Are you busy creating a contest, giveaway, or similar promotion? Don’t let the far-reaching power of Facebook go to waste! Creating simple ads and promoted posts on Facebook can vastly increase the number of participants in your giveaway… as long as you know what you are doing. Here are some tips on how to get started:
Set a Budget.
Start by creating a budget for your Facebook ad campaign. How much are you willing to spend, specifically on Facebook? For your ad campaign alone, it’s recommended to plan for at least $100 for the first few days of activity. After a few days to a week (depending on how long your promotion will be running) analyze how your ad campaign is doing and adjust accordingly. Setting a deadline for your giveaway and ad campaign will help you determine how to best stretch and manage your budget.
Promoted Posts.
Promoted Page Posts and Promoted Posts are both handy ways to advertise your content on Facebook. You can promote a post or turn it into an ad with just a few clicks using the Facebook Power Editor. It’s a good idea to become well acquainted with the Power Editor and how you can use it before embarking on your campaign. For example, you can promote a page post with posting it to your timeline for more limited market testing, then create ads when you are more sure of your approach.
Target Ads.
You also have options to target your ads on Facebook to specific demographics. It’s worthwhile to limit your ads to the right groups to enhance impact and possibly save on costs. For example, if the contest requires people to visit a physical location, you don’t want to advertise beyond an easy driving range. If your contest is completely online, then you may want to target specific types of fans (who will most like your contest reward) or consumers (which age group or gender shows the most interest in your product). The more strategic your ad targeting, the better response you will get from your efforts.
Quality Images.
Your promoted posts and ads should always contain high-quality images. Using images in a Facebook campaign is generally a good idea because they tend to increase viewers and encourage more comments. But when creating ads for a specific contest or campaign, you need something that will draw the eye and demonstrate what the contest offers or requires. Bottom line: Use a high-quality photo or image. It can be a picture of prizes, an example of contest entries, your business logo, and so on, just make sure it’s relevant to your promotion.
Action Gating.
Action gating refers to limiting actions by requiring users to input information before proceeding. When viewers click on a Facebook ad about a contest, have them enter some basic contact info before entering the contest – nothing too invasive, but some useful information that you can use to create customer profiles.
Refer-A-Friend and More.
Refer-A-Friend is a feature available on Facebook that allows fans to create additional entries by referring their friends to the contest, too. It’s a simple and handy way to increase engagement and views of your giveaway, so try to work it in. Take some time looking through all the features and requirements for Facebook contests to see which can work for you.
Giveaways are an excellent way generate buzz, increase fans, find new followers, encourage engagement, and more! If you’re planning a giveaway or other promotion, give these tips a try! If you’re looking to outsource your giveaways or social media marketing efforts give us a call today at 732-595-3150.
