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With Facebook approaching 500 million registered accounts it’s been interesting to see the number of companies in Ireland now exploring Facebook as a platform within their marketing and communications.
In my workshops and mentoring about Facebook for business, many organisations are not aware that Facebook do actually have guidelines for promotions and competitions that you want to host on Facebook.
In the last week I have come across more than 5 Facebook Pages in Ireland (both large well known brands and start-ups) who are failing to comply to Facebook guidelines. And the consequence of this could be that Facebook comment that they will:
remove any materials related to a promotion at any time, regardless of whether the promotion was approved, where we determine the continued marketing or administration of such promotion may be unlawful under applicable laws, rules, regulations or guidelines or may cause unreasonable liability for us.
I do in fact know of one Facebook Page (not in Ireland) where the Facebook Page which had amassed a significant community was deleted by Facebook for failing to comply to the Facebook Promotion Guidelines.
Specifically take note of the fact that Facebook will not allow you to:
Condition entry in the promotion upon a user providing content on Facebook, such as making a post on a profile or Page, status comment or photo upload
Administer a promotion that users automatically enter by becoming a fan of your Page
Notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles or Pages.
Here are some essential tips for staying the right side of the Facebook Promotion Guidelines:
1. Read the Facebook Promotion Guidelines – this may seem obvious, but the guidelines do and can change so you need to be aware of the current guidelines and understand how they could impact the plans for your Facebook promotion or give-away:
6.3 We reserve the right to review promotion rules and promotional copy at anytime but is under no obligation to do so. Our approval of rules or materials related to the promotion does not relieve you of any obligations in these Promotions Guidelines
2. Comply with local and industry specific promotion guidelines – you need to ensure that your promotion is in accordance with any restrictions in your own local geography or within your industry sector, for example:
2.4 The promotion’s objective is to promote any of the following product categories: gambling, tobacco, firearms, prescription drugs, or gasoline;
2.5 The prize or any part of the prize includes alcohol, tobacco, dairy, firearms, or prescription drugs.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO MANAGE OR PROMOTE YOUR COMEPTITION ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE
1. Create and implement a bespoke Facebook application – You can of course still promote and run competitions on Facebook – you do however need to either work with a digital marketing or social media agency who will develop a specific application for you or work with a Facebook approved paid application. Especially in the case of bespoke applications, you need to account for time in your project plan for Facebook to approve your application:
3.6 You must submit materials for any promotion you plan on administering through the Facebook Platform to your account representative for our review and approval at least 7 days prior to the start date of such promotion. Promotions not approved in writing within such time period will be deemed unapproved.
2. Use a paid Facebook application service – There are a number of Facebook application services available that you can use to manage your competition, quizzes, gifts, promotion or sweepstakes, including Fanappz, Involver and Wildfire – or have your social media agency use one of these services to support your Facebook marketing programme. These offer great affordable solutions for small businesses, however be aware that the application will be braded with the name of the provider which I know may not be relevant for all organisations.
3. Manage your competition or give away on your website or blog – You do not need Facebook’s approval if you are publicising a promotion that is administered completely off of Facebook. However, Facebook reserves the right to remove any materials relating to the promotion or disable your Page or account if they determine that you violate their Promotions Guidelines, the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities or any other of their policies.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
And of course once you have your competition or promotion in place don’t forget that you then need a marketing plan to support you building awareness of your competition. I will be covering using Facebook adverts as a way to promote your business, product, service, page or even your Facebook application in a forthcoming FREE webinar.
You can register online to attend the event here.
It is taking place on Friday 11 June 2010 at 6pm and will last 45 minutes. I will also be featuring some real life examples in the Facebook advertising webinar. This is one of a series of FREE webinars this month that I am hosting as part of my reverse birthday celebrations. You see if was my birthday yesterday and I decided last week to host some live webinars an provide someone on the webinar guidance and mentoring for their business.
What is your experience of managing your promotions, competitions and give away’s on your Facebook Page?
Photo credit Nimbupani on Flickr
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June 1st, 2010 at 10:14 am
Great tips Krishna! And can’t believe they are nigh on 500 million members now, guess the Quit Facebook Day yesterday didn’t really have much of an impact…
June 1st, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Thank you for an excellent article, which outlines the problem & suggests solutions! Very timely for me as I’m just admiring my lovely shiny silver calculator which I recently won from a very conservative organisation through their Facebook page competition…
June 1st, 2010 at 10:52 pm
P.S. Happy Birthday – in reverse!
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:25 pm
[...] Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines (krishnade.com) [...]
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:13 pm
RT @brett: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1Tnld
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1TQ4i
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:42 pm
RT @thenetworkhub: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1TQ4i
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1TQ4i via @thenetworkhub
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Way too many ppl ignore these RT @thenetworkhub: Essential tips for running promos & competitions w/n Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1TQ4i
June 4th, 2010 at 1:20 am
RT @merylkevans: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1Tnld RT @ConversationAge ..
June 4th, 2010 at 4:21 am
RT @BMA_Milwaukee: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within #Facebook guidelines http://ow.ly/1TAcC
June 7th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Reading: http://twitthis.com/48vp2z
June 7th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Essential Tips about Facebook Promotions and their guidelines http://twitthis.com/48vp2z
June 7th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Good summary of fb promos RT: @Time2GetFocused Essential Tips about Facebook Promotions and their guidelines http://twitthis.com/48vp2z
June 10th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
hello, does anyone know of a facebook application where you allow fans to enter a contest? i tried wildfire, which seems to work fine, but the problem is that it allows ANYONE to enter the contest. i want people to become fans first and then be able to enter the contest by uploading a video that people can then vote for. any suggestions? it does not need to be a free application.
i've read the facebook guidelines so i'm pretty familiar with the rules of competitions etc. just need a suitable application for the contest. thanks!
June 11th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
If you have an app developed and customised for you then it is certainly possible to manage your competition as you mention.
June 18th, 2010 at 3:32 am
I want to run a photo contest w/o having to get approval from Facebook, as we are a small business and cannot afford to pay $10,000 in Facebook advertising. To join, I will only require the contestant to be a fan of our page. I will ask them to email us their photo. We will upload the photo ourselves to our fan page. Then the photo with the most “likes” wins. We will then notify the winners via email. Is this legal? Does this violate Facebook's TOS? Thanks.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:30 am
Interesting read: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/bHYBaJ
June 20th, 2010 at 4:30 am
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/bHYBaJ #my #BTCustomerstreet
June 20th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Nice – Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/bHYBaJ #BTCustomerstreet
June 20th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
"Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guideline…" – http://bit.ly/bcJhhF #socialmedia #sm
June 21st, 2010 at 8:37 am
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/bHYBaJ
June 23rd, 2010 at 5:30 am
http://is.gd/czPfg – Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines #BTCustomerstreet
June 24th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://is.gd/czPfg #BTCustomerstreet
June 24th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
This is a great post Krishna, just wanted to pop by and mention I've ended up sharing this post with quite a few Facebook users I've seen breaking these new terms/conditions.
June 25th, 2010 at 3:29 am
Make your developer come up with an app that will manage your fans when a contest is running. That way you can promote your services for free.
June 25th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/bHYBaJ #BTCustomerstreet
June 25th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Thanks Sinead – delighted you found it of assistance and you are right there are many many people not following the Facebook promotion guidelines at the moment.
June 25th, 2010 at 8:23 am
Brian – I would investigate some of the lower cost off the shelf facebook applications which are perfect for small businesses.
Refer to the Facebook Promotion Guidelines:
3.1 You will only administer the promotion through an application on the Facebook Platform, as directed by us.
3.2 You will only allow users to enter the promotion in the following locations on Facebook:
3.2.1 On the canvas Page of an application on the Facebook Platform.
3.2.2 On an application box in a tab on a Facebook Page.
So unfortunately you can not manage your promotion in the way you mention you would like to do so.
June 25th, 2010 at 8:28 am
There are a number of other Facebook application providers who you could explore – and yes you can make such contests open only to Fans of your page.
June 25th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Well I thought that if the contest is administered outside Facebook, that we wouldnt need their written approval. That's why we're collecting the entries and announcing the winners via e-mail.
June 26th, 2010 at 12:20 am
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines -http://ht.ly/22UeC
June 26th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Check this out: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://is.gd/czPfg #BTCustomerstreet
June 28th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
This is great post, Krishna! We often hear the very same question at Wildfire, just variations on “How do we make sure our promotion is Facebook 'Legal'?”
The great thing about our platform is not just that the pricing plans allow for pretty much any sized company to participate within a sound budget, but that all of our applications (sweepstakes, coupons, contests, etc) are verified Facebook apps, so our customers know in advance that promotions run on our platform are designed to be Facebook compliant.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
The issue Brian is that you comment: Then the photo with the most “likes” wins.
This is therefore using the native Facebook Wall and standard services to manage your competition. Hence you would need to use an application if you want to get people to participate in Facebook to comply with their promotion guidelines.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Maya – thanks for connecting here – yes I do know of wildfire and have a contact in Europe for your business. i know you support some great businesses.
July 1st, 2010 at 8:38 am
http://is.gd/db0On – Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines
July 3rd, 2010 at 7:45 pm
http://bit.ly/bHYBaJ – Interesting read: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines
July 5th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
@karenbuchanan3 You may want to check out @krishnade's post about Facebook competitions http://ow.ly/279pA
July 6th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Hi Krishna, great post.
However the part that conflicts for me is that in section 4.2 the conditions state that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page.”
This is within a section that “You do not need our prior written approval if you are publicizing a promotion that is administered completely off of Facebook”. What I don't understand is how a promotion can be “completely” off of Facebook if “becoming a fan” is part of the promotion criteria.
I'm planning a promo to encourage people to be come a fan but does this mean I can't publicize it on facebook?
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.nnWhen it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.nn
July 8th, 2010 at 10:23 am
This effectively means that you could promote your competition on Facebook – but administer it off site e.g. use your website or blog as the place where people participate.
When it says that “You may, however, condition entry to the promotion upon becoming a fan of a Page” that is referring to the fact that you could run a competition or give away using a Facebook App (3.2.2) and you could require people to become a member of your Facebook Page to participate in the competition.
July 15th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
check this out – Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/9m4Uzc
July 16th, 2010 at 2:00 am
reading this blog: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/9m4Uzc
July 16th, 2010 at 7:30 am
reading this blog: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/9m4Uzc
July 16th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
nice writeup – Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/9m4Uzc
July 16th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
reading this blog: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – http://bit.ly/9m4Uzc
July 18th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
With Facebook approaching 500 million registered accounts it’s been interesting to see the number of companies in I – http://bit.ly/9m4Uzc
July 31st, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines – #facebook http://ht.ly/2iNTj
August 7th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Good tips for running Facebook promos and contests within FB guidelines: http://bit.ly/cs2dai
August 18th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
RT @KrishnaDe: Essential tips for running promotions and competitions within Facebook guidelines http://bit.ly/cs2dai
August 19th, 2010 at 9:02 am
RT @KrishnaDe: Facebook Promotion Tips – a must read for Admins if you want to run competitions or giveaways http://bgn.bz/fbpromos
August 19th, 2010 at 9:04 am
RT @KrishnaDe: Facebook Promotion Tips – a must read for Admins if you want to run competitions or giveaways http://bgn.bz/fbpromos
August 19th, 2010 at 9:06 am
RT @julieodonn: RT @KrishnaDe: Facebook Promotion Tips – a must read for Admins if you want to run competitions or giveaways http://bgn.bz/fbpromos