Contests—the most lucrative social media campaigns—are a sure-fire way to propel your business to unchartered levels and unimaginable heights. Why, you ask? For one, such contests generate viewer traffic on social media platforms like Facebook and keep the existing followers consistently engaged. Subsequently, this results in a steep increase in the number of likes and followers you generate on a daily basis. Although small- and large-scale businesses are launching Facebook contests nowadays, only a few have been soaring successes.
Hence, before we get ahead of ourselves, it is crucial to understand the process of creating exciting contests and promoting them like a social media expert. Are you ready to discover more?
Essential information to include in a Facebook contest:
- The prize
- Entry criteria
- Contest deadline
- Process of selecting the winner
- Date of winner announcement
4 easy steps to create the most effective Facebook contest:
Creation is key
Make the most of visual marketing tools to create an appealing image to accompany the contact details. You can also incorporate several important details such as the prize and the contest deadline to make an informative graphical addition. Pin the post on your Facebook page so that casual visitors are instantly hooked and go through Facebook’s contest rules to ensure that your contest does not violate any terms or conditions.
Keep your eyes on the prize
We know that it might seem ludicrous to spend some business capital into a frivolous prize in theory. But once you consider the increased revenue that is guaranteed by an increased number of followers, the choice will be particularly easy. The prize should pose an element of attraction to your target customer base.
However, be wary of investing in a prize that has no association with your business whatsoever. Your generous heart might be tempted to gift an Apple iPod to attract a large number of participants, but most of them will vanish once the contest is over.
It is, therefore, imperative that you offer a prize interrelated with your business. For example, you can offer a significant discount on a product or service or a gift box crammed full of the art supplies you have manufactured.
Get the criteria just right
All your hard work will be for naught if you do not make the entry criteria fulfill your business marketing goals. There are no established guidelines for framing the entry criteria, and every entrepreneur customizes it according to their unique requirements.
Here, you can find a template for easy reference:
- Create a Facebook post by sharing a photo or video
- Tag three friends who might be interested in the contest
- Like the Facebook page of the business
- Leave a comment on a post
Choose and contact the champion
Last but not the least, choosing and crowning the winner is an important step from the participants’ viewpoint. Opt either for the best candidate or random winner selection process—the latter is impartial and mostly transparent while the former incorporates a touch of subjectivity. To ensure that your choice doesn’t come under the scanner, set forth the subjective criteria for choosing a suitable candidate at the outset of the contest. Conclude the contest with a heartfelt “Thank you” post.
Effective ways to promote your Facebook contest
- Unlock a treasure trove with mandatory tagging: If you wish to guarantee a widespread social media campaign, you just need to make mandatory tagging a contest entry criterion. This is how it works—you ask the participants to tag one or two people to be eligible for winning the contest prize. The number of entrants will instantly be amplified and the viewer ratios will rise.
- Hashtag your way to glory: Come up with a funky, cool yet unique hashtag related to your contest. You can also make it an entry criterion—state that the participants’ entries will only be considered if they repost your image or video with this particular hashtag. Your business will be promoted completely free of cost!
- Go for the Facebook ads feature: Spend a minimal amount for Facebook ads. This feature enables you to spread your message far and wide, targeting the ideal audience with a nifty algorithm. Relax and let Facebook do your job for you.
- Do not limit yourself to one social media site: Tap into the limitless potential of social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter to promote the news of your contest. This allows you to broaden your customer base and target the audience who think they are too cool to just use Facebook.
- Blog to win: Some particularly discerning candidates might want additional information before joining the contest. Write a crisp yet information-saturated blog post to steer them towards a desirable direction.
Go right ahead with creating and promoting your Facebook contest? Don’t forget to tag us!
