Offering social media users something of value through contests, competitions, or sweepstakes will bring visitors to your social media sites and increase brand recognition. What follows is some advice on how to use this regulated tool.
Facebook Social Media Contests
Promotional Rules – As you plan a contest strategy on Facebook, it is important that you are aware of Facebook’s Promotion Guidelines. Make sure that you review and understand all of these before starting, or you’ll risk having your Page taken down.
Vocabulary – Is your contest, competition, or sweepstakes considered by Facebook to be a “promotion”? See if it fits into any of the definitions below:
• contest/competition: a promotion that includes a prize of monetary value and a winner determined on the basis of skill (i.e., through judging based on specific criteria).
• sweepstakes: a promotion that includes a prize of monetary value and a winner selected on the basis of chance.
Facebook’s Guidelines only allow businesses to host social media contests, competitions, or sweepstakes through Apps on Facebook.com. Businesses cannot administer or communicate their promotion using Facebook features.
• administration: the operation of any element of the promotion, such as collecting entries, conducting a drawing, judging entries, or notifying winners.
• communication: promoting, advertising or referencing a promotion in any way on Facebook, e.g., in ads, on a Page, or in a Wall post.
Twitter Social Media Contests
Guidelines – Like Facebook, Twitter also has guidelines for contests.
• First, Twitter asks that contest hosts explicitly state that any single person caught using multiple Twitter accounts to enter a contest will have their accounts suspended.
• Second, Twitter asks that you not create contests through which winning is dependent on users repeatedly retweeting an update.
• Third, Twitter recommends that you ask users to include an @reply to you in their updates so that you don’t miss any entries when trying to pick a winner.
Google+ Contests
As of now, Google+ does not allow for businesses to run social media contests, sweepstakes, or even coupons directly from their Google+ Pages. However, users can include a link on their Page to another site that hosts these promotions.
YouTube Social Media Contests
Only approved YouTube partners and advertisers can host contests on YouTube. Anyone can apply to be a YouTube partner.
When using any social media platform for business, be sure to read the site’s terms, guidelines, and content policies for social media contests and any other ventures that might seem questionable. You’ll be able to have fun promoting your business using social media without having to worry.
