Growing a small business is tough enough without the specter of a difficult economy looming overhead. So, in response to seeing many small businesses struggling in late 2012, Intuit set out to give $5,000 grants to 15 lucky proprietors who created multimedia content for the “Love Our Local Business” campaign.
Love Our Local Business was an overwhelming success, yielding thousands of entries and hundreds of votes per entry. The turnout prompted Intuit to double down and grant an additional 15 “wishes” to customers. How did they achieve such triumphant results?
Download the Intuit “Love Our Local Business” Case Study here.
This video explains the campaign (continue reading below for more success factors):
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Targeted design. Intuit designed the campaign to target their core customer base. Based on their research, they knew that the prize (a $5,000 grant) was perfectly suited to small businesses in need of a cash infusion. And, the prize was offered against the backdrop of challenging economic environment, which added extra incentive for business owners to engage.
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Collaborative promotion. Intuit reached out to customers on Facebook – which many small businesses use as a substitute for a company website. They also enlisted local chambers of commerce and business associations to help spread the word about Love Our Local Business. The key: promoting through channels that resonated with their audience.
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Viral reach. The businesses themselves helped promote the campaign. Winners were chosen based on votes from the general public, which motivated small businesses to spread the word within their communities. This generated tons of good karma for the small businesses and awareness for the Intuit brand.
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Easy entry. The barrier to entry was initially as low as possible. The only requirement to enter the first phase of the contest was to submit a short description of how the business would use $5,000. They also offered the option for users to differentiate their written entry by uploading a photo of themselves or their business through any device (desktop, mobile and tablet). Subsequent phases of the contest required photo and video submissions. The key learning here is to make it as easy as possible for audiences to participate in your campaign, but also find ways they can easily personalize and be creative with their entry.
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Make it personal. The campaign didn’t just change a business’ prospects, it changed peoples’ lives. Small business owners don’t just invest time and money into their ventures, they put their heart and soul into what is in many cases their life’s work. Intuit tapped into this personal connection by aiming to change not only businesses’ bottom lines, but to also positively affect loves.
There were many factors that contributed to this campaign’s success, but it all started with Intuit’s vision to help the little guy.
“The ‘Love Our Local Business’ campaign has really had a significant impact on our business,” said Betsy Eshoei, Senior Marketing Manager at Intuit. “It has allowed Intuit to give back to the small businesses that have always been so important to us—while also engaging the local communities that support them. We’ve received a lot of very appreciative feedback, and importantly, the results for our business have just been phenomenal.”
Gain more insights into how Intuit and Thismoment worked together on this user-generated content campaign — and how you can boost your brand with similar programs — in the above video and case study linked below.
Download the Intuit “Love Our Local Business” Case Study here.
