Show Your Business Cares With a Raffle
Think raffle tickets are for non-profit organization’s fundraising efforts exclusively? Medical student Michael Joseph Del Busto Jr. takes a unique look at using raffles to enhance and boost your business. Thank you (Dr.) Del Busto for a very well-done “Impact a Life” college scholarship essay. We wish you all the best in your studies.
As a marketing intern at RevolutionEYES, I have learned that raffles provide a great way for companies to give back to their customers and help build long-term relationships with them. But first, allow me to provide some background information about my work environment.
RevolutionEYES is a family owned optometry practice that utilizes cutting-edge technology for eye exams and provides high fashion frames for its patients. One characteristic that makes RevolutionEYES unique is its partnerships with major athletic teams such as the Indianapolis Indians and the Indianapolis Colts.
At first, patients may become upset with our medical practice when discovering our partnerships with such big name sports teams because they feel like our practice must be overcharging them and then lavishly spending their hard-earned money. This, however, is not the case; we partner with other businesses to strengthen our organization in order to better serve our patients and the community.
For example, RevolutionEYES will be participating at the Colts Annual “Bleed Blue†blood drive this winter by giving away free eye exams. But not everything we do has to be related to the practice. For example, RevolutionEYES is holding a back to school party at Clay Terrace Mall with the Colts this fall, and it is free to the general public. Events like these bring the community together and enjoy free time together.
And finally, one of the best ways to give back to the community is by raffling off prizes. But where does a company get the promotional goods or services to raffle off? The company has two choices: give away its own goods or services or utilize sponsor provided merchandise. At RevolutionEYES, we capitalize on both kinds of raffles. We often raffle off a stylish pair of sunglasses or free eye exam voucher.
But most recently, we held a contest to raffle off four Indians tickets to our customers, and it was simple to do. First, we created a post on Facebook announcing the raffle; we have hundreds of our patients as friends on Facebook. At the same time, we would like to expand our social media’s reach, so we asked customers to comment on our status and to share it with their friends—this was their raffle entry. Lastly, we selected a winner from the pool of applicants, and one lucky customer won the tickets for herself and her family.
This raffle not only thrilled the winner, but also gained excitement and appreciation from the other customers who participated in it. Customers and their friends are now aware that RevolutionEYES cares about and actively gives back to the community. The customers posted pictures of themselves at the baseball game, talked about how much fun they had, and boasted about how wonderful RevolutionEYES is.
The publicity of our raffle expanded the breadth of our social media by increasing friends, and it reinforced a positive RevolutionEYES culture of caring and giving. Furthermore, this raffle facilitated free advertisement through our social media by requiring applicants to share the post with their friends, in addition to the exposure by word of mouth.
As a future physician and business owner like Dr. Ciano (owner of RevolutionEYES), I know that serving my patients in the exam room comes first. But I am not limited to just this service. I can give back to the community further by holding raffles, and this will build customer loyalty and grow my practice simultaneously. Giving back to the community is a positive cycle, which leads to countless benefits for the entire community.