Facebook is a fantastic marketing tool, no doubt about it. If you’re posting regularly, engaging with your audience, and providing value, then you’ve already made a good start.
If you’re looking for more ways to boost your marketing through the social media platform, then a giveaway can provide incredible results. But you need to do it right and follow best practices (and some rules) to make the most of this particular promotional strategy.
Read on for some tips for running an effective Facebook giveaway.
Want some help with running a giveaway or your social media in general? Get in touch to see how The Singing VA’s virtual assistant services can help!
Read the rules
Did you know that Facebook has specific rules about running giveaways on their platforms? Most people don’t and you could end up with your page being shut down if you don’t toe the line.
The rules aren’t complicated, nor do they get in the way of a good Facebook marketing strategy, so they’re well worth following.
Take a look at the rules here.
Pick a good prize
If you want to make people pay attention to your giveaway, then offer them a prize that they really want: make it worth their time to enter. A £10 voucher for a holiday cottage won’t cut it.
It’s just as important to make the prize relevant as it is to make it interesting. Retirees who love quietly tending their gardens don’t want an all-expenses paid trip to Ibiza for a mad weekend.
If you run a holiday cottage, offer a weekend or a full week break. If you have an online shop, offer a voucher that can buy more than the cheapest item in your store.
Remember that a giveaway is about attracting new potential customers, as well as engaging with those you already have, so the prize should draw people in as well as excite your current audience.
Keep it simple
Does the following kind of giveaway sound familiar:
TO ENTER: Tag a friend, share our page, like this post AND sign up to our mailing list!
It’s too much.
No matter how amazing your prize is, if you ask people to do too many things, they won’t bother. Not to mention that most of the above requests are against Facebook’s promotions rules.
You might think that asking people to do more gives you a better chance of being seen, or getting their details for future marketing, but it won’t. The post is boring, the number of actions is too high, and you simply won’t get the views for it.
Instead, pick a single (rule-abiding) action and run with that. By far the best option is to ask a simple question that anyone could answer. What’s your favourite food? What’s your favourite film? Where’s your favourite place to go on holiday? What’s your favourite song?
There are loads of questions you could ask and, if you pick ones that are easy for a wide range of people to answer, then you’ll a) have people actually entering your giveaway and b) have people commenting on your post, which will encourage Facebook’s algorithm to show your post to even more people.
Create Terms & Conditions
As well as Facebook requiring you to include a disclaimer or two, Ts&Cs will help you manage expectations and cover your back. Include how people enter, how you’ll choose the winner and administer the prize, what happens if you’re unable to offer the stated prize, deadlines for winners to claim, etc., etc. This doesn’t need to be an overly complicated document, but you should create it (a page on your own website or a Note on your Facebook page is fine for this) and link to it during the giveaway.
Use image and video
This is Facebook 101. How many Facebook posts do you see now without either an image or a video, or both? Very few, and they usually see very low engagement. Pick interesting, relevant and engaging media to share with your competition to grab attention. Ideally you should avoid stock images and clips, too.
Engage with your audience
Facebook LOVES engagement.
The social media platform is all about making connections with one another. A cynical person would say that responding to people who comment on your post is a good way of playing ‘the Facebook game’. And, while that’s true, it’s so much more!
Responding to everybody really helps you start conversations and engage. Potential customers want to know that there are real people behind a brand and they are more likely to become and remain loyal customers if you have a real connection with them. So, if you can, respond to every single comment (even if it’s just a simple ‘thank you for taking part’) and continue conversations where the opportunity arises.
Make a timeline
How long are you running the giveaway? When does it start, when does it end, and when will you announce the winner? By when does the winner need to claim and when will they receive their prize?
Create a schedule and stick to it. Giveaways tend to work best when they’re short and sweet – maybe you run it over a weekend, or maybe it’s just a 24-hour flash giveaway.
You also need to let your entrants know when they can expect what. Announce the winner as soon as possible and don’t keep people waiting.
When you’ve decided on a timeline, make sure you include it in your Ts&Cs and stick to it!
Have a budget
Once upon a time, you could build a company on the back of Facebook with no advertising costs at all. Now it’s not the case, but that’s okay. Facebook still offers incredible value for money when it comes to paid adverts.
The thing is, no matter how large your audience, or how good your engagement, you will get much better results if you put even a little bit of money behind your posts. A good plan is to post, let it run without a budget for a short while (this will vary depending on the length of your giveaway, but 24 hours is a good figure), then boost the post: you can see results from spending as little as £10!
So, to summarise, some things you should do to make the most of your Facebook giveaway are:
- Read the rules
- Pick a good prize
- Keep it simple
- Create Ts&Cs
- Use image and video
- Engage with your audience
- Make a timeline
- Have a budget
Good luck and feel free to get in touch if you’re running a giveaway. I’d love to join in!
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