community engagement Archives - Post and Courier Advertising

Q: What prizes perform best?

Transformational experiences—year-long memberships, tuition support, or major event tickets—consistently drive participation.

Q: How do we maximize sponsor value?

Align the prize with sponsor outcomes, add explicit opt-ins, and report on leads, entries, and engagement.

Q: How often should we run contests?

Tie to the local calendar—sports, storms, holidays. Seasonal series build momentum and predictable revenue.

Q: Do photo contests still work?

Yes. UGC fuels sharing and sponsor exposure when moderated well with clear terms and a simple vote/entry flow.

12 Days of Holiday Marketing Wins

Posted on November 10, 2025 | by Thom Leaman

12 Days of Holiday Marketing Wins

Twelve bite-size ways Charleston businesses can ride holiday trends, AI discovery, and local charm

1

Reach Charleston Shoppers Everywhere

Most buyers hit at least five online spots before buying — ambient shopping is in.

Tip: Seed your ads and gift guides on Google, YouTube, and social feeds for local shoppers, especially those browsing Charleston hashtags and planning King Street visits.
2

Surf the Trend Tsunami

Niche trends explode overnight. Google’s AI tracks searches like “palmetto ornaments” and “oyster wreaths.”

Tip: Set local search and social alerts to pivot fast. Highlight Charleston staples in your holiday imagery.
3

Mix Culture, Creators & Commerce

Video isn’t optional — especially in Charleston where local creators thrive.

Tip: Partner with a Holy City influencer for a YouTube holiday guide or festive reel. Make your products #CharlestonFamous.
4

Offer Last-Minute Solutions

Charleston’s busy streets mean shoppers want quick options.

Tip: Post daily stories with curbside pickup, local delivery, or “order by” dates to capture procrastinators.
5

Bundle Holiday Experiences

People search for location-based bundles (“Charleston Sweets Bundle”).

Tip: Collaborate with nearby businesses — oyster bars, boutiques, bakers — for limited-time holiday packages.
6

Spotlight Local Gift Wisdom

Charleston’s heritage is a gift.

Tip: Share “Top 5 Charleston Gifts Under $50” in carousel posts/guides, mixing classics (pralines, prints) with trendy picks.
7

Run a #HolyCityHoliday Contest

UGC is huge — shoppers love sharing their Charleston moments.

Tip: Launch a holiday photo contest with a local hashtag. Showcase winners in your feed and newsletter.
8

Use Video Discovery Tactics

Think Retail says YouTube drives reach and trust.

Tip: Short videos demoing holiday products, featuring Charleston scenery, work best. Use “shoppable” links and clear calls to action.
9

Promote Exclusive AI-Powered Deals

Performance Max + YouTube = higher ROAS, per Google.

Tip: Run bundled holiday deals, preview them in stories and carousels, and use AI-driven ad tools to drive local discovery.
10

Answer Charleston Shopper FAQs

Zero-click behavior means answers should appear in-feed.

Tip: Share “5 Charleston Holiday Shopping Questions” (hours, parking, shipping cutoff) right in your post or story.
11

Feature Local Holiday Events

Tie your marketing to Charleston events (Parade, Waterfront Park lights, etc.).

Tip: Create countdowns, show your products at events, or promote meetups in your content.
12

Retarget & Win Back Post-Holiday Shoppers

After Christmas, recapture interest for New Year or returns.

Tip: Offer special January bundles, prompt reviews, and stay present in search and social feeds.

Contests = Conversion

Posted on October 3, 2025 | by Thom Leaman

Fast Path to Participation

💡 Quick Win: The #1 prize type is a transformational experience—free workouts for a year, a semester of tuition, or tickets to the state’s biggest football rivalry.

Three Contest Formats That Deliver in Charleston

Sweepstakes for Reach

Burn Bootcamp’s “Free Workouts for a Year” giveaway pulled in qualified leads from people already interested in fitness.

Why it worksBig upside + simple entry = scale.

Best forTop-of-funnel list growth.

Seasonal Series for Momentum

Mother’s Day sweepstakes with local sponsors (bakery, jewelry, furniture, orchestra) drove 3,000+ entries and nearly $6,000 in revenue.

Why it worksCalendar heat + multiple partners.

Best forSustained attention + cross-promo.

Photo Contests for Engagement

“Show Us Your Game Face” sparked fan submissions, community sharing, and $19,000 in sponsorship revenue.

Why it worksUGC drives sharing + sponsor value.

Best forHigh engagement + local pride.

Case Flashes

Hoops Frenzy

1,000+ entries
700 sponsor opt-ins
$5,000 revenue

Hurricane Prep Package

1,000 entries
400 sponsor opt-ins
Public-service tie-in boosted goodwill

👉 The common thread: contests turn attention into action. When prizes align with passion points—health, family, sports, safety—they don’t just generate buzz, they generate data, leads, and ROI.

Ready to Launch a Contest That Converts?

Want to see how Charleston brands turn contests into consistent revenue? We’ll help you match format + prize to your audience and wire it for lead capture.

Plan my contest
Contest FAQs

Contest FAQs

What prizes perform best?

Transformational experiences (year-long memberships, tuition support, major event tickets) consistently drive higher participation.

How do we maximize sponsor value?

Align the prize with sponsor outcomes, add opt-in checkboxes, and report on leads, entries, and engagement—not just impressions.

How often should we run contests?

Anchor to the local calendar (sports, storms, holidays). Run seasonal series for momentum and predictable revenue.

Do photo contests still work?

Yes—UGC fuels sharing and sponsor exposure when moderated well with clear terms and a simple vote/entry flow.

How to Promote your Award-Winning Success

Posted on November 3, 2020 | by Peyton Riddle

Charleston’s Choice is the community-based award that customers use to show love and support for their favorite local businesses.

The Charleston community nominates and votes for the top businesses in a variety of categories. Then, business owners highlight their honors and give their businesses the extra boost that awards can provide.

Here in Charleston, customers are always on the lookout for Charleston’s Choice honors, as it shows a business is the best of the best. And this goes for all types of awards any business might be recognized for. Let your community know you’ve been recognized through these branding and promotional strategies.

Are you a business owner that has been nominated? This is how you can boost your honor!

Brag in your email marketing

You’ll want to make sure that you’re bragging about your award everywhere you can. Emails are a great place for that. You can make specialized emails focused on your award. Or simply add in the honors to your existing communications.

If you have a regular newsletter, dedicate a special edition to announcing the honors. Make an event out of it and catch subscribers’ attention by detailing how and why you won.

What makes your customer relations the best in the business? Why is your business the top tourist hotspot? Awards carry prestige by nature. But customers want to know just why you’re the best.

This is also a good place to start incorporating the award logo into your branding. This would be temporary and wouldn’t be applicable in all branding locations, so there’s no need to rework your logo. So find the best way to pair your logo with the award branding and place that naturally in your emails. Have employees update their signatures to include that your business is an award winner.

Show off the award with pride

Take advantage of this time to promote your award in the digital and physical space. SEM campaigns can show web searchers that you are a business worth looking into. And traditional web page ads catch the attention of audiences in your area, if you are employing geomarketing capabilities.

Businesses with a customer-facing storefront will have an easy time showing off their award. On-location signage promotes your success to all potential customers or clients.

But businesses located within a large office complex in their own suite don’t have the opportunity to flaunt as much. Local billboards are a good substitute and open you up for even greater reach.

If physical ads by the side of the highway aren’t your thing, you should at least be showing off your victory on your website and social media pages. Update your website’s hero image and fancy up your homepage for a few weeks to celebrate. Maybe even run a contest to show you want to celebrate with your customers, not just tell them how great you are.

Other benefits of winning awards

If you haven’t gotten your business entered into awards, consider the added benefits outside of attracting new business. The prestige of being an award-winning organization affects all aspects of business.

Awards can bring growth to your business internally as well. It’s not always about showing off the award to the public. Current staff will be able to take pride in the work they do and the company they belong to. It’s an opportunity for a great boost in company morale. So even just putting up the award logo around the office can have great effects.

The celebration events for the awards themselves can also be a great opportunity for employees of winning businesses. Award parties can be a place to network with other winning businesses and build new business relationships.

Our Charleston’s Choice celebration brings together local businesses and gives them a chance to show the community why they were selected for the top honors. Restaurants and beverage companies can share their award-winning creations with attendees.

There is always value in building your face-to-face engagement with your community. Event sponsorships can enable you to directly reach your community and professional peers. It is a great way to build your brand image.

Signs, advertisements and published announcements are the wide-reaching way to show off your accomplishment. But, an event sponsorship gives you a more intimate way to connect with potential customers or partners.

Finally, it should go without saying that a little time to unwind does wonders for everyone.

Relationship Management: How to Keep Leads Warm Without Selling

Posted on May 15, 2020 | by Peyton Riddle

As businesses begin to re-open, it is more important than ever to prioritize relationship management and be mindful of how each business approaches potential buyers. Your business’s ability to adapt to an empathetic marketing strategy will have an impact on customer conversions.

Trends suggest that how a business communicates with clients during a time of crisis will directly impact the brand’s reputation for the foreseeable future. The goal is to design a communication strategy that leads with empathy from an honest place.

Using empathy as a tool and not a recovery plan

Understanding your client’s perspective is essential to your success. By listening to your customers needs, you can better provide them with whatever services or products could help them. You want to be their problem solver for the immediate, and need to present longer-term the value in your proposal.

By now, you should have your post-pandemic marketing strategy in place. However, there’s a high possibility that clients may still be uncomfortable with spending. Although sales are down for a majority of businesses, web traffic has increased significantly since March. Marketing Gong's Head of Content, Devin Reed believes customers aren’t making purchases, but they’re gathering information about who/how they want to spend when the time comes.

Positive and creative communication

HubSpot Marketing trends reveal email open rates are increasing and holding steady, but sales are down. Now what? Nurture these leads with a kind voice & helping hand so that when they reach financial recovery (individuals or businesses), they choose to purchase with you. Listen to your clients’ needs and only beneficial information. Deliver value first.

Remove words from your messaging that carry a negative connotation. However, don’t ignore the elephant in the room. Try new + creative email campaigns geared towards providing your clients with helpful resources. Response rates are 25-50% lower and sales open rates have tanked. The idea is to pull, NOT push your clients to you. Lead with relatable and positive messaging and don’t be afraid to add a little (tasteful) humor.

Utilize some of our Post and Courier Marketing Blogs and incorporate them as selling tools. We’ve written dozens of articles in an effort to help small businesses with tons of useful information pertaining to crisis marketing + other free tools we’ve created to help local businesses at this time.

How to Promote your Award-Winning Success

Posted on October 7, 2019 | by Peyton Riddle

Award season in Charleston is upon us and we wanted to help winning businesses highlight their success. The Charleston community nominated and voted for the top businesses in a variety of categories. Now is the time for you to highlight your honors and give your business the extra boost that awards can provide.