This week Facebook invited me to try their new version of Facebook Insights for Pages prior to it being available for all users and all i can say is WOW!!  This new format makes reading and comprehending facebook page insights so much easier and it also contains extra information that wasn't available before.  I particularly like the option to see the times of day that the average number of people who saw any posts on Facebook in an hour (these figures are taken directly from your page's facebook likers - not a facebook average.  I also like the insight that shows the average number of your fans who saw any posts on Facebook in an hour, on a given day of the week.  This surprised me by providing insights that for one particular business page that I manage, Sunday was surprisingly the best day to post on that particular business page, while Mondays have the least amount of activity by users.  The time of day when most of this page's users are online is 8pm which supplies me with future planning tools to post at that particular time rather than times that are often chosen to post, like 5.30am-6.30am which actually is one of the times when this page has limited number of users online.


Best Post Types
This new insight proves once and for all that facebook is "All about the images"  (See a prior post on this topic here).  The Best Post Types insight shows an easy to read graph based on the success of different post types based on average reach and engagement.

These are only a couple of the many useful insights/graphs and tables available with the new page insights option that will be coming soon to all page owners.  I am thoroughly looking forward to this change and think business owners will be really excited to receive insights they can understand and view easily.

What type of insights do you want to be able to receive for your business page?

Judi Gray
Blue Bird Internet Marketing
www.bluebirdinternetmarketing.com 

The Problem:

I was recently asked for advice from a small business owner requesting some help to work out the correct way to run a Facebook Competition. This business owners current understanding was that Facebook competitions had to be run through a third-party application,  but was confused by many other business pages regularly running “Like and Share”  type competitions on their Business Page Wall’s. This business owner wanted further insight into how to run a basic competition that would help to increase her business fan base and excite her followers but by conforming to the facebook rules.  She noted that she had a Website and Blog that could be utilized.

The Answer:

Competition Applications
The business owner was absolutely correct with her understanding of the rules of hosting Competitions for Business or Community Pages on Facebook.  To run a competition and abide by the Facebook Rules you need to use a Canvas App or Page App such as Sweepstakes, ShortStack etc. All competition applications will give users a  full guide on how the application/competition works and will result in a professional result for your business page. Full Terms and Conditions should be displayed within the competition application. Many of the Competition apps are expensive and not ideal for small business, it is then that I would recommend the Blog or Website hosted competition listed below. 
Please Note: All competition results are to be notified directly to the winner by email or phone - not through any form of facebook utilities like message, chat or on the page wall.  


View The Facebook Competition Guidelines:
 
I suggest that  before you begin to set-up a Facebook Competition that you are familiar with the exact rules and regulations supplied by Facebook.   Scroll down to Section E on these facebook guidelines for Promotion Rules:  https://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php

 
What is Your Main Goal For Holding a Competition?

If your main aim of holding a competition is to purely gain new likers to your page, try using the Facebook "Get Likes" Option, and for around $11 a day you will see your liker numbers and interaction skyrocket.  This type of
advertising can be stopped at any time and can be a far quicker approach to the result you are after, compared to setting up a competition.


Businesses Doing It Wrong

We have all noticed that many businesses have "competitions" on their pages all of the time of the type "like and share to win" etc.  These are against facebook's strict guidelines and I would not recommend doing these, as I have heard of business pages being deleted by facebook for such offences. 
Businesses also face the possibility of fines or being sued.  It only takes a competitior to notice your competition and report it for you to be caught out.  It is really not worth the risk – everyone knows how long it takes to build a successful facebook page and gain genuine followers, losing all of this work and contacts overnight would be
devastating.


Competitions Hosted on a Blog or Website

If you decide that a Facebook Competition is just too hard, you have the option of hosting your competition on an external site that you own such as your Blog or Website.   Should you choose this option, I would suggest that you enhance your reach for the competition by utilizing your email client database to inform others of your competition. I suggest ensuring that you have an "email subscribe tab" on your facebook page or alternatively regularly share links on your facebook wall to your email subscription form, to entice new subscribers.  There is nothing wrong with listing on your facebook page status that there are benefits for users who subscribe to your email newsletter.  Please check with the Australian State Government Guidelines for Trade Promotions prior to hosting a competition, some  Australian states require a permit or licence to run a competition. 
Queensland Link:   http://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/liquor-gaming-racing/gaming-licences/competitions


TOP 5 TIPS FOR COMPETITIONS ON FACEBOOK:

 1.       Read up on the Facebook Guidelines for Promotion Rules prior to commencing a competition.
 2.       All Competitions on Facebook are to be hosted through a Facebook Application.
 3.       Ensure Your Competition Terms & Conditions are listed making sure they comply with each Australian State’s 
             Regulations.
 4.       Winners are to be notified by Email, Phone or Mail, not through any Facebook facilities.
 5.       Don’t be tempted to host a Like and Share Competition on Your Page – it’s not worth the risks.
 
Now you are informed I wish you all the best with your competition!

Judi Gray
Blue Bird Internet Marketing & Social Media
www.bluebirdinternetmarekting.com