I have been testing various Facebook contests for a long time, and it all started while I was working at the University. Since then, the rules have changed, and the only way we can run a successful contest on Facebook is by using third-party apps.
I am not going to go into details on everything you need to do in order to create a successful contest, but before you start planning any type of contest on Facebook, I suggest that you read their guidelines for running Facebook contests . A lot can go wrong if you don’t understand the guidelines.
Here’s an excerpt:
You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion. You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages. Promotions on Facebook must be administered within apps on facebook.com either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.
Like I said, you must be using a third-party app to run Facebook contests.
Facebook contests for smart people
The reason for running Facebook contests are mostly to get more likes, or to get more people to become your customers. The thing is that you need to have a clear strategy behind your Facebook contest. Don’t just create one in order to just give away something. You might get more likes, but think about why you want more likes. It’s not always about the numbers. And you need to keep engaging your fans. Without engagement your Facebook Page is nothing more than a static website. Understand how Facebook Edgerank works.
My point is; you need to develop a Facebook strategy before you host your Facebook contests.
Facebook contests and the 14 Apps
You can create your own app, and if you are working for an agency and you are running contests for many clients, that might be cheaper. But, I believe that for most companies, it will be a lot better quality of the contest and a lot cheaper if you use a pre-designed app to run the Facebook contest. Here’s a list of the top 14 apps I have found for running Facebook contests:
- Wildfire
- Fanappz
- Vitrue
- BuddyMedia
- Votigo
- Freepromos
- ContextOptional
- BulbStorm
- NorthSocial
- PromoBoxx
- Momentus Media
- Friend2Friend
- Strutta
- Offerpop
What’s your experience with Facebook contests?
I will most likely use Wildfire to run my Facebook contests. It’s one of the most popular apps (maybe even the most popular) and it’s fairly cheap. And I have heard a lot of great things about their support. Do you have any experience with Wildfire or any of the other apps?
Twitter: adriennesmith40
Hey Jens,
Thanks for sharing this post and for giving us this great list.
I haven’t done a contest yet but it’s on my agenda. I know that I’m going to have to dive into using one of these apps for this so at least now I can sort of go through them and see which one is best.
I have a gift already ready to give away for one of these contests but I’m trying to get my fan numbers up a little more before diving in.
Thanks again for sharing this and hopefully I’ll be putting this to good use soon.
~Adrienne
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Twitter: berget
Hi Adrienne,
I don’t know which of the apps are the best one, but I have heard a lot of great things about Wildfire and I’ll be testing it next week for two clients. The last time I had contests on Facebook, I was using a completely different system – a system that doesn’t work anymore after they released the timeline
Twitter: ITSergioFelix
Hey Jens, I have never done any kind of contests before and I’m not really too enthusiastic about using Facebook but this is definitely a great resource compilation for FB contests.
Wildfire looks very good and I think the price is well worth it, do you have any particular reason on why did you decided to go with them?
Sergio
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Twitter: berget
I am not sure if I would be having any contests for my own company on Facebook, but it works great for my clients (and for the University I worked for). It’s mostly about getting more people to like the Page and engage with them (this will make them trust us, and turn them into customers).
The only reason I am going to test Wildfire (next week) is based on testimonials and that the price is fairly reasonable. That’s it. But if I don’t like it, I’ll test another app the week after
Twitter: wonderoftech
Hi Jens, I’ve never run a Facebook contest before but it’s good to learn of these apps in case I do. Thanks for this very useful information!
Good luck with your contest, Jens. I hope you’re the winner!
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Twitter: berget
Hi Carolyn,
I am just back home after a short vacation. I’ve been hiking in some fairly large mountains in Norway
I’ll be starting the Facebook contests sometime next week, and I’ll be sure to update my blog with the links and all my experience. I am sure that I won’t be the winner, but I’ll do my best to create a good contest
Twitter: Blognetworking
I have been thinking about running a small contest, to increase the level of engagement within my page, but I haven’t finalized yet.
Thank you Jens for explaining the terms of services, I never knew that we couldn’t use FB directly to run contests (So, that’s why everyone has a third party app for all those giveaways).
Also appreciate the list, Jens. I was thinking of using Raffle copter (seems like lot of people are using it these days). I was planning to embed the Raffle copter in a custom page built specifically for the giveaway.
Anyways, thanks!
Jeevan Jacob John
Twitter: berget
Hey Jeevan,
I’d love to see your contest as soon as it goes live. I have so much to learn when it comes to Facebook, and I have only tried a few contests. What I think I’ll be doing first is to add a contest for a car dealership in order to help them get more likes and more engagement. I’ll update my blog with all the details sometime next week.
Raffle copter looks awesome, I might have to try it soon. I’ll probably try Wildfire first
Twitter: chrisnpi
Hi Jens,
thanks for sharing it.
I also plan contest on FB to get more likes. You wrote that it works great for some of your clients. May I ask you which app did you use and why do you want to try another one (Wildfire)?
BR, Chris
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Twitter: berget
Hey Chris,
I have tried contests for the University several years ago, the terms of service was different, and it was before the timeline and before we had to start using iframe to add content to our Facebook Pages. That’s why I had to do something different and start using new types of software. The old one just didn’t work anymore
Twitter: thejackb
I haven’t ever run a contest on Facebook but I have been interested in learning more about how to do it.
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Twitter: berget
Hey Jack,
Stay tuned. I’ll update my blog sometime next week with all the information about the contests.
Hi,
Jens
I like to use Fanappz for Facebook it is similar as Wildfire i would like to participate in this contest because i need more likes thanks for this wonderful sharing.
Twitter: berget
Hey umair,
I haven’t tried Fanappz, but it’s on my list. I’ll first try Wildfire and see if it’s as good as people are saying
Twitter: terrycontiblog
Hi Jens,
I’ve never been much into contents, but as I progress it is surly something to consider.
I like your informative posts about Facebook. If it weren’t for these informative posts if feel I wouldn’t know Facebook the way I do.
Thanks for the deep insights.
Terry Conti
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Twitter: berget
Hi Terry,
I have participated in a few contests, and created a few myself. It’s one of the easiest ways to create engagement, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get people to get more involved and to get more likes for my clients by using contests.
Stay tuned. I’ll be launching the first contest sometime next week, and I’ll be adding all the information about the contest on my blog
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Twitter: bdorman264
I don’t want to have any contests, I just want to win them; point me in the right direction, sir.
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Twitter: berget
Just enter my contests Bill, and you’ll be the winner every single time
I also technique competitors on FB to get more wants. You wrote that it is efficient for some of your clients…Thanks for sharing me..
Twitter: berget
Hey Lisa,
Thanks a lot for your feedback
Jens-Petter Berget invites you to read.. Facebook Edgerank – what you need to know
The social passport (merchant app) allows one to run contests in return for likes, tweets, and checkins. It is a no-brainer for contests for brick & mortar businesses. It does tons of other stuff too like loyalty cards, deals for posts, and so on.
Twitter: MobilityCompany
The Facebook contests being so popular, I still haven’t accepted this challenge on the disbelief of its success. But, your post is just nudging me to give it a try and may be soon give you a feedback may be? This post will definitely be referred to before I jump deep into these contests.
It’s remarkable how far the trend of contests on Facebook have come in such a short time. I ran a contest for one of my fanpages a few years ago and to select the winner I have to get a random number generator and just pair that number with the user that was in that position on the group’s friend list. Obviously it has all taken off since then considering so many apps are now available!