Being able to log in to your pageant profile and see potential contestants who are interested in competing for your pageant is an advertising feature that is new to the pageant industry, and like with anything that is new, skepticism is natural.
After reading this case study you will understand where leads come from, how they are matched with your pageant, and the potential impact that leads will have on your business.
What is a lead?
A lead, as we define it, is a contestant who fills out a form on PageantPlanet.com and indicates that he/she wants to hire an expert and/or join a pageant. They enter their contact and demographic information and agree to our terms of service, which allows us to share their information with you.
Where do our leads come from?
Visitors to our website have the option to fill out a form to get matched with experts and pageants. These forms are located on various pages throughout the site where visitors look to find pageants and to hire experts.
How are leads matched with businesses?
When the location and demographic information (i.e. Female, Married, 35 years old, New York) that is entered by a lead matches the contestant requirements of a pageant, then that lead is matched with the pageant in the section titled "Potential Contestants" and for experts this section is titled, "Potential Clients".
How many leads does Pageant Planet receive per week?
We received an average of 1,337 leads per week across various categories [i.e., pageants, coaches, photographers, trainers, retailers, aesthetics, HMU].
Will the lead process work for your business?
Yes, if you're willing to work at it.
The biggest complaint I hear from directors and experts is that our leads don't convert. However, upon investigating their complaints, I noticed that in some cases, they have failed to claim a single lead, and in others, they do not claim and contact enough leads to make a difference. If you are not willing to contact at least 100, then don't waste your time or money contacting and claiming leads.
As a case in point, think about how many times you've seen a marketing message from Pageant Planet. How many times did you have to see our brand before you created a free profile? Added winners to your profile? Claimed a free lead? Hosted a People's Choice contest? Or spent $25 for one month of advertising?
If we have to contact you more than once to get you to take action, isn't it only natural that you will need to contact a contestant lead more than once for them to take action?
Pageant Leads Case Study
The below results are only what was generated during the time frame that they were contacting leads and doesn't include the money that was converted from these leads the day after the case study. Nor does the Gross Sales include the average lifetime value of their customers.
Customer lifetime value is how much money a customer will bring your brand throughout their entire time as a paying customer. For example, if the average contestant competes in your pageant twice and your entry fee is $500, then the LTV of a contestant is $1,000 (Be sure to calculate such as kickbacks on opening number dresses, People's Choice revenue and Optional Entry Fees).
If you don't know this number, then I highly recommend that you take the time to figure it out.
Pageant: Miss National American Teen & Collegiate
Type: Non-profit Organization
Director: Charlotte Gerry*
Entry Fee: $325
Duration: 13 Days
Method: Text
Leads Texted: 195
Leads who responded to text: 53
Response Rate: 27.18%
Conversions: 5
Conversion Rate: 2.56%
Gross Sales: $1,625
Cost of Leads: $975 (if you choose to purchase leads monthly, the cost will go down to $780)
Net Profit: $650 (+195 emails/phone numbers that can be used for future marketing efforts.)
Notes: The director paid an hourly fee to her daughter, who is still in school, for contacting the leads and taking the phone meetings.
Pageant: National Elite Miss
Type: For-profit Organization
Director: Crystal Horn*
Entry Fee: $499 if paid in full ($600 if they break their payments into 3).
Required Ad page: $250.
Opening Number Dress: $250
Duration: 21 Days
Method: Text & Email
Leads Texted: 345
Leads who responded to text: 109
Response Rate: 31.59%
Conversions: 2
Conversion Rate: 0.58%
Gross Sales: $1,818
Cost of Leads: $1,725 (if you choose to purchase leads monthly, the cost will go down to $1,380)
Net Profit: $93 (+345 emails/phone numbers that can be used for future marketing efforts.)
Notes: The director was contacting the leads herself in the midst of juggling all the responsibilities a director does. When we closed up the case study, she had five other leads who were on the fence but who had not purchased yet. Additionally, Crystal mentioned that all of our leads are new to the pageant industry, which is true, so she needed to educate them some. Crystal recommends hiring someone to contact leads and follow up with them. Lastly, there was one additional conversion during this time, but the user found her on our pageant directory and paid for her entry fee without ever speaking to Crystal. Due to this, we did not include this in her conversions.
Claiming Leads on Pageant Planet
Want to claim and contact leads that you receive on Pageant Planet? Great! But, again,, I would like to caution you. If you buy 30 leads and contact them all one time, then you will get discouraged and will join the ranks of directors who say that our lead process doesn't work. Take a moment to read this article before beginning.
If you're ready to move forward, then click here to claim your first lead.
How to Get More Contestants to Buy
Want to convert more leads into contestants? Click here to see the best strategies.
*The directors in the case study do not come from a marketing or sales background.