facebook

Facebook revised  their contest rules in May of this year, but still many people are either unaware of the update, or confused by how to run a successful contest on Facebook.

Every day it seems I see a Facebook promotion in my news feed. And, many times the contest boasts the winner will receive [enter a really great prize here] for ‘liking’ the page. [CRINGE!]

Mistake #1: Using the “Like” Button as a Voting Mechanism

If Facebook could have made this rule any clearer, it would be crystal. OK, silly analogy. But really, Facebook clearly states that contests “must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism.” Facebook even clearly states that “the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.” Now, that’s not to say that you cannot create a “Fan Gate” – which we will explain in a moment.

Mistake #2: Not Using a 3rd Party App to Administer the Contest

This is actually Facebook’s #1 rule. They state: “Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or an app on a Page Tab.”

Running a contest or sweepstake via a 3rd party app is really very simple. We currently use ShortStack App, but have also used Wildfire Interactive in the past. There are actually a lot of apps out there that offer Facebook content features at a very reasonable price. So there is no reason not to use one.

Mistake #3: Giving Away a Prize Unrelated to Your Industry

What is the purpose of your contest? Do you really want to attract people who enter 100 contests a day? Or, do you want to attract potential customers? I’m going to guess you want to attract potential customers. Then instead of offering a $500 Visa gift card, a better prize may be a $500 gift card for your product or service. Or maybe, you give away one of your products for free. In other words, if you don’t work for Ford, then don’t give away a new Ford.

Mistake #4: Not Using a Fan Gate to Build the “Likes”

A ‘Fan Gate’ is as it sounds, a gateway. Many of the 3rd party apps we mentioned have the functionality where a visitor has to “Like” your page before they can enter the contest. I know what you’re thinking. ‘You just told us that using the “like” button as a voting mechanism is breaking the rules.’ Yes, that is true. However, with a Fan Gate, you’re not using the Like as the voting mechanism, only as a gateway to the voting mechanism. Pretty cool, right?

Mistake #5: Making the Entry Super Complicated

To enter just fill out the form, followed by uploading a photo, followed by uploading a video, followed by getting your friends to vote on your photo, then on your video, followed by….. If it’s not simple, people will not enter. Even the most loyal of fan will not follow a 10 step entry to your contest.

Mistake #6: Not Promoting Your Contest

If you create it, they will enter…. NOT! Social media, is just that, social. In order to get the word out about your contest, you have to promote it and encourage your supporters to share it. Start mentioning your contest on your Facebook page a few weeks before you launch it. Follow it up by an invitation to your current fans. Send out an email to your email list too. Larger brands, or those with really nice marketing budgets, may also run a radio or TV spot to promote the contest. You get the drift….

Mistake #7: Ignoring Facebook’s Rules

Read the rules; obey the rules. It’s not difficult to do, I promise.

There you have it. Any other mistakes you think should be added to the list? Feel free to leave them in a comment. For help planning and administering your Facebook contest, request a no-obligation consultation. We’re happy to help.

Inspiration for this post came about the other day when I caught myself on a bit of a rampage, explaining to a friend the difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook Page. Sadly yes, this is a true story.

I have to admit, I do love when I receive a Facebook notification for a new friend request but, receiving a friend request from a business drives me absolutely batty.  I refuse to accept a friend request from a business, but I’ll hit that Like button all day.

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Have you ever said: “I wish I could like and comment on other pages as my business page.” Well, now you can!

If you’re a page admin, they you’ve received this email from Facebook:

“Facebook pages are getting an updated layout and several new features to help you engage with your fans. Here’s some of what you’ll be getting:

• Notifications when fans interact with your page or posts
• A place to showcase photos along the top of your page
• A news feed for your page
• The ability to Like and post on other pages as your page

Preview your page and you’ll be given the option to upgrade early. All pages will automatically be upgraded on March 10.”

How to upgrade your page early:

It’s super easy… Log on to Facebook and go to your page. You’ll see a notification message from Facebook at the top of the page. Click on “Preview” to see what your page will look like with the upgrade.

Want to see the new page version in action? Visit the CreativeMind Search Marketing Facebook page!

I had the strangest experience on Facebook recently. I logged into my own account and entered the name of a friend into the search bar. Upon hitting enter, I suddenly found myself looking at status updates from people I didn’t know.

My original reaction was ….”who the heck are these people?” Then I realized I was logged in as someone else! I wasn’t logged in as the friend I was looking for either… it was a complete stranger!

I have absolutely no idea as to how I suddenly entered this person’s account, but I did. I was able to view EVERYTHING – their privacy settings, contact information, and more.

What did I do? I logged out immediately and sent an email to Facebook via a copyright infringment form – since it was the only contact form I could find.

What could have happened? If I were the non-ethical type, I could have done some damage in this person’s account.

The lesson. Not all Facebook account hacks are done maliciously. If you find that your account has been compromised, it may have been an accident.

Facebook and Privacy are a combination of words that have been handcuffed together and receiving a lot of attention lately. In a post we wrote earlier this week, we discussed the announcement that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made on Wednesday afternoon that satisfied many Facebook users: Facebook simplified its privacy controls.

Attention Facebook Users: Facebook is simplifying its privacy controls. Facebook has been growing and making many changes to the site over the past few years. Recently, Facebook tried to give users’ more control over their privacy settings- but all of the customization options were just too confusing.

In response to many complaints and criticism, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that his company would “simplify” privacy controls starting with a re-designed privacy settings page.

So what does this mean for Facebook Users? On the official Facebook blog, Mark Zuckerberg posted, “Today we’re starting to roll out some changes that will make all of these controls a lot simpler. We’ve focused on three things: a single control for your content, more powerful controls for your basic information and an easy control to turn off all applications.”

We will keep you updated by posting new information up on our blog about the new Facebook privacy features, so check back soon.

What happened this week in Social Media?

Facebook Location Feature Leaked

LinkedIn Celebrates it’s 7th Birthday

Foursquare Adds “Like” Button to Venue Pages

Twitter to Release “Embedded Tweets”

Foursquare Goes Down

Microsoft Spindex Puts New Spin on Social Networking

Digg.com Cuts 10% of It’s Workforce

Have other stories to share? Let us know.

I was speaking with a client the other day about social media marketing and the benefits of getting involved. The client is new to the whole “social media thing” and had a great point of view. From his perspective, lots of companies either use social networking sites (like Facebook and Twitter) for shameless self promotion. Or, they only post nonsense, like what they had for dinner or how much they are enjoying the weather.

Seeing that he was very skeptical of the benefits, the topic of social media do’s and don’ts quickly arose. From this conversation, and other similar conversations I’ve had about social media, I compiled a list of common social media pet peeves. Here are the top 5 Social Media Pet Peeves that will surely turn off potential Twitter followers or Facebook fans.

1. “Used Car Salesman” Syndrome
   Social networks are for building communities and adding value. Those that use social media to constantly push their own products or services are not only NOT adding value, but they may be turning off potential prospects.  No one likes to be sold to. If you’re not using social media to offer value to your community, then you’re doing yourself and your company a disservice.
2. The Ghost Town
   Have you ever been asked to become a fan of a Facebook page or follow someone on Twitter, just to land on an empty page or profile? Before asking for fans or followers, be sure to have content that your readers will want to read.
3. Using Facebook Personal Profile for Business (enter your own snazzy title here)
   There’s nothing worse than logging into Facebook and be greeted by sales pitch after sales pitch. Facebook personal profiles are just that – personal. Facebook has three sections…. personal profiles, business fan pages and groups. It’s not rocket science people! Want to promote your business, then create a fan page and stop cluttering your family and friend’s walls with sales pitches. Besides, using your personal profile to self promote is a violation of Facebook’s terms and your account may get suspended for this activity.
4. The Stalled Effort
   To be successful at using social media for business, you must commit. If you’re guilty of starting, stopping, then starting again….. make up your mind already. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
5. Eat Spam!
   We all hate spammers. Don’t know if you’re spamming? Well, if you send a direct message to someone on Twitter including a sales pitch a link to your website – you’re spamming. If you send a friend request to a fan of your business page so you can get their contact info – you’re spamming. If you @ reply a follower on Twitter with your own sales pitch and link – you’re spamming.

So there you have it – the top 5 social media pet peeves. Have more pet peeves? Feel free to list them in a comment.

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Social Media Workshop

Facebook Marketing 201 – How to Build a Fan Base and Get Noticed

When: Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Where: 50 Market St., Portsmouth, NH (Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce)
Cost: $65/pp if signed-up before May 8th. After May 8th – $75/pp
Description: This workshop is great for those that have a Facebook Fan page for their business, but need the know-how to take it to the next level.

Attend This Event

On April 6 from 9 to Noon we will be offering our Facebook Marketing 101 workshop. We want our Facebook Fans to receive a special discount. Simply become a fan of CreativeMind Search Marketing on facebook, send us an email to training@cmsearchmarketing.com and you will receive a discount code to use when registering.

In this 3 hour workshop Patti Fousek, President of CreativeMind Search Marketing, will give you the tools you need to create a Facebook fan page and build an interactive fan base. Those who attend this workshop will leave with a Facebook marketing plan and an updated Facebook fan page.

Who is this workshop for:

• Small business owners
• Marketing managers
• PR professionals
• Entrepreneurs
• Non-profits
• Real estate pros
• Restaurant owners
• Business professionals looking to gain a competitive edge on Facebook

Sign up now, registration closes on April 4, 2010.

Just when everyone was getting used to the last Facebook change (the “News Feed” vs “Live Feed” thing), they once again make another change to their home page.

According to Facebook, the new home page is “provides easy access to your entire Facebook experience”. That statement has yet to be proven. From what I can see, the most apparent changes are:

1. Search field has relocated from the upper right corner to the upper left center

2. Friend requests are in the upper left corner, identified by this symbol: 

3. Messages are next to the “friend requests”, identified by this symbol:

4. Notifications are right next to “messages”, identified by this symbol: 

5. If you are the admin of a Facebook “fan” page, you can now enter that page via the left side bar (moved from the bottom footer bar), identified by this symbol:

6. Privacy and account settings can now be found under the “Account” drop down in the upper right corner

Of course this change couldn’t come at a worse time. Yesterday I hosted a four hour workshop in Social Media to a local real estate company, 1.5 hours which were spent on Facebook, and everything they learned has changed.

Honestly, I can see how the new changes will make Facebook easier to navigate, but they should just leave it alone. Facebook may soon find that their 400 million users may dwindle due to frustration.

Tell us what you think of the latest Facebook changes. Your comments may appear on CreativeMind’s  Facebook Fan Page.