You’ll find answers to some common questions here. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

If you’re already a client of ours, you can also check our Knowledgebase for a huge selection of resources, articles and videos.

Knowledgebase

Working with Zap

This depends on what you need and the required features for your website. Our own workload also plays a part here. At Zap Competitions, we pride ourselves on being transparent about the budget needed for your website. We’ll keep you updated throughout the development process. Competition clients can opt into their own dedicated support channel on Slack, where a member of Team Zap can be easily contacted during working hours. We’ll also agree on a timeframe for your individual project before we start. If this sounds good to you, please get in touch with us for your free proposal.

We currently do not sell the Zap Competition, Pop-up or Entry Lists plugins as a standalone product. As the plugins require a bespoke theme to support them, they come as a part of a bundled service with our web design packages. They cannot be integrated into general WordPress sites. The exclusivity of the plugins also means that our small team is able to provide a high level of technical support to the clients using them.

We’ve been designing and delivering websites for various-sized organisations since 2009. Our overwhelming success with competition clients has meant that we needed another website to showcase our services and work within the competition industry. You can view the projects we’ve worked on for other industries and clients over on the Think Zap website.

Prices can vary depending on the quality of website, as well as the level of support and service you’re looking for. For example, cheap websites nearly always use templates. They are slower, less reliable and limited in what they can do. Custom-made websites may come with a higher upfront cost, but they are worth the investment. This is why Zap Competitions focuses on building quality websites which are faster, cleaner and more robust. These websites will grow with your business and can be fully managed by you. In short, you get what you pay for!

Get in touch with us today for your free proposal. To find out if we’re a good fit, we’ll also ask you some questions about your competition business and goals. Before we start work on any site, clients will be asked to complete an onboarding document. This gives us a clear understanding of the requirements and additional services (e.g. Marketing and App Development) which will be involved in the project. After developing any site, we always carry out testing to ensure that it functions as expected and can support a successful launch event. It’s common for clients to continue working with Team Zap even after launch too. This gives direct access to industry-related expertise and guidance. That’s why we see our relationships with clients as partnerships.

While our competition plugins come only as part of a bundled service with our web design packages, we frequently work with existing prize competition and raffle businesses for site redesigns. Our work with 7days Performance is just one example of how we have delivered on a faster, more reliable site which supported their exponential growth. We also often work with our clients to support them during promotional events that are likely to result in traffic spikes. This is how Team Zap goes above and beyond any web template or other web agencies that don’t specialise in the competition industry. Other services we provide include marketing support and guidance, whether you’re looking for in-house management or training specific to promoting competitions, and app development. Want to know more about our web design and build services? Here’s how we can build you a lightweight and responsive site.

Team Zap are not legal professionals, but we frequently work with a specialist lawyer who can make sure that your site’s terms and conditions are legally compliant, as well as other areas of your business. You are not obligated to work with the lawyer we recommend. However, we strongly advise working with a legal professional to ensure that your terms and conditions copy is legally binding and suits your specific needs. The prize competition and raffle industry is heavily regulated. Not following these regulations can result in serious consequences for your business.

The competition industry is strictly regulated by the Gambling Commission (GC) and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). You will also need to be aware of the specific restrictions of the individual platforms you use for your business, such as social media and payment gateways. Please note that these rules and regulations frequently change, so it is important to keep up to date with them. Also be aware that Zap Competitions is not a law firm. If you are seeking detailed legal advice for running your competition business, we advise that you contact a legal professional to find out more.

Team Zap is a small, yet diverse team. You can view all of our members here.

We’re one of the few digital agencies who specialise in building and supporting competition websites. And we’ve got a proven track record of success too! You can view our work, as well as client testimonials, over on our Case Studies page.

Managing your competitions

Social media is a great place for promoting your competitions and driving traffic to your website. But social media marketing is about more than just selling. You need to keep in mind that people aren’t likely to buy from a company they have never heard of before or have no relationship with. The content you share on social media has to be entertaining and give useful information. Or your audience won’t engage with you. And you probably won’t sell very many tickets either! The first step to using social media to promote your competitions is researching your audience and setting smart goals which support your business objectives. You’ll want to create excitement around your competitions too. Live Draws are just one of the ways you can do this. If you want to start advertising your competitions on Facebook and Instagram, your ads will need to be approved. For more tips on managing your social platforms, visit our blog. Bite-sized tips are also available on our Instagram. Looking for support for your social media channels? Here’s how we can help.

Ads on social media create awareness and generate revenue for your competitions. This makes them a vital part of your marketing efforts. To get started with ads for your competitions, check out our post on the RMG License and getting approved for Facebook Ads. Looking for support for your social media ads? Here’s how we can help.

Email marketing helps you to stay connected with your customers and can support your social media strategy. Your email marketing strategy should be more than simply selling. To encourage a better response to your email campaigns, you should instead focus on building and nurturing your mailing list. Sending out a Welcome Email to every new subscriber is a great way to say that first hello. A Teaser Email Campaign can include your welcome email, as well as generate excitement for your launch (new businesses) and upcoming competitions (established businesses). For more tips on managing your email marketing, visit our blog. Bite-sized tips are also available on our Instagram. Looking for support for your promotional emails? Here’s how we can help.

When choosing a winner or winners for your competitions, we recommend running a Live Draw. Facebook’s live streaming video feature allows you to broadcast in real time to your audience through your company’s page. It’s a great way to create excitement for your competitions, get more people engaging with your social platforms and building a relationship with your audience. For a fair and unbiased result, a Random Number Generator should be used to choose your winner. For more tips on managing and promoting your competitions, visit our blog. Bite-sized tips are also available on our Instagram.

A prize competition and raffle business’s success is tied to consumer trust. If a potential customer doesn’t trust your competitions, they won’t buy tickets. You may also attract negative comments on your social posts and reviews that put off others from entering. That’s why a professionally designed site, which delivers on a seamless customer experience, is very important. Good grammar, complying with industry rules and regulations (see earlier FAQ on this), as well as handling customer queries in a professional manner further supports the first impression your website can provide. Many people may access your site initially through a competition’s landing page, so here’s some tips on writing compelling prize descriptions which help to build trust. For more tips on managing and promoting your competitions, visit our blog. Bite-sized tips are also available on our Instagram.

All competition sites designed by Think Zap are integrated with Google Analytics. This gives you a clear overview of important website metrics, such as bounce rates or the amount of traffic your site is receiving at any given time. For more tips on managing and promoting your competitions, visit our blog. Bite-sized tips are also available on our Instagram. Looking to get the most out of web analytics tools and ensure that your site is search engine friendly? Here’s how we can help.