Are you following Facebook contest rules? Possibly not.
Guest post by Menah Kerr
With the rise of social media and everyone’s ability to take advantage of it, contests are among the most popular methods for companies, big or small, to market their products or services. As of 2018, there were over 80 million small businesses around the world using Facebook Pages – looks like everyone’s catching on!
There are so many giveaways and contests out there these days that it’s hard to know whether people are actually winning or it’s just a ploy to gain followers. Here’s a surprising tidbit: Your Facebook giveaway may well be going against the rules.
Do you ask people to “share on your Timeline” or “tag your friends in this post to enter”? Facebook says, that’s not permitted. According to Facebook, “friend connections must not be used to administer promotions”. How many contests and promotions have you seen with this? Likely, hundreds – and let’s be honest – we’ve all probably entered one or two.
Although Facebook now owns Instagram, they operate differently – in use and contest rules. You can ask users to tag friends in the comments on Instagram. However, we understand many businesses have worked hard to gain a large following on Facebook and with 1.62 billion daily active users – it’s a great platform to connect with people and share your brand, services or products.
So how can you run a successful Facebook giveaway?
- Use an attractive image – a picture of the prize is always appealing.
- Ask followers to leave a comment – maybe one that could entice (but doesn’t directly ask) them to tag friends such as, “Leave a comment below and tell us who you’d bring!”.
- The more engagement the post receives, the more eyes will see it.
- Always pin your giveaway to the top of your page so it doesn’t get lost.
- Include a terms and conditions page on your website that outlines all the rules.
- Always announce a winner so followers know it’s ended and you’re actually legit.
- Once it’s over, don’t forget to measure the giveaway. If users aren’t following your page, invite them to, but don’t make it part of the entry process.
Facebook giveaways can be fun and successful if executed properly. In addition to being aware of the rules, we help our clients outline goals and objectives to ensure giveaways and contests align with their brand. Behind every door is a strategy – or should be! Reach out if you need help building your next strategy.
*This blog was written in January 2020. Rules and statistics may change from this date.