Tip #3: Use Contests To Draw People To Your Page
Welcome to 14 Days of Facebook Marketing Tips, on the occasion of the upcoming launch of “The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing†(Wiley) by Ramon Ray, of Smallbiztechnology.com and Infusionsoft.
Buy Ramon’s latest book on February 19th and get a digital box of goodies as your gift for buying the book, educating yourself and growing your business with Facebook.
In The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing, you will overall learn how to get more customers and keep the ones you have. You’ll also learn how to leverage overall online marketing, how to better use social media and, more specifically, how to use the power of Facebook for YOUR business.
Tip #3: Use Contests To Draw People To Your Page
Who does’t love a contest or promotion  The chance to beat the odds, win that special prize and be the ‘special one’ is alluring to so many and certainly a way to draw attention to your Facebook page.
Facebook has many features available for incorporating and managing a contest on your Facebook page, all of which are managed and run by third-party vendors - not Facebook. When running a contest on Facebook you must use a Facebook approved app, no exception, as all contests must fall within the Facebook contest guidelines. While it may seem a bit daunting and cumbersome, it truly is not and, if done correctly, contests can serve as a very positive way to engage your followers and reach out to many more. Here are four quick tips to get started running a contest on Facebook:
- Research Contest Success Stories. While you may have an idea of what kind of contest you want to run, you may first want to do a  bit of research to see what type of contests have had success already.  Search a site like Mashable to find success stories that will inspire you.
- Find the Right App For Your Contest. There are many approved apps for running contests, such as Wildfire and North Social, all of which offer different formats and pricing.  Take a look at many to see what will work best for the contest you want to run.
- Take Time to Promote. It takes time to promote your contest online and to generate interest, so allow for that time within your promotion.  Try promoting your contest at least two weeks before it starts and then run the contest for at least two weeks.
- Use Ads to Market Your Contest. Use Facebook ads to promote your contest and draw attention. Use different images, during the course of the promotion, to keep ads fresh and enticing.
For more great tips on how to market your business with Facebook, check out ‘The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing’. And don’t forget - buy it on Feb. 19th and you’ll get the great digital ‘Goody Bag’ of special discounts and gifts!
