Facebook Giveaways - Liking Pages Entries Not Allowed !

Facebook Giveaways: Policies Updates Change How Giveaways May Be Run!

Facebook released another policy update that seems to have missed the attention of many Facebook page admins. If you're a Facebook page admin, it's important to follow policy updates, so you don't lose access to your page and all your hard work. Believe me, it's not fun!
It's not surprising that many people have missed this policy update, because it's not posted in the policies update, but in the Facebook Developers blog.

Facebook Giveaways November 2014 Update - Tips for Increasing Page Reach

What does this Facebook policy change state?
Glad you asked!

Facebook Policies Update Affecting Giveaways

When Facebook updated their platform, about 90 days ago,  they also announced changes to what page admins would be allowed to do on the platform. Here is the statement pertaining to Giveaways:

To ensure quality connections and help businesses reach the people who matter to them, we want people to like Pages because they want to connect and hear from the business, not because of artificial incentives. We believe this update will benefit people and advertisers alike.

Facebook also specifically stated:

You must not incentivize people to use social plugins or to like a Page. This includes offering rewards, or gating apps or app content based on whether or not a person has liked a Page.

However, it remains acceptable to incentivize people to login to apps, checkin at a places or enter a promotion on your app's Page.  Developers had to update their apps to comply with these policy changes by November 5, 2014.
This new change is in addition to the previous policy change that prohibits pages from having contestants use inaccurate tagging, such as tagging themselves or another person on a status or picture that is not about that person, or requiring people to share items on their profiles for entries.It is also in addition to requiring Pages to post Terms of Service.
So if Facebook admins can't ask people to like their page, like a post, tag their friends or share their page, what can they do?

Facebook Giveaways Permitted Actions

While some Facebook admins are asking entrants simply to "visit" their page, hoping the visitor might like the page while they are there, it's actually counter-productive to have contestants "Like" your page. Why?
 Unless fans interact with your page, the more inactive Facebook Fans you have, the fewer people Facebook shows your posts to. What are some more effective actions?
One of the most effective actions Facebook page admins can require is to ask entrants to comment on a specific post on your  page.  The more comments a Facebook post has, the more people Facebook shows the post to,
When fans comment on a status, be sure to like their comment and reply to it, this will stretch your organic reach even further.
Another very effective action that has not yet been regulated, is to ask contest entrants to message your page. This allows you to contact the people who enter your giveaway by messaging them back or even by email.
Remember, these changes are in addition to previous Terms of Service.
How did we find out about this change in Facebook Policies? Let's just say a little birdie ...errr helicopter told us.
A helicopter?
 Yes. We highly recommend using Rafflecopter for giveaways, even on your Facebook page, and subscribing to their blog for updates.
Don't lose all your hard work. Follow Facebook's Terms of Service, and keep your account in good standing.
You might also want to subscribe to our Blogged Tips blog, for more Facebook Secrets to painlessly increase your organic reach.
Wishing you Success,
Suzanne

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Run Successful Facebook Giveaways! Why Use Third Party Apps?

Facebook Giveaways - ROI Will Your Business Win?

Updated February 12, 2014
Facebook Page Contest Policies regarding Giveaways, and contests are meant to protect three parties: you, your clients, and finally Facebook. Many small businesses get into hot water, or miss out on potential customers by not following Facebook policies. Businesses do not do this intentionally,but simply, because it can be a bit tricky to find some of the information on Facebook at times. Hopefully these tips will help you run fun, successful Facebook contests and Giveaways that will help your business win more customers.

Facebook Giveaway Policies Revised Again

Facebook Giveaway Tips 

Facebook revised their policies regarding Giveaways again, perhaps policing all those Facebook Giveaways became a major headache! Facebook has now relaxed many of its rules on running Giveaways. However -it is still not permitted to give contestants ballots for sharing giveaways on their private timelines, but many other policies have been relaxed. Not using a 3rd party App for a Giveaway, may seem quick and easy, but 'quick and easy' does not usually result in your best ROI.

Third Party Giveaway Apps

There are a number of Free and paid applications or ‘Apps’ available that you can use to run a Giveaway on Facebook, or you can run a Giveaway on your site or blog and connect it to Facebook using an App to open your Giveaway page on Facebook. One giveaway App you might want to consider is Rafflecopter; an App that I have found works quite well.

Why I Use Rafflecopter to Run Giveaways 

While you can now run giveaways on your page in addition to using 3rd party Apps, I still highly recommend using a 3rd party App like Rafflecopter to run your giveaways for the following reasons:

1. Contests run solely based on 'Liking' a post or commenting on a post can land you in hot water with potential clients since these actions can be easily undone. Using a 3rd Party App  protects your business.
2. Using a 3rd Party App like Rafflecopter gives you multiple ways to connect with potential new clients -subscribing to your Newsletter, Pinterest, Twitter,etc.
3. Depending on the 3rd party App you use, you can get a list of participants email addresses for followup. Rafflecopter does not charge for this, but some other Apps do charge.
4. Ease of administration. Have you ever tried to scroll through a list of several hundred entries to check for doubles? Third Party Apps save time and money. 

Rafflecopter, or another third party App can help you increase your Return on Investment on your giveaway, but for maximum ROI,  but to truly win at Giveaways, you'll want to track your results. Which third party giveaway apps have you used? What do you like about them?

Too Busy to Run a Successful Facebook Giveaway? Many bloggers, such as myself, can host a Facebook Giveaway for you on one of their blogs. Prices for hosting giveaways vary according to services provided and start at about $25 or equivalent product value, plus a prize work at least $25. Leave a confidential comment and I will contact you with a plan to fit your budget.

Related Links:

• Read the Facebook Promotions Guidelines.
• Running a contest or Giveaway? Add it to a Giveaway Linky!
• 10 Facebook Giveaway ROI Tips 

Good luck with Your Give Away!
Suzanne

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Facebook Cover Image Tips!

Facebook pages now use the same format as Facebook Profiles with a timeline, and cover image. Here are some tips from Facebook about choosing an appropriate 'cover' for your Facebook page. Follow these guidelines to be sure you remain in good standing with Facebook.

Choosing Your Facebook Cover

1. Use a unique image that represents your Page. This might be a photo of a popular menu item, album artwork or a picture of people using your product. Be creative and experiment with images your audience responds well to.

2. Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:
• Price or purchase information, such as "40% off" or "Download it at our website"
• Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page's About section
• References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
• Calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends"
3. All cover images are public, which means anyone visiting your Page will be able to see the image you choose.
4. Covers must not be false, deceptive or misleading, and must not infringe on third parties' intellectual property.
5.You may not encourage or incentivize people to upload your cover image to their personal timelines.
Following these tips will keep you in good standing with Facebook,so all your hard work will not disappear.
Now to decide on a cover image for our Facebook page. Any suggestions?

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Facebook Page Tips- Invite Gmail Contacts!

Send Mass Facebook Page Invitations!
Need More Facebook Page Likes? Invite your Gmail email Contacts to join your page with these easy steps!

1. Log into your Gmail account.


2. Click 'Export' in the top right corner.
3. Choose which contacts you want to download.
4. 4. Click the Export button to download your contacts. Follow the instructions on your screen, and save the file to your computer. By default the file will be named 'google.csv'.
5. Upload the file to your Facebook Page using the uploader in your Facebook admin section.

Uploading your email list to your Facebook invitations page will give your email contacts the opportunity to engage with you in more ways,especially since Facebook is unrolling a new messaging system for pages this month.

Was this tip helpful for you? How are you keeping in touch with your clients? Please take a second to share your thoughts, questions, or ideas, or even give this a "thumbs up". Have a Facebook Fan Page? Be sure to leave your link! Thanks!
Suzanne

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Suzanne

FB Tips – Migrate Personal Profile Friends to Page Likes!

How to Turn a Personal Profile into a Page

Frequently, businesses and organizations,and public figures mistakenly create a personal profile instead of a page.There are many advantages to having a page , rather than a personal profile, for your group, business ,or organization. For example: pages are not limited in the number of ‘Likes’ they can have,other pages can tag your page,making it easier to do cross-promotions,and there are numerous Apps only available to pages. These easy steps will help you convert your personal profile into a page,so all your ‘friends’ turn into ‘Likes’, and your profile pictures will be transferred.

First-Save Your Facebook Profile Information

When you convert your profile to a Facebook Page, the Facebook program transfers your profile pictures. and adds your friends as people who like your page. However, no other content will be carried over to your new page, so be sure to save any important content before beginning your migration. To avoid losing important content, do the following :

1. Download your profile information. You can download a file that contains all of your sent, and received messages and all of the photos and videos you’ve uploaded to Facebook.
2. Set up a personal profile, if you don’t have one already,and ‘Like’ Your page using the new personal profile.Appoint your new personal profile as admin of any groups or pages that you currently manage using the profile. The account you’re converting will lose its admin rights during the conversion process.-Remember to include any networked blogs in this conversion as well.

Next Convert your Profile Into a Facebook Page

When you are ready to convert your profile to a Page, Go to  the Facebook Page Creation Migration Page.
When setting up your Facebook page,you may find my article ‘10 Easy Steps to Setting up A Facebook Page’ Helpful.
Be sure to leave a comment and let me know about your new Facebook page,so I can personally pop over and congratulate you!

Suzanne

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Facebook.com/business Review-Read This!

Facebook Unveils Business Friendly Section!

Facebook unveiled a new online guide to help small businesses use their social networking site. How helpful is 'Facebook for Business'?

What is Facebook for Business?

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Setting Up Facebook Pages: Create a Page in 10 Steps!

Want to Set Up a Facebook Page? Here's How!

There are several reasons you might want to set up a Facebook page, Facebook pages are a great way for people who don't know you, to establish a connection with your product,service,or business.Facebook is second only to Google in usage as a search engine, so if you want to ‘get found’,set up a Facebook page! Setting up a basic Facebook Page can be done in about an hour using these ten steps:

1. First, login to Facebook with your personal profile.This will make it much easier to manage your Facebook pages. Even if you are creating a page for another business, you will want to set up the page in this manner.
   
2. Then, go to the 'Create a Page' Section on Facebook. Usually,you can find a link to this section in the bottom left hand column of another page. Can't find the link? Here it is: 'Create a Page'.
   
3. Next, decide which type of page you are going to create. There are six main categories to choose from: local place or business; company,organization or institution; brand or product;artist,band or public figure; entertainment;and cause or community. Click the category which best suits your purposes.If you make a mistake,you can adjust your category later.
   
4. Now, choose a sub-heading, where applicable.Currently, only the 'causes' section does not have any subheadings.
   
5. Complete the basic page information. After entering the name of your page, accept the terms,and click 'Get Started'.
   
6. Confirm your category. If you want people to stop in at your place, be sure to choose 'local business'.
   
7. 'Like' your page, and complete all the information fields.
   
8. Upload a picture to help people identify with your page.No camera? No problem! Use a public domain picture, or create a logo using a photo editing suite like Picnik.
   
9. Are you a local business? Be sure to adjust your map and post your hours!
   
10. Spread the Word! Treat it like a grand opening! Invite Facebook friends to see your page.Import contacts from your email list too.When you have 25 fans, you will be able to create a username for your page, so get the word out there!

Voila! Your page is created! Remember to post an update to welcome people to your page.Note:If you are creating a page for someone else, first click 'Use Facebook as (name of page)' in the right hand column.

Remember, new messages are posted, above earlier messages,so you will want to create a welcome page, but this tutorial is just about setting up a Facebook page, we'll go into how to create a welcome page in another article.

Now it's your turn-What are your Facebook page concerns? Leave your comment below, and I'll do my best to answer your questions.

Suzanne 

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