One of our clients had a great idea for a contest. We decided to use Facebook as a platform for a couple of key reasons.
- Their page was relatively new and needed a promotional push to build the company’s brand on Facebook.
- We knew it was a very cheap promotion to run, so we reduced the customer’s risk by trying it.
We ran the photo contest for a month and the results were excellent.
- It took their Page Likes from virtually zero to over 350. That may not be huge for some industries, but for this B2B niche it gave them the best likes in their category in Canada.
- It cost approximately $150 (which included contest application fees and advertising fees) plus prize costs.
- They now have over 100 new email addresses to contact and possibly add to their newsletter list.
It goes without saying that running a contest on Facebook can be a fun and exciting opportunity for your business, but you need to make sure you keep it relevant to your audience, set it up correctly, and adhere to the contest rules set forth by Facebook.
Here’s a step-by-step approach to setting up your next Facebook contest.
Step One – Set Your Goals
Are you trying to increase your page likes? If so, you may want to “Like-Gate” the contest or make liking part of the contest requirements.
Are you trying to increase email addresses? If so, you will need to collect the details of the contestants. Ask for as little contact information as possible, as it will increase your number of entrants.
Are you trying to increase brand awareness? In our case, we were definitely trying to increase client exposure on Facebook, so we created a voting contest that required entrants to share the contest with as many friends as possible.
Step Two – Set Contest Details
You want to think about the type of contest you want, rules and prizes.
In our case, we decided on a photography contest. Contestants could easily post their photo through our client’s Facebook page. Winners would be chosen by the number of votes their photo received. We needed to make it easy for contestants to share the photo with their Facebook friends so they could encourage their friends to come and vote for their photo. We decided that contestants could only enter one photo and could only vote once to keep it fair.
A word about the prizes…
You want to make sure the prizes offered make sense to your target audience (assuming these are the people you’re trying to attract with your contest). They could even be one of your company’s product or service offerings. It’s a good idea to have more than one award in case the first place photo is so far ahead of second that people give up trying.
Step Three: Contest Setup
Once you’ve figured out your event details, rules, and prizes, it’s time to set up your contest page. Start by looking at some Facebook contest apps. Fortunately, there are a plethora of Facebook apps that make setting up the contest easy. Choose wisely. Because we decided to go with a photography contest, we needed an app that:
- Let people upload their photo
- Easily share the photo with your friends on Facebook
- Limit them to one vote per person.
- Limit them to one photo per person
- Allow others to easily like/vote photos
- Provide us with reports on the progress of the contest.
We use an app called Woobox and are very happy with its overall functionality.
Be sure to start with an eye-catching graphic, and then list all the details of the contest (deadlines, rules, prizes, and how to enter). You also want to encourage people to share the contest and possibly leave comments. The more commitment, the better!
Make sure you have a good week to host a contest, especially if it’s your first. That way, you’ll have time to learn how to use the app, design graphics, and try out the whole experience before the release date.
Step Four: Promote Your Contest
Congratulations, you are ready to launch your contest. Now is the time to promote it. Fortunately, the type of contest we set up promotes itself through the contestants, but you still need to get things rolling.
Here are some ways to easily get the word out:
- Change your Facebook page’s main banner to the contest banner and add the app to your business information section on the left.
- Set up a Facebook ad campaign
- Place a banner on your website and blog.
- Promote through strategic alliance websites and their social media channels
- Promote through your other social networking sites.
- Promote on “contest” sites
- Share it with your newsletter and blog subscribers.
- Include it in your company email signatures
Step Five – Monitor the Contest
Once the contest is underway, you’ll want to make sure you monitor it closely every day, especially during the first week. Check comments and posts for questions, concerns, or issues people may have registering or voting. It is important to address any questions or concerns as quickly as possible and to be as transparent as possible.
Be on the lookout for people trying to cheat the system. Even the best apps can’t 100% stop a given “cheater”, so make sure people don’t break your contest rules.
Step Six: Have a Strong Post-Contest Action Plan
Once the contest is over, you’ll want to make sure that it is, in fact, closed. Change any banner published through promotions to another company banner and stop any paid advertising if it is still running.
Be sure to announce the winners on your Facebook page as soon as possible, and consider promoting the winners through other social media sites, your newsletter, and your website.
Let winners know how to claim their prizes and, in the case of a photo contest, have them sign a photo release form if you intend to use their photos anywhere.
When contacting all other contestants consider:
- Announcing the winners
- Offering a special on one of your products or services
- Get their permission to add them to an email list
- Solicit your opinion on the contest.
- Let them know the dates of your next contest
Like I said, Facebook contests are a great way to improve your company’s online presence. Have you run any contests on Facebook lately? How did they work for you? I’d love to hear your lessons learned and other creative tips.