Like This! 4 Tips for Successful Facebook Contests

Facebook is becoming a popular place for companies to market their business. These companies are using the social network to connect with their customers and build a dedicated following. Many companies are realizing that they can interact with current customers and gain new customers through the use of a Facebook contest.

Contests on Facebook allow companies to market their company in a fun and interactive way while also gaining a great deal of new interest. If your company is interested in holding a Facebook contest, there are a few tips you should know to help ensure that your contest runs smoothly.

1. Know the rules.

Facebook has set up promotion guidelines for companies opting to use the site for contests. It’s important that your company read and understand these rules prior to starting your contest so that you don’t violate any rules and end up having your contest shut down by Facebook.

Some of the rules include not posting winners directly on Facebook, releasing Facebook of any and all correlation with your contest, and not holding a contest just to get “likes” on your page.

It’s important to know these rules so that you don’t end up having your page removed from Facebook, which will not only upset your contest applicants, but will also severely damage your brand.

2. Be unique.

There are millions of people on Facebook, and there are large amounts of business on the site that have already run a contest. For this reason, you need to create a unique contest that will draw the attention of your customers and your target market.

It’s also important that the grand prize be something that relates to your brand or your company and not just something that people would want. For example, tie in the grand prize to the industry your company is in and don’t just hand out iPads because it’s a popular item.

A unique contest will stand out more than a contest that doesn’t have any pizzazz. You not only want your contest to get people interested in your brand at this very moment, but you want them to continue talking about your brand for years to come.

3. Market.

Though having a Facebook contest is a marketing strategy, you still need to market the contest, otherwise nobody will know that your contests exists. Make sure to employ other marketing tactics that will let people know about your contest. Use other social media channels, post a link to the contest on your website, create a digital ad campaign—however you want to market your contest is up to you, just make sure that you do it.

4. Be prepared.

It’s possible that your contest will generate a great deal of interest in your business, so you need to prepare yourself for the contest. Make sure that you test out your contest before you launch it to ensure that the rules are easily understood. Make sure that you have all the dates listed so your applicants know when they can expect the contest to end, and always make sure that you have the rules listed on your page so that all of your applicants are on the same page.

You should also prepare your social media monitoring staff to be on their toes for the duration of the contest. People will start posting more information on your walls, talking about your brand and even asking questions, so it’s important that your staff is ready to handle the onslaught of attention.

A Facebook contest can easily help your business gain more interest and buzz, and it’s a great way to get your company name out there and interact with your customers. If you want to hold a contest, make sure that you use these tips to be more prepared and have the best possible contest.

Kathryn Thompson is a SEO consultant and writer for SEOMAP.  She writes valuable articles about marketing strategies and seo keywords.