participants to share the contest with their friends.

Have you heard of #givingtuesday?

The #GivingTuesday movement is an event celebrating generosity and inspires hundreds of millions of people to give on the same day as a global celebration. Give back to your community and create a holiday contest to encourage your followers to do the same.

Be sure to use the hashtag on all of your #givingtuesday posts for extra reach and engagement. If you let #givingtuesday know about your plans for your community ahead of time, you can be added as a partner and recognized on their website.

Many coalitions have sprouted out of the original #givingtuesday event.

Check out these GivingTuesday communities for your holiday contest:

#BitcoinTuesday
GivingTuesday for Disability Rights
#GiveForDV
#GivingGap
#GivingTuesdayMutualAid
#MuslimsGive
#GivingTuesdayLGBTQ
#GivingTuesdayMilitary
#GivingZooDay
#iGiveCatholic
#TikkunTuesday
#RefugeesGive
GiveForChristianEd
#LatinxGive
GivingBayDay
#NewsForGood
#NextGenGenerosity
#PhilanthropyTogether
Sikh Coalition for GivingTuesday
GivingPeaceDay
#Give65 (Seniors)
Find Common Ground, Give Peace A Chance
#GiveToWomenAndGirls
#GivingInnovationTuesday
#TuesdaysForTrash

Social media is social! Use the holiday event hashtag to connect with others celebrating the event.

4. Make the Most of Lesser-Known Holidays

Lesser-known holidays are the perfect opportunity to get creative with your marketing. These holidays present a unique opportunity to connect with your audience in a way that is both fun and festive. For example, did you know that December 16 is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day? Here at Healthinomics, we send out a monthly newsletter with tips and ideas for the lesser-known holidays each month!

October Holidays & Events

November Holidays & Events

December Holidays & Events

January Holidays & Events

You could hold a social media contest where participants submit their best recipes for chocolate covered fruits and vegetables to make eating healthy more festive and fun. Alternatively, you could give away a prize for the best photo of a chocolate covered treat. Either way, you are sure to connect with your audience in a fun and festive way.

October is also health literacy month. You could gather educational information related to your health and wellness service that people should read. Your social media followers can get additional entries into the contest for reading more pages. Kingsumo.com is a free way to host a viral giveaway contest. It has built-in features so your followers can get extra entries to the contest by sharing, liking your pages, or reading content you have selected.

So get creative and start planning your next social media contest for your health and wellness business. There are endless possibilities when it comes to social media contests.

5. Collaborate with a complimentary health brand

Cross-promote with a complimentary health brand to reach a wider audience and offer more prizes. For example, if you are a yoga studio, team up with a local massage therapist to offer a relaxation package as a prize. This a great opportunity because customers that prioritize their health are usually working with other health and wellness services as well. If someone is willing to hire a nutritionist, they are much more likely to be willing to sign up for a membership at a gym or yoga studio.

You can start local and meet other health and wellness professionals at your local Chamber of Commerce and discuss a collaboration. You can also start by searching on social media for businesses with an engaged following.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to collaborative social media contests. Get creative and reach out to complementary businesses in the health and wellness industry to see if they would be interested in partnering with you.

6. Engage Your Audience With a Poll or Survey Contest

Another great way to engage your audience and get feedback about your health and wellness brand is to run a poll or survey contest. In this type of social media contest, participants are asked to answer a series of questions related to your health or wellness services. For example, you could ask participants to answer a short survey about how they will stay mindful and de-stress during the holiday season. Alternatively, you could ask participants to vote in a poll about easy and relaxing ways to de-stress that have worked for them.

To make this type of contest more successful, you can offer prizes for the most insightful or helpful responses. Another example, ask them what are some creative ways that they stay on track with their health goals during the holidays? You can run a contest for the tastiest healthy holiday recipe! You can also encourage participation by asking participants to share the contest with their friends.

7. Encourage User-Generated Content With a Photo or Video Contest

User-generated social media content is a great way to engage your audience and get people talking about your health and wellness business. In this type of contest, participants are asked to submit photos or videos related to your service. For example, you could ask participants to submit photos of themselves in their favorite yoga pose or feeling relaxed right after a massage. Alternatively, you could ask participants to submit videos of themselves using any wellness products you offer. You can offer prizes for the most creative or original submissions.

8. Showcase Your Products With a Product Review Contest

A product review contest is a great way to get feedback about your products and services. In this type of contest, participants are asked to write a review of your service to enter the contest. The reviews can be posted on your social media page, website, or any other platform you choose. You can create a raffle and give prizes to those who submitted a review.

To make this type of contest more successful, you can encourage participants to share their reviews with their friends with extra entries into the raffle. You can also offer discounts on your products or services as an incentive for participants to write a review.

9. Increase Engagement With a Social Media Challenge

A social media challenge is a great way to increase engagement and get people talking about your brand. In this type of contest, participants are asked to complete a task or challenge related to your health and wellness business. For example, you could ask participants to post a photo of themselves completing a health or fitness challenge. For example, your followers can eat an apple a day for 30 days and share a photo for each day of the challenge. You could ask participants to share a post about your brand on social media, using the hashtag #MyHolidayChallenge. Offer prizes for the most creative and original submissions or create a raffle for everyone who entered.

10. Offer a Discount With a Scavenger Hunt Contest

A scavenger hunt contest is a great way to get people to interact with your brand on social media. In this type of contest, participants are asked to find hidden discounts or coupons for your business. For example, you could hide discounts on your website and ask participants to find them on a special holiday page. Alternatively, you could hide coupon codes your social media posts and ask participants to find them. If they find a code, they can use it to receive a discount or it can be used as an entry into a raffle contest.

These are just a few ideas to get you started – there are endless possibilities when it comes to social media contests and social media contests are extra fun with a holiday spin! With a little creativity, you can come up with a contest that is perfect for your brand and your audience. So get creative and start planning your next holiday social media contest today!