We just finished a fun contest for one of our clients that uses our blogging for business platform.  The blogger with the most posts in June won a Flip Ultra video camera. 

We're coaching this client to post great blog content on a frequent basis in order to develop a more casual dialogue with their market, further their brand development efforts, and also to accomplish the search engine optimization goals we have agreed on. 

Blogging for business doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming, but it does take some effort to get into the habit.  Upon announcing the contest, the blogging really took off.  As a result, blog and website traffic have tripled since April, with much of that traffic created in June, and we have a very, very excited client who can't wait to receive her new video camera.  (Have you seen these things?  Very cool.)

In order for blogging for business to succeed (and long term success is still on the horizon here...), R.O.Why! Marketing not only needed to deliver a great blog platform that was built for search engine optimization, but we also needed to help each blogger create the interest, time and passion for blogging.  For the cost of one great dinner out, the contest helped create that spark amongst an entire team of people, and now they're reaping the benefits.  When was the last time your blog and website traffic tripled?

There's an opportunity here for every marketer to identify what we need our audiences to do in order to help us all succeed in the long run (yes, buy stuff, but what else?) and to find exciting ways to help them do it.  Contests are just one way.  Peter Shankman's figured out a way.  Events and PR stunts are another.  Speaking of, have you seen his book?