So you want to run a Facebook Contest… That’s great! Facebook Contests are one of the best ways to build engagement on your Facebook Page and grow your email list. One of the toughest things about running a Facebook Contest, though, is knowing where, when, and how to market it.
I’ve been building, managing, and consulting on Facebook Contests since 2009. At first, I didn’t know the answer to these questions either. It took a lot of trial and error, but eventually I learned a system for maximizing my contest results every single time. In fact, I created a worksheet that will help you figure out which marketing platforms will work best for you.
Download the Free Facebook Contest Marketing Worksheet
How do I Know Where to Market my Facebook Contest?
It starts with listing out all of your current marketing platforms or opportunities. This list may be long, but don’t worry. We’re going to pare it down together.
Below is a screenshot from the first page of the worksheet where I listed all my marketing platforms. It’s important to make sure that you include everything in this list. You don’t want to miss out on a marketing opportunity you may have overlooked.
[feature_box style=”31″ title=”Note” alignment=”center”]Marketing platforms refer to the places and ways you can market. For instance “print advertising” is not a place, but it is a way that you can promote your contest. So, think about all the ways or places where you could market your contest and add them to your worksheet.
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Which Marketing Platforms are the Best for You?
The last step on the first page of this document is to figure out which marketing platforms will work the best for you. This will mostly depend on audience size, but there are a few other factors to consider here.
Be a Ninja!
I remember reading something years ago about editing. The advice was this: when you edit a story or a blog post, you must take on the mindset of a ninja and slash anything that doesn’t belong. The same is true in this case. Cross out any platforms you don’t think will work to market this contest. Here’s a few examples of things you might cross out:
[feature_box style=”31″ title=”Note” alignment=”center”]The list below shows a lot of marketing platforms I didn’t include on my list. That’s because I don’t usually use these forms of advertisement. You, however might. These are really just “hypothetical” platforms you might initially include and then cross off of your own list.
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- TV
- Radio
- Print Advertising
- Banner ads on other websites
- Tumblr
- Employee Message Board
The first three you might cross out because they will take too long to get ready or they are too expensive.
Banner ads on websites might not be practical, because their audience may not be interested in what you’re giving away.
I included Instagram because you can’t share clickable links directly with an image. This makes it hard to get people from Instagram to your Facebook Contest, which is the point.
Tumblr is one of those social media platforms that tend to have unique audiences. If you maintain a Tumblr and your audience regularly engages with content that is similar to what you’re giving away in your contest, then it’s okay to keep on the list. Otherwise, chop it.
I included employee message board as a place that you might post information about your contest because I’ve actually used this before. However, it is not appropriate for all types of contest, or even for every prize you giveaway. Unless you’re sure that your employees will want to help you promote it, I wouldn’t even bother with this one.
Here’s what I crossed out on my list:
Superstars!
The next step is to identify your superstars, or those marketing platforms which you think will help you the most in your promotion.
[feature_box style=”31″ title=”Note” alignment=”center”]I say “think” or “might” a lot for two reasons.
- I don’t know your audience.
- All marketing is an experiment until you know something works.
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In the screenshot below, I’ve marked which platforms I want to use to promote my contest with a star. I’m going to walk through why I decided to mark each of these with a star so you understand why I chose them. You may choose your own platforms for different reasons.
The Obvious
- Facebook Page
- Facebook Personal Account
I marked my Facebook Page and personal account with stars because we are talking about promoting a Facebook Contest. I wouldn’t want to miss out on the obvious places to market them.
Biggest/Best Audiences
- Website
- Email List
- Linked In
Other Platforms Which I Think Will Work
- Instagram (I regularly share social media stuff on that channel and I know how to utilize the link in the bio to get people to my contest page).
- Friends (I have a few friends who might be interested in helping me promote it)
Do the same on your worksheet.
Want to Know More?
Figuring out which marketing platforms will work best for your contest is just the tip the iceberg to running a successful Facebook Contest. There’s also:
- Planning out your contest details
- Deciding what type of contest to run
- Writing your contest rules
- Building your contest page
- Working out the details of your marketing
- How to build your marketing calendar
- Choosing the right prize
- What to do when something goes wrong
- And so much more!
I cover all of these topics in my course: Build Email Lists Fast with Facebook Contests. It’s a course designed for those who are just getting their feet wet, or who want to get more out of their next Facebook Contest. The course specifically focuses on the “Giveaway” contest type, which is the easiest to manage and the most effective type for building an email list. However, almost everything in the course can be applied to other types of contests including photo submission contests.
If you want to know more, here’s a link to the course detail page. It is currently only $23, since I’m in the middle of a major overhaul, though. The price will go soon, so hurry and get the course at the lower price! If you download this worksheet, you are in my email list and will get a notice when the new course material has been loaded.
Get the Course at the Discounted Price
Don’t Miss the free Facebook Contest Marketing Sheet (download it below)
Download the Free Facebook Contest Marketing Worksheet
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