For the last few years I’ve been hounding on about facebook’s promotional guidelines and how to play by the rules. Previously you’ve not been able to run promotions directly on the wall, or use facebook functionality (like, share, comment) to be able to enter a competition or give-away. To get around this (and remove liability from facebook) competitions needed to be hosted via a specific app like Shortstack, Wildfire, Woobox, Social House Promotions.

Well true to form, Facebook changed the game today and released new promotional guidelines that are designed to help businesses run promotions more easily. See https://www.facebook.com/facebookforbusiness/news/page-promotions-terms for details.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • Competitions may be administered on Page Timelines and in apps on Facebook. For example, businesses can now:
    • Collect entries by having users post on the Page or comment/like a Page post
    • Collect entries by having users message the Page
    • Utilise likes as a voting mechanism
    • Businesses cannot administer promotions on personal Timelines.
    • Pages are still prohibited from tagging or encouraging people to tag themselves in content that they are not actually depicted in

Whilst facebook has their own guidelines around promotions, there are also rules governed by respective state office of Gaming and Racing Authorities that you need to consider:

  • If you are hosting a promotion in NSW http://www.olgr.nsw.gov.au/promos_trade_promos.asp or ACT http://www.gamblingandracing.act.gov.au/Lotteries.htm and will be a random winner, you will need to apply for a permit. Other states have different regulations depending on the prize of the competition.
  • Specifically be aware that in NSW you can’t give away more than 18 litres of alcohol.
  • Whilst facebook may not be monitoring these promotions the regulators are watching closely about how to make sure that you are complying. With an emphasis on alcohol advertising by the regulators social media is in the spotlight and it’s the onus on you to be responsible.

My thoughts on this policy change are mixed. Sure there were many business breaking the rules anyway who will be happy with the fact that they can now continue. But it also opens up the newsfeed to countless promotions, gimmicks and giveaways being run by brands just to be able to increase their edgerank scores. Instead of relevant information or snippets of information about our family and friends (what many use facebook for), there will potentially be a flood of cheap content produced just to get seen on the newsfeed and drive likes, but not necessarily achieving broader marketing objectives. Watch this space, facebook are sure to make some edgerank changes to be able to counteract!

The onus is now more than ever on creating a calendar of content that is engaging, relevant and on message.  Add in the occasional competition or incentive to drive up interaction but stay true to what your brand is about. And if you are going to run a promotion on the wall, make sure that you’re specific about the prize, how to enter and what people need to do to enter to remove any ambiguity about the competition.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR APPS?

Apps on facebook will still have their place – there’s lots of benefits in being able to capture details, run more engaging promotions and device a competition of value for customers. We’re helping to run a promotion on Plantagenet Wines Facebook page  at the moment that would never have been possible to conduct with details being captured securely and tallying results easily if we were conducting this on the facebook wall. I’m sure that many of the app companies will continue to raise the bar and worth keeping an eye on their developments.

Love to know your thoughts on the changes in the comments below.