Using Facebook contests to boost fan engagement

For many brands and businesses, Facebook has become the go-to place to communicate and interact with fans in real time. One way brands are getting creative and making this interaction fun is by launching contests and sweepstakes on their Facebook Pages. 

Last year, your company may have been able to create a contest centered around people “Liking” your page or commenting on a status update, but Facebook has since changed the rules and implemented a few new requirements. With their Terms of Service update in May 2011, the social networking site also updated their Promotions Guidelines to require anyone running a contest on their Facebook Page to use a third-party app.  

We recently used the Wildfire Promotion Builder to facilitate our 12 Days of CineMadis sweepstakes on Facebook. Each day we posted a new video of Madis Idarand, (add)ventures director, interactive/design, quoting a favorite holiday film. To be entered to win an (add)ventures t-shirt, fans had to guess the movie Madis was quoting in the Wildfire Sweepstakes app. 

In all, it was a lighthearted two-week campaign that we had some fun with on Facebook. Here’s what we learned are the advantages and challenges:  

Advantages:

• No programming needed, everything is there for you,. Third party apps, like Wildfire and Wizehive, Votigo and others, integrate fairly seamlessly with your existing Facebook Page. Many of these tools also have options to create Twitter and Microsites along with the Facebook campaign. Once you enter in all of your information and include the necessary graphics, it will generate code or direct you to their Facebook app to embed the contest wherever you need it.
• Virality. Once people enter your contest or sweepstakes, the apps make it easy to share it with friends and family with the simple click of a button.  
• You’re following the rules. Who would want to get shut down by Facebook because of one rogue contest? Running a contest or sweepstakes without a third-party app could cost your brand a disabled Facebook Page.  
• Connecting with fans. Running a contest or sweepstakes can help you keep communication fresh between your brand and your fans.  

Challenges:

• Virality. Generally, users can only share your contest with a limited number of people, sometimes only up to five at a time.  
• Barrier to entry. Before entering the contest, users have to give the app permission to access their Facebook page and information. Many wary users will stop at this screen and may not move any further. One way to help your audience understand it – prep them before with a tutorial on what steps they need to take to enter the contest, maybe with a screen shot of each step.  

Think of the contest like a campaign, from start to finish, and plan out your communications calendar for each part of the campaign. Having a solid strategy, supported by compelling creative pieces can help your contest be a success on Facebook.

Chelsea Duran, specialist, strategy/pr

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