Facebook has changed the terms & conditions for Pages running Competitions & Promotions – but does that mean you should change your strategy??
Facebook just updated its Page Terms and you can read the official announcement here. You can now run promotions (contests, sweepstakes or competitions) on your Facebook Page without using a 3rd party app.
Pages can now:
* Collect entries by having users post on the page;
* Collect entries by having users commenting or liking a page post;
* Collect entries by having users message the Page
* Use likes as a way of collecting votes (such as new fans and/or post likes)
Pages cannot:
* Tag people in content they post if that is not actually depicted in the post or image;
* Encourage users to tag themselves in a post;
* Administer a promotion on your personal timeline;
* Ask people to take part in a promotion by sharing or posting something on their personal timeline (eg. you can not state “share on your timeline to enter” or “share on your friend’s timeline to get additional entries”)
Your promotion must also:
* Offer terms and eligibility requirements (eg age & residency restrictions);
* Include a complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant;
* Acknowledge that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
You can also view the updated facebook page guidelines here.
Now while this may seem like great news, there is some considerations to make.
Advantages of running a promotion on your page
1. It is now easy for a small business with a limited budget and knowledge to run a promotion on their page. They don’t need to worry about setting up a 3rd party app which will save time and in most cases will greenstone generic alprazolam also save some money.
2. Running the promotion on your Facebook page will increase the engagement on your page, which in turn helps more of your posts be seen by more of your likers.
3. If you make messaging your page as part of the entry process of your competition, it will give you more opportunity to interact and communicate directly with your potential customers.
Disadvantages of running a promotion on your page
1. Facebook likes and comments should only be the very first step in marketing your business.
2. You are not collecting email addresses.
If you administer the promotion directly on your Facebook page and not via a 3rd party app, you are losing the opportunity to build your email database. Anyone that has been a client of mine or has been following my strategies knows that I firmly believe that you must NOT rely solely on an external marketing platform to run your business. You need to be able to communicate directly with your likers and potential customers on a one-to-one basis and the best way to do this is by collecting email addresses.
3. Third party apps offer much more flexibility and choice when running a promotion and gives you the opportunity to collect and leverage data for ongoing marketing of your business.
4. You still need to keep in mind any local legislation that governs the running of promotions and competitions.
Always keep in mind who your target audience is. What do they like? What do they need? And how can you provide that on an ongoing basis?
Would love to hear your thoughts. What do you think about these changes? And will you run more promotions now that you can do it directly on your page?
[…] Now while this may seem like great news, there is some considerations to make as there is advantages and disadvantages of running a promotion directly on your page. Read this article for more information. […]