Social Media Competition Guidelines Made Simple!

Did you know if you manage a brand page, want to run a competition and don't adhere to the social media guidelines, the page can be at risk of being closed down? The amount of times we've seen brand pages not following the competition 'rules' is huge  - every day we see even big brands breaking the rules so we thought we'd put out a post to make these social media guidelines a little more simple! Below are the key points to be aware of on Facebook and Twitter...

**In September 2013, Facebook eased their rules on running competitions on the site - you can read a breakdown of the new guidelines in simple terms in our blog post here

Facebook Promotions and Giveaways

Any brand which posts a competition or promotion on their brand page is responsible for the operation of that competition including rules, regulations, prize details and eligibility. This means you must have comprehensive terms and conditions detailing all the competition mechanics.

All promotions must be managed within Apps of Facebook on a Page App or Canvas Page. Applications are 'tabs' which usually sit at the top of the Facebook page. These tabs can be fully customised and include areas to add images, competition rules and details. We like using Easypromos to run competitions, a cheap, simple Application creator

Promotions must include...

• A complete release of Facebook by each entrant
• A statement showing that Facebook is, in no way, endorsing the competition
• Details informing entrants that any information they give is held by you, the brand, rather than Facebook

Promotions must not...

• Use Facebook's native features to enter the competition. Basically, native features are liking a post or photo, sharing a post or photo, tagging or commenting or uploading a photo
• Ask users to 'like' the brand page or check into a place to automatically enter the competition

A Quick Guide to Running a Competition on Facebook

• Use Easypromos (the first competition is free, after that it's around $10)
• Add the correct terms and conditions to the Easypromos tab
• Post on your Facebook page about the competition linking users to the Application tab but do not encourage liking, sharing or commenting on the page to enter
• The competition needs to ask users for contact details so winning entries do not have to be contacted purely through Facebook (although announcing the winners on the page after they know is fine)
• Having a dedicated place for your fans to find your competitions is not only within the rules and best practice but it also ensures your promotions are fair, reduces the risk for negative feedback on how winners are chosen and provides a reliable and trustworthy tool for regular engagement

Twitter Promotions

Although Twitter are not as hot on rules and regulations as Facebook, there's a few best practice guidelines that we'd recommend you follow to keep on Twitter's good side!

Competition Do's and Don'ts...

• Do - Retweets can be used as a competition entry mechanic but asking people to retweet an uninspiring brand tweet numerous times to win isn't very engaging
• Don't - 'Whoever retweets this tweet the most wins' is against Twitter's rules so ask entrants to enter by tweeting the answer to an interesting question with an accompanying unique, relevant hashtag

A Quick Guide to Running a Competition on Twitter

• Think of a relevant, unique hashtag to include in your competition tweets; one that has the potentially to create a stir on Twitter. It's best not to include your brand name to stop it looking too commercial
• Ask users to tweet using the hashtag (and your Twitter handle possibly) adding in the answer to a brand related question to increase engagement and interest
• Once you've picked your winners, make a big deal about them by including their Twitter handles in your preceding tweets

You can read the full Facebook Promotion Guidelines here and the Guidelines from Twitter here.

Hope that's made things a little clearer!

Jane x