The Execution

We decided to create a furnace giveaway promotion with a new furnace and installation – a value of $3,900 – as a prize. This prize would attract the HVAC company’s target audience of local homeowners in the market for a new furnace.

On the entry form to the sweepstakes, we included an email opt-in for both our paper and the advertiser. We also optimized the entry form by including four lead-generation questions to qualify potential customers for the advertiser.

These questions asked entrants about the state of their current furnace:

• If the user is a homeowner
• When they’re looking to purchase a new furnace
• If STAATS may be in contact for a free in-home estimate

The Results

We provided the advertiser with a list of 119 qualified leads as well as 350+ opt-ins for their email database. In addition to that, in the first week the promotion was live, the advertiser attributed two furnaces sales, together valued at $13,000, to the campaign.

This campaign was a big win for our paper, too. Not only did over 76% of entrants opt-in for emails from us, but we generated $10,500 in sponsorship revenue from this sweepstakes.