Free stuff is awesome, and with a new online service, you have the chance to score some each week.
“It’s all about giving stuff away,” said Michael Mills, of Ballston Spa.
Mills has produced live entertainment (think comedian Chelsea Handler, Buddy Valastro, “The Cake Boss,” Last Comic Standing Tour) through Mills Entertainment for 12 years. On Tuesday, Oct. 4, he launched WeeklyTap.com, a “never-ending sweepstakes” website that will automatically enter users into giveaways each week.
The best part? Aside from a one-time sign up, members don’t have to do a thing.
“People sign up one time and subscribe and every week we automatically enter them into all kinds of drawings for really cool prizes [like] show tickets, gift certificates,” said Mills.
In the first 48 hours, Mills said WeeklyTap.com recorded 800 subscriptions. People were turned on to the website through an early partnership with Albany Broadcasting that saw local radio stations send out an informational email blast.
Mills tapped Colin Mochrie of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” fame as the company’s spokesperson.
“WeeklyTap is a new vehicle that is fun and exciting for the consumer and a great promotional tool for those working in the entertainment, nightlife and dining industries,” said Mochrie.
And unlike most company-run sweepstakes that inundate inboxes with emails, WeeklyTap.com subscribers will get one (yes, one) email a week. Every Tuesday, a list of weekly winners will get sent out. About 30 winners will be selected each week and subscribers can win more than once as long as it’s not within a 30-day period.
“It’s like getting a scratch off ticket in your inbox each week,” said Mills. “If you don’t win, you get a discount. I think it’ll be fun for people.”
Proctors and The Egg have already signed on as vendors and will have tickets to shows and events up for grabs. Some local restaurants will offer gift certificates and more hyperlocal events like the Ellms Family Farm corn maze are on pace for the coming weeks.
“When we give away tickets, subscribers will know what’s going on. In a lot of cases, we’ll be offering exclusive discounts,” said Mills.
WeeklyTap.com aims to dole out unexpected treats, but it’s true value is in its innovative marketing strategy for local businesses.
“People who promote entertainment, dining and nightlife tell people what’s going on, what events are coming up and it used to be everyone read the event listing in the newspaper or listened to the radio,” said Mills. “When people open this email on Tuesdays, promoters benefit because people are learning what’s going on.”
For now, WeeklyTap.com is offering prizes across the Capital Region. Eventually, Mills said he hopes to narrow that net and have subscribers entered by city or town.
“Over time, we’ll be able to use specific targeting to give people offers and enter into drawings so if you live in Saratoga, the email you get each week will be a little different then people in Albany, so events that are local in nature can be targeted,” said Mills.
The giveaways will be mostly entertainment focused, said Mills, but as the service grows he expects to add categories or products.
“Right now our goal is to make it work and have it be fun for people,” said Mills.
A WeeklyTap.com for Denver is launching in January and about seven other markets are set for 2012 launches.
“I started here in the Capital Region because I’ve been here my whole life,” said Mills.
Sign up for a chance to win prizes with no hassle at WeeklyTap.com. Businesses interested in getting involved can email Mills at [email protected].
