Try your luck with a contests story

Step right up!

If you’re stuck for a fresh and quirky small business angle, spin the sweepstakes and contest wheel for a fun consumer biz feature or how-to advice package aimed at entrepreneurs.

From radio stations to bakeries to hardware stores, small operators know that contests and promotions are one way to drive local traffic, collect sales leads and make themselves stand out from the competition. That’s especially so at this festive time of year.

Reporting this story will take a keen eye and a bit of legwork – many grass-roots promotions are advertised in-store or via direct mail bundles like ValPak and Money Mailer. But the possibilities for color, behind-the-scenes detail and interactive reader-friendly features make it worth the effort.

Online sites for contest mavens suggest Googling “your town” + “enter to win” to find lists of local events. I tried it for my region and it worked.

Talk to mall operators, business owners and managers about the cost-benefit analysis that goes into running a contest, how they design them and what they do with the information collected from entrants. (Anyone who’s ever filled out a contest form for “free” replacement windows or Glamour Shots photography will know what I’m getting at here.)

How do contests, drawings and sweeps compare with other promotions, like punch-card loyalty campaigns and discount coupons, for long-term results?

Here, for example, an entrepreneurial blogger cites a local music store’s “Guitarmaggedon” contest which drew enthusiastic participants.

The blog also offers tips for local business contemplating their own promotions and contests.

But games, contests and sweeps aren’t limited to bricks and mortar stores. National brands barrage e-mail inboxes with similar promos, and local companies are learning to use e-mail, social media sites and the Web to disseminate offers, deals and games of chance.

Here’s some background from Media Transparent about how local companies can use Twitter to run contests and promotions.

For a slightly different angle, check out this list of contests aimed at small businesses themselves, courtesy of the Small Business Trends site.

If you’re doing a package on how the recession is spawning entrepreneurship among displaced workers, that audience would love this list and related expert commentary. And Intuit is inviting consumers, vendors and others to nominate local companies for $1,000 grants in its Love a Local Business promotion.