How Do I Create a Local “Best Of” Promotion Using SoCast?

Creating a local “Best Of” promotion is a great way to engage your listeners and spotlight favorite businesses in your community, such as restaurants, coffee shops, and bookstores. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to set up this type of promotion using SoCast tools.

Step 1: Create a Form for Submissions

Start by creating a form to collect nominations from your audience. Use the SoCast Forms system to allow listeners to submit their favorite local businesses for each category.

• Include fields such as an email address (optional, but useful for follow-up), and input fields for each category (e.g., “Submit your favorite bookstore”).
• Add a Captcha field to prevent spam and ensure security.
• Configure form settings, including the email address for receiving submissions.

To add fields, use the +Insert Field option for each category and include reCAPTCHA for security.

For detailed instructions on creating a form, visit: How Do I Create a Contact Form.

Step 2: Create a Promotion Page

Next, create a dedicated page for your promotion. This page can include sponsor images, descriptive text, and any other widgets you’d like to add.

• Add the Forms widget and select the form you created in Step 1.
• Once your page is ready, publish it and share the link on your website or add it to your site’s navigation bar.

Step 3: Analyze Your Form Submissions

As submissions come in, monitor and organize the entries internally. To do this:

• Go to Forms > Submissions in your SoCast dashboard.
• Filter by your specific form and export the entries as a CSV file for easy organization in a spreadsheet.
• Once you’ve selected your top 5 or 10 nominees for each category, proceed to the next step.

For more information on managing form submissions, visit: How Do I Find Contact Form Submissions.

Step 4: Create Polls for Listener Voting

Now, use the SoCast Polls tool to create a poll for each category. For example, create a poll titled “Favorite Coffee Shop” and add your top nominees as voting options. Repeat this process for each category (e.g., bookstores, restaurants, etc.).

Once your polls are created and published, return to your promotion page from Step 2.

For detailed instructions on creating a poll, visit: How Do I Create a Poll.

Step 5: Add Polls to Your Promotion Page

Replace the form widget on your promotion page with the polls you’ve created. Here’s how:

• Remove the form widget (since submissions are now closed).
• Add each poll to the page. Consider organizing them in rows, dividing the page into halves or thirds, and placing one poll per section.
• For each poll widget, decide whether to display results as percentages or vote counts, and whether to show results before, after, or never. We recommend choosing “never” to keep results private until the promotion ends.

Update your page to publish the polls. To view the final results, go to the Polls tab in your dashboard and review the vote tallies for each option.

Step 6: Display and Promote Final Results

Once voting is complete, display the final results on your promotion page:

• Remove the polls and add the results using the text widget.
• For a more visual presentation, create image cards with your branding using a design tool like Canva. These can be shared on social media and downloaded by winners.

Tip:

Don’t forget to create a graphic for your homepage’s feature rotator and link it to your promotion page. This makes it easy for listeners to find and participate in your promotion.