Thanking Mom for all she does should happen every day, but the official annual day of recognition – Mother’s Day – is big business for good reason, particularly for businesses in the food and beverage, and retail sectors.

And it’s nearly ubiquitous. According to Statistics Brain, 96 per cent of consumers will shower Mom with love on Mother’s Day, spending an estimated $14.6 billion. That breaks down to an impressive $1.9 billion spent on flowers and $671 million on cards alone.

While flowers fade and cards get recycled, smart brands have an opportunity to make a lasting impression by finding ways to engage with moms and their offspring, and awarding recognition, great offers and amazing prizes.

Here are five Mother’s Day contest ideas that showcase how social promotions can increase visibility, improve customer engagement and build brand loyalty.

Business Association Contests

Moms are all about efficiency - chauffeuring, shopping, running errands and making sure everyone gets fed, clothed and out the door on time. On Mother’s Day, local businesses can build customer loyalty by banding together, rolling out the welcome mat and making life a little easier for busy moms with a great contest or giveaway.

That’s what Vancouver’s Yaletown Business Improvement Association did when it launched its week-long Mother’s Day Contest, giving away $5,000 worth of prizes from neighbourhood businesses. The grand prize package included a hotel stay, a loaner car, a shopping spree and other indulgences, and there were daily giveaways of fitness packages, beauty and spa services and restaurant gift cards.

The association used Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about the contest and create engagement. In order to win, participants had to tweet about the contest or like the association on Facebook and share the reasons their mom deserved to win. Judges awarded extra points to participants who shared the most unique comments or generated the most likes from their Facebook friends.

Fashion Contests

Busy moms don’t always have time to shop for themselves, but a little tough love can help them update their wardrobe and sweeten the day. That was the sentiment behind Toronto’s Over the Rainbow’s Mom Jeans Makeover Contest. The premium denim retailer created a Twitter contest asking moms to share a picture of themselves in their worst “mom jeans” for a chance to win a denim makeover.

To win, moms had to follow the retailer on Twitter and tweet a hashtagged picture of themselves. Over the Rainbow selected the winner from among the hashtagged entries and showcased the contest winner wearing her newly fitted jeans.

Social Marketplace Contests

Moms are quick to say “It’s the thought that counts,” but it’s still hard to choose just the right gift that shows how much you really care. Social shopping or e-commerce companies can offer the solution to this dilemma, thanks to the diverse range of vendors in their online marketplace.

One example is Groupon’s Perfect Mother’s Day Contest, launched on Pinterest. To earn a chance to win the grand prize of $500 Groupon bucks, participants had to follow Groupon on Pinterest and create a new pinboard titled “Groupon’s Perfect Mother’s Day.” Entrants simply pinned deals from the company on their board or other images that embodied their idea of the best Mother’s Day, whether a scrumptious lunch or luxe spa treatment. The winner of $500 of Groupon bucks was selected by random draw.

Travel Contests

One way busy moms can get a little “me” time is by slipping on their sneakers and hitting the ground running - literally. But those pavement-pounding escapes are hardly enough downtime for do-it-all moms who are never really off the clock.

Sport Chek capitalized on those notions when it teamed with Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, among other companies, to come up with the prizes for its Sport Check Mother’s Day Run & Walk Contest. The annual fundraiser in support of children’s charities, held in both Calgary and Edmonton, draws more than 22,000 participants; multitasking moms staying in shape, raising money and setting an example for their kids.

All race registrants are automatically entered to win the grand prize four-night getaway, selected by random draw. Plan-ahead participants who register online also earn a chance to win a two-night getaway. And post-race, participants who drop off their race bib tab at participating companies are entered into a random draw to win additional prizes.

Health & Beauty Contests

Every mom wants to look her best, but with a van-load of kids to shuttle to soccer, ballet and school, her appearance can end up taking a backseat. Here’s where health and beauty companies can come to the rescue with a contest that pampers Mom and lets her experience what you have to offer.

The Aveda Institute & Academy, for instance, took a page from its cutting-edge stylebook when it launched its Mother’s Day Instagram Contest #AvedaMom. Participants had to post a message to mom on Instagram for a chance to win mom a makeover. It was an opportunity for entrants to get creative and wear a little mom love on their virtual sleeves. Aveda judges selected winners based on creativity, visual appeal and how closely they followed the theme.

Each winner was notified through Instagram, further spreading the message and driving traffic to Aveda’s channel.

Ready to launch your Mother’s Day promotion? We can help. Our social promotions platform makes it easy to engage your customers across social channels. Contact us for more info.