10 Essential Facebook Competition Strategies
As we know, the rules and the goalposts are forever changing on Facebook, so it is important to make sure that you keep up to date with the latest changes. The good news is that the rules for competitions on Facebook have lapsed over the years. No longer do you need to make sure that you keep to a 20% text in your cover photos, and we can add as many calls to actions as we like! But what is the best practice for running a Facebook competition to maximise your exposure on Facebook?
Below is a ten point recipe for Facebook competition success.
#1 — Keep the end in mind!
What is is that you want to achieve by running a Facebook competition? Do you want more likes? Do you want to want to direct people to a landing sales page, or perhaps you simply want some brand awareness? To give you an idea, this is what tends to work best.
Here are a few examples:
- Collect customer information (emails etc) — Photo or video competitions work best
- To gain more likes on your page? — Try referral competitions, or a sweepstake competition
- If you want to increase engagement on your page — Look at running a photo caption competition.
#2 — Run a competition if you have less than 1000 likes
Your target should ideally be 2k likes — anything more than this you will automatically get some exposure. If you have less than 1000 likes on your page, or you have very low engagement and reach — less than 1000 reach (check your insights), then it is time to look at a competition. The best type of competition is the sweepstake competition. I would recommend using an application called Wishpond to run your sweepstake for you. It is relatively inexpensive, but I guarantee that you will see instant results.
#3 — Do not give away an iPad!
There are people on Facebook who make it a full-time job to enter competitions! (sad I know, but true!). If you want to make your competition relevant for your target market then please giveaway a prize that has some relevancy to your business. For example, we would give away a free coaching session, or if you are in the veterinary industry, you may give away free pet food for six months, etc. Giving away iPads, Apple Watches, etc. will gain you additional likes, but they will not necessarily be the ideal customer for you for the future.
#4 — Promote your Facebook competition on all of your social networks
I often see competitions on Facebook for companies that I am following, but I rarely see that competition advertised on Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram? Take the time to create some excellent images that are the right size for the other platforms and promote your competition anywhere that you have an active audience.
#5 — Keep your competition short!
Don’t let your competition go on for too long. You need to keep people excited and keep the buzz and noise of the competition at a high. The ideal length should be a minimum of one week and a maximum of one month.
#6 — Think about the guidelines of the competition
I would consider using Facebook notes, or something on your website to put together the guidelines for the competition. Things to consider in a guideline are: the entry process, who is eligible, who is not eligible (perhaps employees of the organisation are exempt?). How will the winner be chosen and when will this happen? Having clear guidelines for your competition will prevent confusion for all concerned.
#7 — Do not over complicate the entry process
It is a well-known fact that the more information or effort you ask of someone, the more it dilutes the conversion process, so keep it short.
- Keep the entry form short. Do not scare away your potential entrants.
- Think to yourself “would I enter this competition?”
- Keep to a maximum of five steps or less
#8 — Run competitions consistently!
The same as any other type of marketing, if you do it consistently then you will see better results. Running a competition on a monthly basis will generate anticipation.
#9 — Or time your competition with a national event.
If the thought of running a regular competition is a bit too much, then why not coincide the competition with a national event. We have the Olympics in Rio later in the year or perhaps look at the British Grand Prix, Chelsea Flower Show, Children in Need, etc. If you wanted to do something a little bit unusual then check out www.daysoftheyear.com who have some very strange national days!
#10 — Remember, it’s not over when it’s over!
The marketing should not stop when you have delivered the prize. Get as much exposure as you can out of your efforts. Perhaps ask your competition winner to take a selfie, or a video of them using/showcasing the prize. Perhaps interview them and create a blog from the content or a mini podcast. This additional publicity should be broadcast on all platforms, not just Facebook.
Have you looked at Facebook competitions? Were they successful? Did you pay for additional exposure via Facebook adverts? Please share your experiences in the comments below, we would love to hear from you. We can all learn from each other.
Originally published at www.green-umbrella.biz on May 5, 2016.
