Running a Facebook competition and it's not really delivering results?

Or, want to check you're doing it right? Read this.

Intro - Getting it right

You would be forgiven for not spending too much time thinking about how you will run a competition on Facebook, however, there are couple of key Do's and Don'ts to running social media competitions.

The following is a list of suggestions we've found work and rules set by Facebook that you should adhere to.

On the right hand-side of the page you'll see a few real examples with explanations too.

Before you rush on with wild abandon:

There's something to just to clarify. There are two ways to run a Facebook competition. Via a Facebook App or on your Facebook Page Timeline. They're quite different and there are benefits to both. A quick summary though is that a Facebook app allows you many more options and maximum benefit but takes a little more planning. Running a competition on your Timeline is good for quick promotions where you want more interaction with your brand from your fans.

You may also want to refer to Facebook's Promotion rules and to read about changes to Facebook's Promotional rules last year.

The Do's...

In no particular order:
  1. Use a picture to promote your competition - It catches people's eye more and also Facebook now says they display posts from pages with pictures more prominently in the news feed.
  2. Use a fan-gated Facebook app - This will increase your page likes as people can only enter the competition once they've liked your page. It's a small extra step and in our experience people don't mind.
  3. Include the Facebook promotion disclaimer somewhere on the competition or a link to the full terms on your website. Take a look at Facebook's promotion rules to find out more.
  4. Use your page's Timeline and an App to run the same competition. For example ask people to enter via an app and for an extra chance to win like a post on your Timeline too.
  5. Post about the competition regularly so that it appears in your fan's news feed (free promotion!)
  6. Use a Facebook App if you want to capture certain data such as emails, buying habits, the town they live in etc. People don't mind giving this if the prize is good and they can fill in the form quickly.
  7. Advertise the competition using promoted posts (sometimes called Boosted posts) if it's on your timeline or via general Facebook advertising. This can be really cost effective.
  8. Use your Canvas image to promote the competition
  9. Use hashtags (#win for example) to get more interest (free promotion!)
  10. Include a disclaimer for example: "This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook." Or at least a link to the T&Cs
  11. Make sure that if you use a Facebook app that it is mobile friendly (works on a smart phone)
  12. Pin your post in a timeline competition to the top of the page to get more visibility
  13. Encourage commenting in a timeline contest

The Don'ts!

In no particular order:
  1. Don't ask people to share your competition as a condition for entering - Facebook rules specify that you aren't allowed to and whilst it's unlikely they will do anything like shut your page down, they might! It's best to be safe. (You're welcome to ask people to share but not make it a part of the competition)
  2. Don't give away a discount as the prize unless it's massive. 10% off isn't going to drive people wild on a bunch of flowers for example!
  3. Don't ask people to like your page to be able to enter the competition via a promotion run on your timeline... You can do but it's likely they're already a fan if they can see that post. So unless your advertising that post or you get a lot of shares the likelihood is only people who are already fans will see it. Also can cause headaches when you want to pick a winner. Use a Facebook app instead with fan-gate.
  4. Don't run a promotion on your personal Facebook Timeline (See promotional rules)
  5. Don't make it complicated. They should be able to enter very quickly.
  6. Entering the competition must not involving tagging to enter or encourage others to tag themselves in content. If nothing else if someone has to tag someone else to win it will be a real nightmare to pick a winner! Use a refer a friend feature within a Facebook app instead. (Section 2, D of the Promotional Rules)

How we can help

If all of this is making about as much sense as Ancient Hebrew or you like the sound of this but want some support, then don't worry! We can help.

Mogi Marketing builds custom Facebook apps and helps businesses engage with their audiences to achieve business objectives.

Take a look at some examples of Facebook Competitions and get in touch if we can be of  assistance or if you just have a question. 

The Good, the bad and the ugly... Some real examples

A great example of a Timeline contest:

This is a great example of a quick comment competition to get your current fans interacting with your brand and rewarding them for being an existing fan of your page. You'll notice that they haven't asked anyone to share but people have anyway which is great. They probably should have included a disclaimer that promotion is not authorised or administered by Facebook.
Post by Go Ape!

A great example of a Facebook app competition:

Interesting graphic, use of a Facebook app with a fan gate to capture likes.
Post by Warner Music NZ.

Please don't ask people to share!

You shouldn't ask people to share as technically it's not allowed under Facebook's T&Cs. Asking them to tag themselves is also a no-no.
Post by Pushchair Trader.