Tag Archives: facebook contests

[Infographic] Breakdown of Advantages of both Timeline Contest and Tab Contests

Advantages of timeline contest and tab contests - a guide to deciding which to use

So how can you decide which to use, a Facebook Timeline Contest or Contest Advantages-Disadvantages-summarya Tab Contest?  Let us help! 

Your company wants to increase fans, Likes, Comments, and Leads on your Facebook Page and you know that a contest can help…..so which one do you go with?

Each has strengths and each has some potential weaknesses.  The key is your end goal!

Here’s a INFOGRAPHIC guide to deciding between:
a Timeline Contest, a App Contest on a tab, or both!

Facebook Contests Guide - Advantages of Timeline and Tab identified

Timeline Contest is best if:

  • If you want to launch right away (like today!)
  • If you want fast engagement (like’s and comments on a post)
  • If you have no budget at all

Facebook timeline contest will give you fast engagement and can be deployed quickly.

App Contest hosted on your Facebook page Tab is best if:
  • You want to grow Page likes.  (Offers Like Gate to ensure fans like the Page to access the contest)
  • You want to capture lead information such as email addresses for future marketing
  • You want more design control
  • You want advanced features

Facebook contest on a tab will give you greater control and better lead capture.

That’s the quick overview.  Yes, TabSite offers both types;

– TabSite’s Timeline Contest app

– TabSite’s Tab app Contest tools

Facebook Timeline Contest eBook Guide

Want more information?  Continue on..

Advantages of a Timeline Contest

  • Quick and easy to setup, simply create a post!
  • Fun way to engage fans & visitors
  • Free to run
  • Runs totally in News Feed where users spend the most time
  • Offers way to increase your Reach and Engagement
  • The more Reach and Engagement, the more potential to grow your community

Disadvantages of a Timeline Contest

  • Cannot collect email addresses
  • Cannot have a Like Gate to ensure entrant Likes your Page
  • The Page cannot re-share the post easily to tell people about the contest multiple times
  • Need to post or link to full rules and the required release of Facebook’s responsibility for the contest, which can be cumbersome to do in a post
  • Without email address, it can be harder to notify the winner

Advantages of a Facebook Tab App Contest

  • As noted, gathering email addresses is significant for future marketing
  • More design and branding control for the contest
  • Can ensure Like Gate is in place so entrants/voters become fans of the page
  • Contest has a “home” on Facebook so it is easy to share and link to for promoting
  • Rules and Terms have simple way to be displayed, viewed, and accessed
  • Great user experience of seeing all entries, voting, and sharing a entry you like
  • Can be accessed on Facebook or also off of Facebook on a web page
  • Can integrate other tools such as a Instagram Image contest

Disadvantages of a Tab App Contest

  • Requires entrants to click from a post to go to the tab
  • Takes more time to setup, add graphics, and customize to deploy
  • Typically is going to cost at least $19-$30+ dollars to run
  • Requires use of the Smart URL to overcome Facebook mobile limitations

That ‘s the low down!  

The TabSite Timeline Contest is a free tool to use.  The  Contest Engagement App  offers a 14 Day Free Trial.

Want a step-by-step guide to learn more and run successful Facebook Timeline Contests? Get our eBook!

Facebook Timeline Contest eBook Guide

Guide to Deciding What Type of Facebook Contest (Timeline or App) to Use

The options have increased!  The decisions are now a bit more difficult to make.

Your company wants to increase fans, Likes, Comments, and Leads on your Facebook Page and you know that a contest can help…..

But now, there are more options since Facebook loosened up the promotion policy and allows contests on both the Timeline via a post, and via apps on tabs.

So how can you decide which to use?  Let us help! 

Here’s a guide to deciding between using a Timeline Contest, a App Contest on a tab, or both!

contests

Guide to Deciding: Timeline Contest or Tab App Contest:

Here’s the quick overview:

Timeline Contest is best if:
  • If you want to launch right away (like today!)
  • If you want fast engagement (like’s and comments on a post)
  • If you have no budget at all

Facebook timeline contest will give you fast engagement and can be deployed quickly.

App Contest hosted on your Facebook page Tab is best if:
  • You want to grow Page likes.  (Offers Like Gate to ensure fans like the Page to access the contest)
  • You want to capture lead information such as email addresses for future marketing
  • You want more design control
  • You want advanced features

Facebook contest on a tab will give you greater control and better lead capture.

That’s the quick overview.  Yes, TabSite offers both types;

– TabSite’s Timeline Contest app

– TabSite’s Tab app Contest tools

Want more information?  Continue on..

Advantages of a Timeline Contest

  • Quick and easy to setup, simply create a post!
  • Fun way to engage fans & visitors
  • Free to run
  • Runs totally in News Feed where users spend the most time
  • Offers way to increase your Reach and Engagement
  • The more Reach and Engagement, the more potential to grow your community

Disadvantages of a Timeline Contest

  • Cannot collect email addresses
  • Cannot have a Like Gate to ensure entrant Likes your Page
  • The Page cannot re-share the post easily to tell people about the contest multiple times
  • Need to post or link to full rules and the required release of Facebook’s responsibility for the contest, which can be cumbersome to do in a post
  • Without email address, it can be harder to notify the winner

Advantages of a Facebook Tab App Contest

  • As noted, gathering email addresses is significant for future marketing
  • More design and branding control for the contest
  • Can ensure Like Gate is in place so entrants/voters become fans of the page
  • Contest has a “home” on Facebook so it is easy to share and link to for promoting
  • Rules and Terms have simple way to be displayed, viewed, and accessed
  • Great user experience of seeing all entries, voting, and sharing a entry you like
  • Can be accessed on Facebook or also off of Facebook on a web page
  • Can integrate other tools such as a Instagram Image contest

Disadvantages of a Tab App Contest

  • Requires entrants to click from a post to go to the tab
  • Takes more time to setup, add graphics, and customize to deploy
  • Typically is going to cost at least $19-$30+ dollars to run
  • Requires use of the Smart URL to overcome Facebook mobile limitations

That ‘s the low down!  

The TabSite Timeline Contest is a free tool to use.  The  Contest Engagement App  offers a 14 Day Free Trial.

Want a step-by-step guide? Get our FREE eBook!
blog-call-out

 

Facebook Announces Changes to Contest Promotion Policy

facebook-changeThe Facebook Contest Promotion Policy Change:

Running a Facebook promotion giveaway can now be as simple as asking for a Like, comment, or message on post.

Here’s the key update from Facebook:

We’ve updated our Pages Terms in order to make it easier for businesses of all sizes to create and administer promotions on Facebook. Here’s what Page administrators need to know:

We’ve removed the requirement that promotions on Facebook only be administered through apps…

Now, promotions may be administered on Page Timelines and in apps on Facebook.

What this means for Page Admins Like You:

Quick and Basic promotions can be run.

If you want to go fast and go solo, you now can. For example, businesses can now:

  • Allow entries by having users post on the Page or comment/like a Page post
  • Allow entries by having users message the Page
  • Utilize liking as a voting mechanism”

You can quickly push out a simple promotion if you desire. Simply create a post requiring people to Like, Comment, or Message you for a chance to win. Then you will need to select a winner randomly from those who have completed the task and announce the winner. There is no tool to select the random winner or review the entries, simply the comments on your post.

Facebook’s only requirement is that you include in your post their terms outlined here:

1. If you use Facebook to communicate or administer a promotion (ex: a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including:

a. The official rules;
b. Offer terms and eligibility requirements (ex: age and residency restrictions); and
c. Compliance with applicable rules and regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered (ex: registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals)
2. Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
a. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
b. Acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

So be sure to include this in your post/image.

Need more help in managing entries, picking winners, and deploying? TabSite can help!

Early Example

From Grandma Mary on Facebook…

Not sure she has the disclaimers outlined but we’ll give Grandma a break as she rolled this out quick!

Marketing Takeaways

1. Go Quick and Solo

If you want to quickly push out a basic promotion, simply create a post and push it out. This can be a way to boost engagement. This opportunity comes on the heels of Facebook outlining some new guidelines on posts being “quality” and not “spammy” so we’ll have to see how they enforce post types that ask for Likes.

2. Go Deeper and Together

If you want to harness the experience for the user deeper and richer, and gather more data such as email addresses for future email marketing, then a third party tab app like TabSite can offer you that value.

If you want complete tools provided such as initial terms offered, disclaimers provided, random winner selector tools included, and vote monitoring for fairness, then a app can provide the peace of mind and advanced tools at your fingertips.

As well, if you want to offer a cross platform contest to leverage communities on another social network, then Instagram Contests on Facebook or a Pinterest and Facebook Pin Deal can offer value and uniqueness to utilize a promotion that integrates two or more social networks. Additionally, further design control and options to brand and customize the experience further than a news feed post, offers companies a way to tailor the promotion inline with their larger marketing efforts.

3. Other Apps Add Value

Other apps are still necessary and helpful for creating Facebook page tabs that are not contest related. Examples would be landing tabs for ads, product features, ebook downloads for lead nurturing, newsletter signup for email lists, and e-commerce for simple on Facebook purchases.

480-Reservations-widget-www_facebook_com_HotelMatilda_app_291227110914226

4. Integrated Marketing Still Rules

Quick promos can be of value as a fast and easy way to create some buzz. A key, however, is avoiding RAMS (Random Acts of Marketing), and having a plan for how each piece of your marketing fits cohesively together to accomplish your objectives. A promotion is a single tool, it is not a marketing strategy.

That a quick overview of this new Facebook change.

We’ll post more as we see how Facebook handles types of posts and if their actions give any further clarity to what types of posts are considered quality promotions versus spammy, low-quality ones.

Timeline contests are very basic, and come with less features and safety mechanisms.  Spam, people editing comments,  lack of Admins being able to pre-approve of comments etc. can all be issues with the new, looser rules with Timeline contests.  Tab Contests continue to offer a more complete range of tools for businesses to brand contests and capture leads such as email addresseson tabs.  Each contest type can have its place, it all depends on needs, goals, and overall marketing strategy objectives.

4 Facebook Contest Promotion Types for Increasing Traffic and Fans

Boost Engagement with Facebook Promotions

How to select the Right Type for your Facebook Page

Facebook Engagement — the “Holy Grail” for companies on Facebook.

Companies that achieve engagement have pages with an active, positive, and involved community.  This type of social community responds to Facebook posts, is committed to the brand, and helps to further extend the reach of the Page through their sharing and comments.  When broken down into tangible factors, increased engagement can bring about positive returns in a number of areas for marketers including:

  • Increased Likes
  • More brand awareness
  • Greater customer loyalty
  • Increased e-mail list opt-ins and subscribers
  • And more actions taken on ordering products and services

Research data reported by Vocus notes that 79% of Facebook fans are more likely to purchase from a brand they have liked.  Thus, pursuing more fans and deeper engagement with existing fans is a valuable priority!

79percent

The million dollar question, though, remains, “how can a company boost engagement for their Facebook Page?“  While there are a number of core methods for increasing engagement such as creating highly shareable content, posting images and videos, and posting succinctly at key times, another powerful method is to run promotions.

Promotions have the ability to draw fans and new visitors to a Facebook page and when used correctly, can be a very valuable tool to accomplish the engagement objectives noted.

A key question when thinking about running a promotion on a Facebook Page is, ” what type of promotion will work best for my goals?”

The answer: it varies!  Certain promotion types lend themselves to different end-goal objectives.  In addition, certain promotions may lend themselves better to certain industries.

Below we’ll outline a number of promotion types and give keys for selecting the right type to run on your Facebook Page.  Each type can draw fans back as well as be the incentive for new visitors to come and explore your Page.  All of the types mentioned below are Facebook approved third-party apps to add to a Facebook Page tab that comply with Facebook’s promotion policy.

4 Types of Facebook Page promotions

 1. SWEEPSTAKES

A sweepstakes is a chance-based promotion that is simple to setup and allows for easy entry.  Visitors typically enter by completing a simple form with fields for their name and e-mail address, and then a winner or winner(s) are drawn randomly after a set date.   As with most promotion apps available for Facebook there can be a fan or Like Gate image that requires the fan to “Like” the Page in order to access the entry form.

Pro’s of using a Sweepstakes:

  • Low barrier to entry (simple form completion)
  • Can work for a wide variety of industries
  • Pages can receive key user information, important for future marketing such as e-mail or location

linksys-main

A sweepstakes may limit each user to one entry or allow users to enter repeatedly. Allowing users to enter daily enables more interaction potential with the visitor, because it brings them back to the Facebook page more often.  A sweepstakes promotion can work for a wide variety of businesses including B2B and B2C. Sweepstakes help draw fans in to enter, though the engagement potential is not as high as some other promotion types.

Tips:

  • Keep the entry form simple – too many fields and less will enter.
  • Make the prize relevant to your company! A iPad is not real relevant if you own a craft store.
  • Ensure the prize value equates to your product.  $30 Gift Card for $600 watches is not a overwhelming deal, nor do you want to offer a $1500 Macbook Pro for your women’s boutique promotion.  The prize doesn’t relate to the business, nor does the value equate to the low barrier to entry.

 2. DEALS & COUPONS

A deal or offer is another promotion option that typically has a low barrier to entry.  Often a deal or offer app on a Facebook page asks the user to do something and then when this task is completed the user is granted access to the deal. For example, “Like our Page to access this 40% off Coupon” is one method commonly employed on deal tabs.  Other app offerings include sharing a post on your Facebook news feed or sharing a post on a friend’s timeline in order to access the deal. Like sweepstakes, deals are useful because (1) users respond to deal offers and (2) a task helpful to the company (More Page Likes or spreading the deal message) is accomplished as well.

Pro’s of using a Deal app:

  • Low barrier to entry (simple task completion)
  • Expands reach to additional social networks  – This can help the Page reach a wider audience or another type of audience than currently reached by their Facebook Page
  • Can work for a wide variety of industries
  • Pages get something of value in return such as further exposure, a “Like”, or a e-mail address

CelsiusDrink_sk=app_401272163239422&app_data=sp322358

Facebook Deal Example

 Tips:

  • Make it of value!  The deal must be significant enough for the user to be feel it is worthwhile to proceed.
  • Clearly outline the steps involved (such as “click here and pin this image to Pinterest”)
  • Keep the process simple!  If it involves too many steps, more people will bail out on the process
  • Make it easy to share – Deals are often something like “Get 40% off xyz”.  Make it easy and part of the process to encourage sharing of the deal socially by those that have accessed the deal.  This is how reach is expanded!

 3. CONTESTS

A contest is different than a sweepstakes or a deal offer. This type of promotion requires more from the user and can be called a “skill-based promotion”.  A contest entry typically requires more effort and skill for the entry submission, such as taking and submitting a photo entry that meets certain requirements.  As well, instead of a random drawing to determine the winner, contests typically involve voting by the public, or judging by a select group in order to determine the winner.  While photo contests are the most common type of contest routinely used, there are other types of contests such as video entry, essay or caption as well.

 Pro’s for using a Facebook Contest:

  • More opportunity for engagement

Entrants are one segment of those participating, while those coming to view entries and vote are another participating group.  Together, this can add more overall reach, exposure, and interaction to the page.

  • Entrants are motivated to share with Friends

Entrants want votes, so they extend the reach of the contest to their network of friends asking for their vote.  This social sharing by entrants to their friends increases the overall reach of the contest.  As well, this friend-to-friend introduction of a Page by an entrant to their friend can be a positive referral mechanism.  It adds trust and credibility to the Page, and it’s products and services, via the friend invitation to vote.

  • Better qualifying of entrants

Entrants are meeting a certain criteria for entry which is a sifting mechanism.  It adds a barrier to those who simply enter any promotion because it’s easy and they might win, regardless of their interest in the company providing the offer.  Depending on the guidelines needed to enter, this process can serve to qualify or pre-screen entrants as potential customers.  If they need to submit a picture of themselves with your product in the picture, this is one level of qualification and connection with your product.  An even greater level of sifting would be if the entrant needs to produce a 30 second promotional video related to your service/event and why they need to win.  This would require them to become familiar with your product to submit a relevant entry.

  • Access to user generated content

If the promotional rules outline that the entries can be used by the company holding the contest, this can be an excellent method to gather user generated content that is relevant to your brand and which can be used in future social marketing.

A contest offers more potential for engagement simply in terms of having two ways to participate, both entrants and also voters participate.  As well, the motivation for an entrant to spread the word to their network to come and vote for their entry adds to the engagement potential.  Another option for a contest is to consider a two-stage process.  This adds the benefit of a initial round of voting and then the need to return to view and vote again in the finalist round.

facebook_com_washingtonparent_sk=app_428648670480001&app_data=sp0-item-33012Facebook Photo Contest Example

Contests may not work for some industries and types of businesses that simply do not lend themselves to this type of engagement.  For instance, it might be a stretch for a medical practitioner to run a photo contest due to privacy concerns or relevance.

Tips:

  • Be very clear about what the entrant needs to submit to meet your entry criteria.
  • The prize value should associate in line with the time commitment the entrant will invest in order to develop their entry.  (A $30 Gift Certificate won’t cut it for needing to create a 30 second video trailer that involves actors and editing!)
  • Keep the contest moving!  Do not run a month long contest.  The attention span of a Facebook user is not geared to keeping track of an entry and voting once a day for 30 days.  5-7 days is a better span or perhaps 10 days if it is a 2 stage (initial and finalist rounds) contest.
  • Set voting to 1x per day.  This encourages entrants to get voters to come back each day, a perfect situation for your page!

4. MULTI-NETWORK SOCIAL PROMOS

A multi-network social promotion is an additional promotion option that involves Facebook and at least one other social media platform such as Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Similar to a deal, the user is asked to accomplish a task and upon completion they are then given access to the deal offer.  The difference is that the task is centered around doing something on a different social platform such as Pinterest or Instagram. In this case the user comes to the Facebook page and the promotion is outlined.  The user then accomplishes the task such as adding a image to Instagram with a certain hashtag or using a integrated pin tool to pin a image to Pinterest.  In some cases the images can be pulled in from the other social network to appear on the tab or in other cases the image is simply on the other network but the result is that a user has engage with a brand Facebook page and also simultaneously extended information about the brand to another social network.

Pro’s for using a Multi-Network Social Promo:

  • Extends brand to more social locations – This type of promotion can work great for a company whose audience is active on more than one social network or for a company seeking to continue gaining Facebook traction but also seeking to expand and enlarge visibility on Pinterest for example.
  • Image Driven – Images are powerful in social media and a multi-network social promo using images can capture the attention of viewers and invite engagement such as sharing and comments, all of which can serve to boost visibility and drive referral traffic.
  • Suitable for a wide variety of businesses – A multi-network social promotion can work for apparel firms to credit unions, venues to radio stations and more.

www_facebook_com_tourism_outdoorrecreation_sk=app_140027096128579&app_data=434829565369679597_353378230

Instagram Contest for Facebook Page

Tips:

  • Know your target audience!  Is your target using Pinterest or Instagram already?  If so, a multi-network social promotion could work well.
  • Ensure the process is seamless -To ensure the highest completion rates, make sure the promotion is doing the work for you and giving the user the best possible experience.  Apps integrating OAuth for login or other integrated means to access the second service right within the process (no ‘open in new browser window’ issues) are critical.  Users must come, understand, and be able to complete in short order.
  • Be active on the second social network!  Make sure your company has a solid presence on the second social network!  It is of less value if you want users to tweet or pin if your brand isn’t also there to follow!

Promotions for Facebook pages offer the power to draw fans in, boost page engagement, and accomplish tangible marketing goals such as increasing e-mail list numbers.  Deals in the form of coupons and discount codes continue to be attractive means to help increase traffic to a page and offer a incentive method to help visitors begin a fan relationship with the page.  While not an end in themselves, contests and offers can be part of a larger marketing strategy and a key piece of helping a business grow their social community.

Let’s hear from you!  Have promotions helped your Facebook page?  Any questions about the types of promotions outlined here?

Facebook Marketing Resources June 2013

facebook-resources

It’s time for our weekly list of value!  Facebook marketing resources…

How to Embed a Web Page on Facebook in 10 Minutes!

facebook website resizer time is money

Why read this post?  Because “Time is money“!

The word “time” is one precious word to business leaders, entrepreneurs and marketers of any kind. The days seem to be getting shorter and shorter with the invention of social media. It has changed the way we communicate, share information, eat, play and work.

Finding ways to integrate and leverage work between different platforms and communication is key to saving and maximizing our time.

Here’s a tip to add your most compelling web pages, product pages, landing pages, etc. to a Facebook fan page tab.

The beauty is that this solution is DIFFERENT from regular iframe solutions.  You can scale it so there are NO SCROLLBARS!

Facebook Contests – A Winning Marketing Method for Fan Pages

www_facebook_com_washingtonparent_sk=app_428648670480001&app_data=sp0-item-33012-577Why Read?  Complete overview of contests from sales value to types, and promotion tips.

Marketers are always looking at finding new and effective ways to reach their target audience.

With Facebook being a major social network force where potential customers are spending significant time, maximizing the effectiveness of your company Facebook page is a critical consideration.

This post dives into the value, types, and keys for a successful contest.

Want more resourcing on Facebook Photo Contests?

Running a Successful Facebook Photo Contest

Value?  Practical demo with tips!

Facebook Marketing Webinar Event – June 28

Trying to take your Facebook Page activity to the next level?  Want to join the fun of running a Facebook Photo Contest but not sure how to start?  This is the webinar for you!

Join our free webinar on June 28.  Get details by clicking the image below.

webinar2

 

20 Ideas to Rock Your Facebook Business Page With Tabsite Website Resizer

facebook website resizer ideas to rock facebook page

Why read?  Practical ideas for “using what you got” (your website pages) on Facebook to add value.

One of the top questions we receive from customers of all kinds is “what do I put on a Facebook tab?” The answer is easy if you know the right answers to a few of the most important questions to be successful online, offline and in business.

Ebook Download – Tips for a Successful Facebook Sweepstakes

Value?  Practical ideas that can be implemented right away!

ebook-call-out-261-finalIn this quick guide, you’ll learn about setting up a Sweepstakes, the power of incentivizing fans to share with friends, and what you need to do to achieve real business results.

Those are the resources for this week!  Hope you enjoyed!

Give us feedback on what you want more of and what was of most value!