Successfully Running A Social Media Contest To Build Your Facebook Page Likes

Posted on April 13th, by Kim Randall in Be Social, Facebook Tips, Social Media, Social Media Success, Social Media Tips, Tips. No Comments

If you own or manage a Facebook page I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s getting harder to organically build it with new likes. One of the best ways to organically build up numbers is to host a social media contest with a prize worth winning. If done right this could be an enormous success, however if not you might be looking at a page inflated with dead likes.

What are “Dead Likes”?

Think of Dead Likes like dead weight. They are there and provide absolutely no value. They slow down the progress of the page, don’t interact and would never be a customer. When you have fans that don’t interact Facebook views it as your content isn’t good enough to engage with and decreases the number of people that actually see your posts through their newsfeeds.

How Do You Prevent Gaining Dead Likes During A Contest?

Think out the contest strategy before launching. Ask yourself who, how, why and what…

Who are you targeting?
How will it work?
Why are you running a contest?
What is the ultimate goal?

Now that you know who you are targeting, how will they find your contest? Ads? Promos? Blog post? Contest submission sites?

For the sake of this post let’s imagine that in order to enter the contest you have to generate likes to a specific picture entry on the page. You need to keep the instructions extremely clear and make sure that as you do this you have a clear thought process as to why you are doing this. You also need to make the contest entrants work for you. Let them hustle to create likes to your page posts increasing your engagement numbers.

* Be sure to also interact with the comments *

Why are you running this contest? Clearly because you want people to see and interact with your page, right? You want to draw attention to what your page is all about. Make sure you remember this when running the contest. If you’re targeting local fans make sure you’re not reaching out to people that would become dead likes. Don’t require anyone to hustle for actual page likes because dead likes are a given.

Three Easy Facebook Fanpage Contest Ideas

Like and Comment Contests For Sales and Specials

Run short contests to help spread the word organically requiring fans to like and/ or comment on a post in order to be entered to win.

Hustle For Likes

Have entrants submit photos for you to upload on your page and then have them hustle for comments and likes in order to win.

::NOTE:: If you are targeting a specific geo location it is not wise to also require entrants to hustle for page likes for your page, this is only building dead likes.

Photo Caption Contests

Upload a photo and encourage fans to caption it in order to enter to win a prize. Best caption is the winner.

Facebook Contest Tips

Make sure you map out your contest before launching
Post some teasers in the days leading up to the contest
Give away something people REALLY want to win
Use other social media sites to help promote (Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube….)
Create graphics for the contest to be shared with specific instructions on how to enter
Be sure to interact with entrants, keep the convo going

Most Recent Facebook Contest Guidelines

Via Facebook.com

E. Promotions

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.

3. Promotions may be administered on Pages or within apps on Facebook. Personal Timelines must not be used to administer promotions (ex: “share on your Timeline to enter” or “share on your friend’s Timeline to get additional entries” is not permitted).

4. We will not assist you in the administration of your promotion, and you agree that if you use our service to administer your promotion, you do so at your own risk.

Do you have a contest you’re currently running? Share it below!

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