Check out part II
The Complete Guide To Facebook Contests and Promotions III
Measuring Contest ROI
How do I know if my contest was successful? What ROI should I expect?
Every contest will get different results depending on many factors – below is a list of returns you can expect from running a contest:
- More Traffic/likes/engagement for your Facebook Page
- New emails for your email list
- New Sales (this occurs for both group deals and other contests. You will find out how to follow-up with entrants to convert them into sales in Ch.9, ‘Following-up with Contest Entrants’)
How do I measure my contests’ ROI?
- In Wishpond’s Merchant Admin you can view participation statistics in real-time to see how effective each promotion is that you make for getting contest entrant
- You can use Wishpond’s Analytics to see exactly which demographics are entering your campaigns to see if your contest attracted the desired types of customers
- You can use Google Analytics to track conversions from the follow-up emails sent to contest entrants to see how many purchases were made post campaign
Following-Up with Contest Entrants
In terms of turning contest entrants into customers, this is the most important step.
Follow these 3 easy steps for following up with entrants to maximize your contests PR and sales potential:
- Post the winner’s name on each of your social channels
- This will make users happy to associate a real person with winning the prize, and it will compel the winner to share about your brand and the contest with his/her friends
- This will also alleviate any concerns/grievances that some entrants may have that no one was actually awarded the prize stated in the contest (these concerns arise much more often than you think)
- Email the winner and ask them to send a picture of themselves with the prize when they receive it (this image is BIG for your company’s PR!)
- Email non-winners with a small consolation prize
- Losing is not a nice feeling – even when it’s in a contest. Make every entrant feel like a winner by sending them an exclusive prize – such as a 25% off coupon to your business – and telling them to stay tuned to your Facebook Page for your next contest.
Facebook Contests for Mobile
Nearly 40% of Facebook users access the site on their mobile phones. If your contest is not optimized for mobile then you are missing out on this massive group of users.
Why?
Currently Facebook does not support 3rd party applications in any of its mobile environments – including their mobile apps and mobile website.
So how do you optimize your contest for mobile users?
Wishpond has the answer!
All of our apps come with a unique redirect link that can be used when promoting your contest. When you send out a contest promo, include this redirect link as the contest call-to-action. When a user clicks on it, our system checks to see if they are on a mobile/tablet device or a desktop computer:
- If the user is on a desktop they will be directed to the contest on your Facebook Page
- If the user is on a mobile/tablet device they will be directed to a mobile webpage (hosted by Wishpond) where users can enter and engage with your contest, just as if they were on Facebook
Quick Tip
Need to get this redirect link quickly? Simply go to your contest entry page and click the Tweet button at the bottom of the entry panel. A Twitter pop-up will appear with a default tweet that includes this link. You can simply copy that link and paste it in your next promo.
Facebook Policy & Promotions Guidelines
Although it may seem overwhelming, Facebook’s Promotions Guidelines are pretty simple. And if you’re using a 3rd party application like Wishpond, our contest will be designed to fit within these guidelines, so you won’t need to worry about it!
Here is a brief rundown of the most relevant points and an explanation for each:
- Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.
Meaning:Promotions cannot be run directly on a Facebook Page’s Wall – it must be housed within a Facebook Page Tab, or on a separate Facebook App Page.
- Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
- A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
- Acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.
- Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.
Meaning:You must explicitly state that you the merchant are running this contest and that Facebook is not involved with it in any way (Wishpond’s applications have this disclaimer built-in).
- You Must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features of functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.
Meaning:You cannot use a Facebook feature – such as liking or checking in – as a condition to enter a contest
- You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.
Meaning:You cannot use a Facebook feature – such as liking or checking in – as the means of entering a contest
- You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion.
Meaning:You cannot use a Facebook feature – such as the Like button – as a way for users to vote on contest entries.
- You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages.
Meaning: You must use email, phone, etc. to contact contest winners. Wishpond Contest apps allow you to ask for this information upon entry, so you will not be stuck!
