Facebook continues to be a great place to promote a quick and effective competition without the need to use a third party. However, there are still restrictions that the small business owner should be aware of https://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php
Not all competitions are as successful as they could be and they need to be well thought out and well timed. Is it worthwhile to participants – what are they getting in exchange for participating time or data?
A €15 euro book voucher may not have the same effect as a €50 hamper. Having said that a quick competition with easy interaction requirements such as like this picture or share why you should win may yield a good result if you have a busy fan page and you are just doing a spur of the moment giveaway to your fans.
If your campaign is in exchange for something of theirs then the prize needs to be more lucrative, something that the fans of your page are likely to be interested in.
I have often made reference to the fact that social media platforms are rented spaces. The most that you will know is there name and where they are, and unless your fans are messaging you and doing business with you, much of what you garner on your page is engagement and reaction.
So how can you bridge that gap? Create a competition that is alluring in exchange for data. This is where using a third party application such as Shortstack.com comes in handy.
Shortstack lets you create engaging campaigns, competitions and sweepstakes.
If you are just starting out you cam set up account for free, and get started with your first campaign. The first one hundred entries are free. After that you pay to play. Don't worry, they offer really great pricing with substantial discounts for annual membership. Your first campaign might yield 40 entries, then you have 60 remaining for another.
It's a great way of growing your email list, which is data that you own and can progress with and regular competitions will help grow your list.
For more information on shortstack visit their website shortstack.com. Here is a useful infograph created by the Shortstack team – is your facebook contest legal
If you would like help in introducing a competition into your social media marketing, message me. I have helped a few of my clients run campaigns and have seen their email lists grow.
You might also like to read about making the most of newsletters
Keeping it socially simple
Micala