Facebook Competition (s): The Savvy ‘n’ Simple 6 Step Framework to Run Win-Win Facebook Competitions to Avoid the Shadow Ban, Build Relationships, Foster Community, and Get 10-20 clients in a Fortnight

Facebook Competition (s) are a Win-Win.

Win for your community as people win cool prizes. Win for you as you get a boost in engagement, community, and clients.

A Win-Win!

Yet, some competitions are a Win-lose. Some are a lose-lose.

Was your competition a Win-lose or a lose-lose?

If you want to avoid the lose-lose and run Win-Win competitions and get 10-20 new clients for your Medispa, restaurant, or hair salon this week, then keep reading.

Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress” Alfred Armand Montapert

Progress is getting 10-20 new clients next week. Progress is getting email subscribers, or Messenger subscribers, or phone numbers as entry to your competition. Progress is building relationships with the people behind the email address, subscribers, and phone numbers. Progress is people become so comfortable they book an appointment with you next week.

Progress is running competitions using an irresistible prize.  Progress is having an competition entry system that catches names, emails, phone numbers and/or gets Messenger subscriber. Progress uses a killer follow-up system to get you 10-20 new clients next week! That is what successful competitions look and feel like.

Regression is running ‘like, comment, share, and tag’ competitions. Regression is you sitting on that rocking horse moving back and forth.

Moving back and forth is fun as a child. But as a business owner rocking on a horse is not making any progress. Are ‘like, comment, share, and tag’ competitions making progress or regressive? I’ll let you answer.

So we’re all crystal water clear there exists 100s of different ways to market and brand your business using competition and contests, quizzes and survey. 100s that’ll make actual business progress and get you 10-20 new clients next week.

Are you ready to make progress? Good!

Don’t worry, this is Urban Renström, there is always science and research involved in everything I talk about.

WTF! “I got Banned” and the Wrong Way to Run Competitions

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity” — H. Hackson Brown, JR.

“Share the sh1t out of this, tag 25 friends, like this page to Win-Win a bag of crisps!“ Right?

I hear you shout back at me: “EVERYONE ELSE DOES IT” so it must be okay and they work!

So you are clear ‘like, share and tag’ competitions are against Facebook TOS.

‘It works’ is based on what? The number of post likes, comments, tags, and shares? Yeah those will pay the bills!

Can you to pay your employees with likes, comments, and shares? We both know the answer!

So, why is our Facebook feeds littered with these illegal and vanity competitions? Because brands are lazy, probably a bit ignorant, and people have the distant hope a post will go ‘viral’ (what ever that means).

Don’t run Facebook competitions this way, just don’t!

Instead, Run Competitions like This:

Here is my Six Steps Savvy and Simple WIN-WIN Facebook Competition framework.

Using this 6-step framework my clients get 10-20 new clients each week. Case study to follow.

Here is the explanation of each of the six step.

1) (use) This goal, as your target when Running Facebook Competition (s)

When the party is over, the dust settles and left is the cleanup, then upon what success will you ‘pin your hat on’?

Right? What tangible goal get you to a Win-Win?

• 10-20 new clients this week?
• 20% revenue uplift in next 12 weeks?
• X number of email subscribers
• X number of Messenger subscribers
• Post reach of X millions, e.g. impressions
• 10K Video views

2) (and using) This Type of Competition

Here are three simple competitions – A product giveaway, caption this photo, what’s your favourite ______?

Choose the competition you can pin your hat on. And run that competitions in a way you get either people email address, their phone number, or they become Facebook Messenger subscriber.

Why these? They are used to follow-up with people and following-up is how you’ll get those 10-20 new clients next week!

Don’t ask for all at the same time because a) it adds friction to the enter competition process, and therefore b) fewer people will enter.

3) (I’ll) Target this Audience

Whom do you want to enter your competition?

Start with your existing email subscribers, social media fans, and followers.

Recall a comment on a Facebook post gets shown to your friends giving you a boost in organic reach.

Only if you’ve not met your competition entry numbers, then put some advertising budget behind the post and look to get more impressions.

Promote The Sh1t Out of Your Competition!

Your Facebook Competition success formula (is) = 70% Promotion + 30% Strategy

a) Pre-promote, b) Promote, and c) Follow-up.

a) Pre-promote your competition to build excitement. So create your Facebook post. Then send an email to all your subscribers. And inform all your FB, IG, Twitter, Messenger, connections that:

“…in 3 days our new competition opens for entry. 1^st place prize is____, second place prize is_____, etc.

(use a referral system upviral, viral loops, or Kingsumo. Either of these will give people more chances to enter and will help you spread the word about your competitions)

b) Promote – use scarcity and urgency principles in your copy. “Only one wnner and the competition closes in 3 days”

Promote your competition until the cows come home. Use a killer follow-up system (step 6 below) to build relationships, and foster community with people who do not win.

Don’t forget to send a commiseration email, a personal thank you video, a coupon code, or an invite to your VIP event to those who did not win.

Then ask everyone if they would like to be on the exclusive list of people who’ll get pre-promotion of the next competition (and maybe an extra entry).

c) Follow-up – see step 6 below

d) Decide what data you ask to enter the competition.

Do either:

a) Use a landing page on your website and ask for name and email to enter. This landing page has all the terms and conditions, and you can ask people to share the competition.

Or

b) Ask people to enter via Facebook Messenger. Once people enter, you can further collect email and mobile phone numbers.

4) (…to) Offer to Win-Win This Prize

What will be the prize?

Ensure the prize is congruent with your core business offer.

Everyone will enter a ‘win an iPad’ competition. An iPad is a great tablet. And that is why radio stations give away iPads. Yet, if you’re a clothing boutique, there is zero congruency between the iPad and your boutique.

Instead, give away a professional dress fitting, a silk scarf, or a pair of designer jeans.

People ‘see’ an iPad as a ‘lazy prize’. Worse the wrong prize is a limp squid and will fill your competition with freebee seekers.

How about if you collaborate or make joint ventures with relevant and related brands? Do that especially if that brand is stronger, bigger, and more well known than you.

Choose the prize with high-perceived value for your audience. What is that prize?

Think like your client. What would they love to win and value afterwards?

5) Announce the Winner (like this)

One – Draw the winner and contact in private. Or make an event out of the winner draw using a Facebook Live video.

Two – Announce the winners using the same channels you pre-promoted your competition.

6) (and I’ll) use this follow-up system with all the entries.

All your dreams and goals are on the other side of your follow-up sequences and systems. Following-up with people is how you convince and entice them to become your next 10-20 clients!

Email, SMS, Messenger, Whatsapp, and/or social media is your follow-up system.

(Why follow-up?) Because most people that entered your competitions are ‘new’ to you. So to convert them into paying clients you let them get to know you, like you, and trust you. All this keeps your brand top of mind and build those relationships so you can offer a coupon, and get them to book an appointment.

The follow-up (the when) starts immediately after a person hits the enter competition button.

Immediately, because people are most brand-aware; most excited at winning your fab prize, most open to any suggestion or instruction you give; most willing to take actions the moment they press the button. This ‘most open and willing’ diminishes within hours.

Therefore, trade on their ‘I’m want to win’ emotions of Euphoria, Elation, Exhilaration, Joy, Glee, Jubilation,  Ecstasy, Mania, bliss.

I am suggesting, by any stretch you use unethical persuasion methods to convince people to do what you want. Nope!

However, use there willingness and openness to and suggest people do one of the following:

• show them how get more entries
• tell when the results get announced
• ask them to like your page
• ask them to join your VIP FB group
• Buy your products
• Book an appointment
• Refer a friend
• Watch a video

You get the idea.

Be creative in what you ask and build those long lasting relationships!

(What) do you say in follow-up messages?

My blog post covering the entire follow-up system drops next week.

There you have the Six Steps Savvy and Simple WIN-WIN Competition framework.

Tell me in the comments what success you’ve had running competitions?