Many smart small business owners have boarded the social media marketing train, and with Facebook having more than 1.6 billion users, there is no reason not to.
One of the best ways to use social media, specifically Facebook, to reach your target audience is to run a Facebook sweepstakes. However, before you jump into this, there are a few tips, tricks, and yes, even rules, that you must follow:
The Legalities of Facebook Sweepstakes
Now, before you open your business Facebook page and throw up a sweepstakes, there are a few things that you should familiarize yourself with. Facebook is quite specific about the promotions that people are allowed to run, and if you break these rules, your page could be shut down for good. Take a look at the community standards, and make sure that you are not demanding that people ‘like’ or ‘share’ any post to be entered into a sweepstakes.
Focus on Your Goals
Next, focus on what you want to get out of your Facebook sweepstakes. Usually, these are part of a long-term strategy and might include the following:
- Building your brand and awareness
- Increasing your reach
- Generate more content
- Launching a new service or product
Develop Your Offer
To achieve these goals, you must have an excellent offer that sparks the interest of your target audience. Choose your offer based on the answers to the following questions:
- Who is the target customer?
- What interests do they have?
- What promotions do they like?
- What is the budget?
It’s imperative that you match the offer to the market, as this will play a huge role in the overall success of sweepstakes.
Promote the Promotion
You know that you have to market your sweepstakes, but you also have to market your marketing! To meet your goals, you must make sure that people see your sweepstakes. Here are some ways to promote your promotion:
- Let your followers know that it’s coming
- Ask your fans to share the promotion
- Run Facebook ads to target new customers
- Use Facebook Live and images
- Use local media to get your sweepstakes in the news
- Add a link in email signatures
- Send an email to existing customers
You’ll likely get the best results from using both online and offline promotion, so look at your budget and find a combination that’ll work for you. Also, make sure to create a sense of urgency!
Measure It All
During the sweepstakes, collect all of the data that you can. This’ll help you with future sweepstakes and with future marketing efforts. At a minimum, get the name and email address of those who enter. You don’t have to get much more, but also try to add a qualifying question, which will help with marketing efforts.
Finish Strong
The biggest takeaway for you from any Facebook sweepstakes is the moment when you hand over the prize to the winner, so make sure to record it or do it live.
Also, make sure to commemorate this in your blog or company newsletter, and then promote it on all of your social media accounts.
When done correctly, a Facebook sweepstake can open the door to many marketing opportunities. When you find the magic formula for these, don’t forget to reuse it. After all, your customers and fans will certainly not get tired of winning anytime soon!