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Sweepstakes: The Underrated Marketing Tactic

Sweepstakes are a great way to increase engagement with your brand and generate leads. They are often underrated as a marketing tactic, but they can be extremely effective when used correctly. Here are the benefits of sweepstakes and how you can use them to grow your business.

Many marketing professionals stick to a core suite of marketing tactics. Mostly this involves advertising, digital marketing and PR. And while these are all great tactics, they can be expensive and there’s no guarantee of success. Most common marketing tactics only offer one way to grow your business. For example, ads only generate leads if someone clicks on them. But what if they don’t click? You’ve missed out on some engagement you really need.

With sweepstakes, you have the potential to generate leads even if someone doesn’t click on your ad. That’s because people can enter your sweepstakes without taking any action other than providing their contact information. And if you’re running a social media sweepstakes, you can even generate leads without spending any money.

How Exactly Does Sweepstakes For Marketing Work?

When you hear the word “sweepstakes,” you probably think of those big companies that give away cars or vacations. And while you can certainly do something like that, you don’t need to give away a big prize to run an effective sweepstakes. In fact, you can give away something as small as a $25 gift card and still see great results.

The key to running a successful sweepstakes is to make sure that your prize is relevant to your target audience. For example, if you’re a makeup company, you might give away a $100 gift card to your store. Or if you’re a fitness company, you might give away a free year’s membership to your gym.

As a company, the purpose of running a sweepstakes is to get more engagement with your brand, and to collect more leads of potential customers. It has proven to be an extremely effective way of doing both.

So how do you run a successful sweepstakes? Here are a few tips.

Research Sweepstakes Companies

Sweepstakes companies are plentiful, but not all of them are created equal. You’ll want to find a reputable company that has experience running sweepstakes for businesses like yours. Check out reviews and case studies to learn more about the company and their services. And be sure to ask them questions about your specific needs.

Create Clear Rules and Eligibility Requirements

Before you launch your sweepstakes, you’ll need to create clear rules and eligibility requirements. This will ensure that your sweepstakes is fair and legal. Your rules should include things like how to enter, what the prize is, and when the sweepstakes will end. You’ll also want to include any specific eligibility requirements, such as age and location.

If you’re not running it through a sweepstakes company, make sure you consult with a lawyer to ensure that your rules and requirements are airtight.

Pick An Appealing Prize

It’s important to pick a prize that will appeal to your target audience. The prize should be relevant to your brand and something that your target audience would actually want to win.

Avoid prizes that are too small or too generic. You want your prize to be something that will get people excited about your sweepstakes.

Use Compelling Visuals

Your sweepstakes should have compelling visuals that will grab people’s attention. Use high-quality images and videos that accurately represent your brand. Your visuals should be eye-catching and informative. They should tell people what your sweepstakes is about and what they can win. Make sure your visuals are also mobile-friendly. People should be able to see them clearly on their phone or tablet. 

Generate Excitement with Your Copy

Your copy should be clear and concise. It should tell people what your sweepstakes is about and what they can win. But it should also generate excitement about your prize. Use strong verbs and emotive language to get people excited about your sweepstakes.

Your copy should also be functional, making your rules and requirements clear. People should know exactly what they need to do to enter and win.

Launch Your Sweepstakes

Now that you’ve created your sweepstakes, it’s time to launch it! Promote your sweepstakes on your website, social media, and email list. And make sure you’re using compelling visuals and copy that has been tailored to each different platform to get people excited about your sweepstakes.

You can also promote your sweepstakes through paid advertising. This is a great way to reach a larger audience and generate more leads. Just remember to keep your ads relevant to your target audience and make sure they’re well-designed.

Collect Entries and Leads

Now it’s time to start collecting entries and leads. You can do this by having people fill out a form with their contact information. Make sure your form is short and easy to fill out. People should be able to do it in a few minutes or less.

You can also collect entries by having people follow you on social media or sign up for your email list. Just be sure to make it clear that these are entry requirements.

Finally, you’ll want to set up a way to track your entries and leads. This will help you see how many people are entering your sweepstakes and help you follow up with them after the sweepstakes is over.

Announce a Winner

Once your sweepstakes is over, it’s time to announce a winner! Make sure you choose a winner at random and announce their name on your website and social media. You can also send an email to everyone who entered letting them know who won. This is a great way to continue engaging with your audiences off the back of the sweepstakes.

Don’t forget to follow up with your leads! You can use your sweepstakes as an opportunity to build relationships with your customers. Send personalized emails, offer discounts, or give them exclusive access to new products.

How to Set Up a Cannabis Business

The cannabis industry is growing rapidly, and if you’re thinking of starting a cannabis business, now is the time to do it! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know in order to start a successful cannabis business, covering topics such as licensing and regulations, choosing the right location, and setting up your business structure. So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the cannabis industry for a while, this guide has something for everyone!

The cannabis industry is growing at an incredible rate, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In 2018, the legal cannabis market was worth $12.52 billion, and it’s estimated to have grown to $31.54 billion by the end of 2022! This rapid growth is creating a ton of opportunities for entrepreneurs to get involved in the industry and start their own businesses.

There are a few key reasons why starting a cannabis business is such a great idea. The first reason is that the industry is still relatively new, so there’s a lot of room for growth. If you get in now, you can position yourself to be a leader in the industry as it continues to expand. Second, the legal cannabis market is expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars in the coming years, so there’s a lot of money to be made! And finally, starting a cannabis business is a great way to make a positive impact on the world. Cannabis can be used to treat a variety of medical conditions, and it’s also a renewable resource that can be used to create eco-friendly products. So not only can you make money in the cannabis industry, but you can also help make the world a better place!

So how do you go about setting up a cannabis business?

Licenses and Permits

The first step in starting a cannabis business is to obtain the proper licenses and permits. In order to do this, you will need to contact your local government to find out what the requirements are in your area. Each state has its own laws and regulations surrounding cannabis, so it’s important to be familiar with the rules in your state before you get started.

One of the most important factors in setting up a successful cannabis business is choosing the right location. The ideal location for your business will depend on a number of factors, such as the type of business you’re running and the regulations in your state. The first tip is to choose a location that has a strong demand for cannabis. This could be a major city or a smaller town with a growing cannabis industry. There is a lot of interest in New York at the moment with the cannabis rules just about to change, so obtaining a New York cultivation license could be a smart thing to do.

Business Premises

Once you know which state and locality you want to set up your cannabis business in, you need to find a suitable business premises. Licenses stipulate the rules you need to adhere to in relation to this, so read this carefully before committing to a business premises. In particular, you’ll need to choose a location that is zoned for commercial cannabis businesses. This information can be found on your city or county’s website. Once you’ve found a few potential locations, it’s a good idea to visit them in person to get a feel for the area and see if they would be a good fit for your business.

Business Structure

The next step in setting up your cannabis business is to choose the right business structure. The most common structures for cannabis businesses are sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, and corporations. The best structure for your business will depend on a number of factors, such as the size of your business and your long-term goals. It’s a good idea to speak with a lawyer or accountant to get advice on which structure is right for you.

Creating A Business Plan

After you’ve chosen your business structure, it’s time to start putting together your business plan. This document will outline your business goals, strategies, and how you plan on achieving them. A key consideration is whether your business will be B2B or B2C. B2B is where you will sell your products to other businesses to sell to consumers on your behalf. B2C is a business where you plan to sell directly to consumers.

Your business plan should also include a financial projection for the first few years of operation. This will give you a better idea of how much money you’ll need to get started and how much profit you can expect to make.

If you’re looking for help with putting together your business plan, there are plenty of resources available online. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a great place to start, as they have a number of templates and guides that can assist you.

Raise Capital

Once you’ve completed your business plan, you’re ready to start raising capital. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as loans, crowdfunding, and investor funding. The best method for raising capital will depend on your business goals and the amount of money you need to raise.

If you’re looking for a loan to get your business started, the SBA offers a number of programs that can help. The most common program is the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, which offers low-interest loans of up to $500,000.

Crowdfunding is another option for raising capital, and there are a number of platforms available to help you get started. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are two of the most popular crowdfunding platforms.

If you’re looking for investor funding, there are a number of ways to find potential investors. The most common method is to use a business broker, which is a professional that specializes in connecting businesses with investors. You can also find potential investors by attending industry events and networking with people.

Once you have followed these key steps, you’ll have the structure of a cannabis business ready to go!