Level Up Your Event Promotion: The Power of Social Media Contests!

Hey there, event enthusiasts!

Looking to add a sprinkle of excitement to your event promotion strategy? How about we turn up the fun factor with social media contests? That's right, we're gamifying your event promotion game, and it's going to be a wild ride!

1. Hashtag Hunt: Have you ever seen a hashtag take on a life of its own? Create a unique event hashtag and challenge your audience to a digital scavenger hunt. Hide clues in your posts, stories, and even event flyers. The first to solve the puzzle wins a golden ticket to your event!

2. Meme Wars: Who doesn't love a good meme? Host a meme-making contest where participants put their humor to the test. The most hilarious event-themed meme wins a prize (and instant internet fame).

3. Dance-Off Delight: Get your followers moving! Challenge them to create a short dance video featuring your event theme or hashtag. The most creative and energetic dancer wins a VIP pass to your event, complete with a front-row seat!

4. Riddle Me This: Channel your inner Sphinx and craft event-related riddles or brain teasers. Post them on social media and invite your audience to solve the mysteries. The quickest thinkers earn themselves exclusive event merchandise.

5. Caption Contest: A picture is worth a thousand words, but a clever caption is worth a ticket to your event! Share a quirky event photo and let your followers unleash their witty wordplay. The punniest caption takes home the grand prize.

6. Artistic Showdown: Calling all budding Picassos! Encourage your creative crowd to submit event-themed artwork. Paintings, sketches, or digital designs—let the artistic juices flow. The masterpiece that wows the judges gets VIP treatment at your event!

7. Pop Quiz Party: Test your audience's knowledge about your event or its theme with a series of quick quizzes. A correct answer means one step closer to becoming an event VIP. Get those brain cells flexing!

Remember, it's not just about prizes; it's about building excitement, engaging your audience, and making your event the talk of the town. So, roll out the red carpet, grab your party hat, and let's gamify your event promotion like never before!

Ready to take your event promotion to the next level? Let the games begin with Digital Rain!

A Night to Remember: West Ranch Casino Night in SCV Managed by Digital Rain Inc.

The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) has always been known for its vibrant community spirit, and this year, that spirit was on full display at the West Ranch Casino Night. Managed by the exceptional team at Digital Rain Inc., this event was nothing short of spectacular.

The Venue: A Slice of Vegas in SCV

Digital Rain Inc. brought the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas to the heart of SCV. The event was held at a stunning venue, transformed into a dazzling casino wonderland. As guests stepped in, they were greeted by the allure of blackjack tables, roulette wheels, and the unmistakable clinking of poker chips.

A Night of Fun and Entertainment

The West Ranch Casino Night was more than just a fundraiser; it was a night of pure entertainment. Attendees were treated to a vast array of casino games, each run by friendly and professional dealers. Whether you were a seasoned poker pro or trying your luck for the first time, there was something for everyone.

Prizes Galore

The excitement reached a crescendo as the night's winners were announced. The prizes up for grabs were nothing short of fantastic, ranging from luxurious weekend getaways to the latest tech gadgets. The grand prize, a dream vacation package, had attendees on the edge of their seats.

Gourmet Dining and Cocktails

No casino night would be complete without delectable food and drinks. The event featured a gourmet buffet, ensuring guests were well-fed throughout the night. The bar was stocked with a wide selection of cocktails and beverages, keeping the spirits high as the evening unfolded.

Community Bonds and Fundraising

What truly set this event apart was its sense of community. The West Ranch Casino Night brought together residents, local businesses, and volunteers, all with a common goal: to support their community; the West Ranch Football Team. Every dollar raised at the event went towards the team, making a lasting impact on the students and their school.

WR Football Booster Club Auction and Silent Auction

Digital Rain Inc.: The Event Management Maestros

A significant part of the event's success can be attributed to the exceptional event management provided by Digital Rain Inc. They flawlessly orchestrated every aspect of the evening, from the casino games to the exquisite décor and lighting, ensuring that every detail was picture-perfect.

The West Ranch Casino Night was an unforgettable night of camaraderie, entertainment, and giving back to the community. It showcased the magic that can happen when a community comes together with a shared purpose. As the chips were stacked and the roulette wheels spun, one thing was abundantly clear: SCV knows how to throw a party, and with the help of Digital Rain Inc., they did it in style. Here's to many more unforgettable nights in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Rainmaker Report: DIY Marketing Hack

This just in, we have discovered the perfect Digital DIY Marketing Hack that will increase social engagement in no time. The perfect DIY Marketing hack is a customized Social Media Filter. This is a fun, creative, and easy way to gain social media attention for free. 

I know some of you are like, “What’s a filter?” and some are like, “What! No way! Tell me now!”

Well, for the “What’s a filter” crowd, a filter is an overlay people often put over their photos or videos on Snapchat or Facebook & Instagram Stories. It may sound complicated, but it is actually quite simple. 

via GIPHY

Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram offer the ability to create completely customized filters for free using their easy-to-use programs, Geofilter and SparkAR. 

Snapchat uses people’s location to display unique filters. Through Geofilter, anyone can create a perfectly styled filter for their event, store, or anything else. 

The Geofilter option will draw users in to find out more about what is going on around them. Imagine tourists are new to the area and looking for things to do. As they are exploring and posting their explorations on Snapchat for all their followers to see, they scroll through the filters to find a pop-shop or event nearby that they can attend. While at the event, they take more pictures using the fun Geofilter, and people around them or who follow them see the fantastic event plus  Geofilter and get drawn into the event. 

A Geofilter is a great way to promote an event, a new product, or a pop-up shop. The Geofilter is only for Snapchat; however, Instagram and Facebook have an entire AR (Augmented Reality) design studio where you can create your own AR customized filter.

SparkAR Hub is Facebook & Instagram’s free filter design studio. It is entirely free to use and has a bunch of creative options available. The platform may seem complex but don’t get discouraged; it is user-friendly, and after a couple of minutes of exploring, the program is no longer seemingly complex. 

Creating your own filter on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to generate exposure for products or your business in general. Many people spend time looking through the filters Facebook and Instagram have to offer on their completely free marketplace. The marketplace acts like any other search engine, the more popular the filter, the higher it is on the rankings, and people can search filters using tags that are associated with it. 

Take it from Pop-icon Selena Gomez. When her new album Rare came out, her team created a custom AR Filter to promote it. The filter both played the song Rare and offered a beautiful butterfly effect. The filter exposed the song to people who may not necessarily listen to her music because it was an option for every Instagram user. 

So sit down, get creative and have fun creating customized filters that are proven to help generate business awareness on three major social media platforms. 

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Memes and Marketing: Engage Gen Z with Trendy Humor

Memes and Marketing: Engage Gen Z with Trendy Humor

Every year, the newest generation, Gen Z, is hitting the workforce more and more. They’re equipped with newly found income and curiosity to explore the market. This generation is on the rise and on their way to becoming the future majority of your customer base. In 2020, Gen Z already made up 40% of all U.S. consumers! With each generation, there’s a different way to advertise products to them. Considering 69% of Gen Z reported finding ads disruptive, it’s time to take a fresh approach – Memes!

Traditional print and TV ads might’ve worked with baby boomers, but that’s not the case today. In order to best reach and engage today’s up-and-coming audience, marketers need to get creative. By incorporating memes into your marketing strategies, businesses can gain traction online and deliver content right to their customer’s phone. Bear in mind that Gen Z spends an average of 250 minutes a day on their smartphones. So, this is perhaps the hottest way to reach your audience. Especially since old-school tactics get ignored by a large chunk of the new consumer population. This blog will discuss how to market your brand to Gen Z by using the popularity of memes!

Why Do Memes Work?

Gen Z is an infamously difficult group of consumers to market to. Traditional marketing methods have become largely unpopular due to their disconnection to younger people on a cultural level. However, memes on the other hand are something that everyone in Gen Z can relate to. Take Denny’s for instance:

This classic Denny’s meme was a massive success. It gained hundreds of thousands of likes and retweets at an insanely quick pace. This post was entertaining and relevant to common memes at the time. Yet, while appealing, it’s also extremely cheap and highly shareable. Making a meme like this costs almost nothing, but can have a huge payoff when done right. So, by taking advantage of all of the latest and most popular social media websites, businesses small and large stand to benefit. Let’s take a look at how to use memes in marketing effectively:

Make Memes That Sound Organic

Even though memes are a great way to market to Gen Z, a lot of businesses struggle with it. This is because they often seem forced. Customers will see this as an ingenuine cash-grab by companies. So, a 65-year-old who’s never used Reddit or made a meme looking to cash-in on trendy humor is probably not going to work out well. You need to be familiar with meme culture and how that fits in with your brand. Focus on putting emphasis on entertainment over profit and your audience will engage.

Take Advantage of Trends

Meme culture is ever-changing. So, memes from last year, or even last month, might not be relevant anymore. To get the best response, you should know what’s trending. Follow some meme accounts on social media and make sure to stay up-to-date. Content that’s currently going viral holds the hottest opportunity for success.

Know Your Audience

If you’re a serious company with a serious audience, then memes might not be for you. However, a lot of companies can get aboard the meme express and knowing your audience is a big part of that. Just like any marketing, there should be a strategy behind your memes. You need to know who you want to engage, what your target audience is most likely to respond to, and what social media platforms they use.

Be Familiar with Social Media

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, TikTok, Reddit. Nowadays, there are a lot of platforms to choose from. Yet, that doesn’t mean they’re all the best fit for your business. For example, LinkedIn is a professional, business-centered platform. If you want to run a B2B marketing campaign, would these companies respond to memes? For the time being, that poses potential risks. Currently, a lot of Gen Z typically fills lower-level roles in businesses. So, it’s likely that you would be sending memes to the older generation where memes aren’t as popular.

While posting memes on multiple accounts is a good idea, it’s still important to know each platform. For instance, food related content is especially popular on Facebook and Instagram. To further the engagement of your meme, make sure to delve into analytics to gather information on your audience. Just like any ad, information such as post time or demographics should play a role in the creation and posting of your meme.

Furthermore, you can increase your meme marketing prowess by becoming an expert in each platform’s unique capabilities. For Instagram, you can research the best hashtags to tag onto your post, or even create and promote one to help guide the trend. For Facebook, you can make a contest or get involved in meme groups to further post reach. Familiarizing yourself with your platforms is key to success!

Make Original Content

This one can take a bit more effort and creativity, but have some great payoff! Making original content is a great way to stand out and make more of a splash. Keep in mind that original content usually works best for existing brands with large amounts of followers. For small companies, hopping on a trend tends to be an easier way of increasing engagement. This is because the general public may be unfamiliar with the company, but know the meme. Nevertheless, well-made original memes can be a fantastic way to show your audience that you’re relatable.

The Rainmaker Report: Hilarious Campaigns

The Rainmaker Report: Hilarious Campaigns

We are here to tell you why keeping it professional should not always be in your marketing efforts. Hilarious Campaigns leave a lasting impression and are arguably the most successful campaigns.

Hilarious Marketing Campaigns can gather a lot of positive attention because it releases a small amount of dopamine that gives viewers a great and memorable experience. Remember when we reported on the Dopamine Fix (if you haven’t you definitely should read our Blog now)? Well, when a company has a hilarious campaign people remember the happy feeling next time they see that product at the store, on social media, or being used by someone else.

Here are some pretty famous TV Ads, we are sure everyone remembers.

We see most hilarious campaigns on tv typically during major televised events like the Superbowl, where major companies try to make the $1 million + ad slot worth it. Check out these two hilarious campaigns that definitely left a mark in everyone’s memory.

The Doritos Time Machine

Jimmy’s time machine, that of course ran on Doritos, left a lasting impression on everyone watching because there was a funny twist to the traditional TV Advertisement. The next hilarious campaign is another snack, they even changed their packaging because of the campaign’s great success.

That’s right you guessed it, Snickers “You are not You When You Are Hungry” Campaign

This campaign had such great success because it was relatable and hilarious. It even had major stars like Betty White and Joe Pesci joining in on the fun!

Are you wondering if Hilarious Campaigns will fit with your type of marketing? Don’t worry, although mostly seen on TV, Hilarious campaigns can be through any medium. Like on Social Media through Memes. Check out our Blog “How to Market With Memes” to learn how you can make hilarious campaigns happen through Social Media too.

Digital Gratitude

By April Rain

Digital Gratitude: Why We Should Give Thanks to Digital

Science has proven the profound effects gratitude has on the human brain. Forcing a smile or a laugh can actually trick your brain into thinking you’re happy, despite your current mood. People who express gratitude in their everyday lives typically lead more fulfilled lives, complete with an abundance of love, better interpersonal relationships, more positive emotions and they are even healthier in comparison to their bitter counterparts.

A 2014 study published in Oxford University’s Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience provides evidence of a “gratitude gene” in our genetic makeup that may be the reason some people are more naturally grateful than others. They found variations in gene (CD38) to be associated with gratitude. We do have the power however, to choose to be grateful.

While the Internet of things has produced clutter, noise (and possibly even socially awkward behaviors), we have to take a moment to step back and realize what it has brought us. Number one is a universal connection to everyone and everything. The digital universe has allowed people to network with each other and with information in a way that is beyond any other technological innovation of this century. Social media gives people a voice. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites allow you to take your inner gratitude and share it with the world.

Smartphones have given us the luxury of taking that network and carrying it with us wherever we go, constantly connected to the people, information, and ideas we seek. Search engines have given us access to the answers to all our questions within seconds, information that would take days or weeks to receive in pre-digital times.

Marketers should be especially thankful for the limitless channels of connection opportunities the digital realm provides. Things like paid search and Facebook ads make it possible to target and reach an audience at a low cost. Digital marketing in general is significantly less expensive than traditional ad spots no matter what the media outlet.

You may have heard of 365 Grateful, as it has received a lot of buzz across the Internet in recent years. It started as one photographer’s project and ended up becoming a contagious digital phenomenon. This genius idea forces people to remember to be grateful by sharing something different they are thankful for not just on Thanksgiving, but every single day of the year. 

And yes, there’s an app for that! The Gratitude! App asks users to log five things they’re grateful for each day. By choosing to be grateful it helps us appreciate the little things in life. For example, if you hate your job, it may force you to see the positives like how thankful you are for a paycheck to feed your family, or for everything you’ve learned, or the people your job has introduced you to. Behind every one of life’s dilemmas or stressors lies something to be found – a light at the end of the tunnel or a lesson learned from a tough situation.

In the words of New York Times writer, Arthur C. Brooks, “This Thanksgiving, don’t express gratitude only when you feel it. Give thanks especially when you don’t feel it.”

Special Message from Digital Rain Inc.: Digital Rain would be nothing without the clients, peers, and opportunities digital marketing has afforded us. We’d like to extend our deepest gratitude to the companies and individuals who believe in our work and our values, with the largest piece of our gratitude dedicated to our customers. We are grateful for everyone who took the time to read this blog. Today and every day, we will remember to be grateful.