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Stephanie Winans

Business & Marketing Strategy Consulting

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facebook contest rules

Is Radio Above Facebook’s Promotion and Contest Guidelines? How We’re Breaking the Rules

September 12, 2012 by Stephanie Winans 2 Comments

In May of 2011, Facebook released (quietly, of course) new guidelines for brands using the platform. Here at The Randy Lane Company, we notified our clients of the new rules, and tried to help you understand them.

Fast forward 15 months, and you’re still asking about it. Not only are you asking about it, but many of you are still violating the rules. Often.

Before I keep talking, know two things:

  1. I don’t make the rules. I just tell you about them.
  2. Personally, I’m a rule breaker. So when I tell you to follow the rules, it’s because the ramifications are serious and I want to protect you. (Wow, I sound like such a Mom right there. Let the record show I don’t wear “Mom jeans”.)

Now that you understand where I’m coming from, and what kind of jeans I’m not wearing right now, let’s take a look at some of the rules and how radio stations and shows are violating them.

Rule #1: Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.

How We’re Breaking It: We’re running quick contests on our Timeline as often as we change underwear, without hiring a third-party app to build it legally.

For an example of a legal contest using an App, click here to check out the 102.9 K-Lite Match Game.

Rule #3: You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.

How We’re Breaking It: We break it with our fun “caption this picture to win” contests. We break it with our “comment on this post” contests. We break it with our “The first five people who like this post win” contests.

Rule #4: You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.

How We’re Breaking It: We run on-air contests that tell listeners we’ll draw one Facebook fan as a winner. The only requirement for entry is that they like us on Facebook.

Rule #6: You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages.

How We’re Breaking It: We post status updates to notify listeners that they’ve been chosen (probably for a promotion run illegally in the first place!) as the winner.

The rules can be found here in their entirety, under section “E”. But remember, don’t shoot the messenger! I just want to make sure you’re aware of what the rules entail.

Notice the simple threat below the rules: We reserve the right to reject or remove Pages for any reason. These terms are subject to change at any time.

That threat is the reason you should be wary of these rules. Should Facebook take notice, they have the right to shut your page down without a warning. That would mean that you lose everything you’ve worked so hard to gain- your fans.

Is it worth the risk?

Although “everyone’s doing it” might be your first reaction, remember that Facebook tends to make their changes without notice. So if they do decide to crack down on brands who are violating their TOS, you can guarantee you won’t know until it’s too late.

 

Do you post illegal promotions because everyone else is doing it? Or do you err on the side of caution? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Photo credit: Screenshot taken from a radio station wall post

Filed Under: Business, Uncategorized Tagged With: contest, facebook, facebook contest rules, promotions, rules

The Seven Deadly Sins of Facebook

July 24, 2012 by Stephanie Winans 8 Comments

Have you ever spoken at a conference or run a meeting and been surprised by the content your audience responds to?

When I spoke at a radio conference last month, it was the Facebook No-No’s that made the audience feverishly take notes. And I was happy to see it, since I see these “sins” committed regularly- from the smallest markets to the largest ones, from both U.S. and international clients.

These sins could incite penalties from Facebook or Arbitron, or may stunt your social media success by alienating listeners. Either way, these seven sins are deadly:

1. Illegal Contesting
What is a Facebook promotion, anyway? It’s any campaign in which you award a prize or select a winner. Facebook’s rules are restricting, spelling out the fact that they don’t want much to do with your contests or promotions. To make sure you aren’t putting your station’s social media efforts in jeopardy, don’t:

  • Use any of Facebook’s features as a requirement for entry. This includes those “Caption this picture”, “Like this” or “Comment on this” contests talent love to post during their air shifts. It also includes station contests that ask listeners to “like our Facebook page” to enter, or giveaways that select Facebook fans at random.
  • Run a Facebook contest without a third party app. To remove the liability from Facebook, you must use an app from Facebook.com ( for example, Involver, Vitrue, WildFire, BuddyMedia) to create a page tab for the contest. This means your contest or promotion will need a budget.
  • Notify winners on Facebook. You can’t contact them using messages, chat or comments.

2. Talking About Ratings
Don’t talk about ratings in any way. It’s against Arbitron’s social media policy. Mentioning your ratings could entice a listener to admit they submitted a panel or diary, which removes their anonymity. This means those sweet “Thanks for making us #1 in the market” posts to listeners aren’t allowed. Know, too, that Arbitron monitors air talent social media accounts in addition to the official station account. Share this policy with your staff to ensure you aren’t penalized for a harmless ratings post.

3. Sounding Desperate
Don’t sound desperate. Studies show that calls to action (asking for likes and comments) produce results, but getting carried away can ruin your brand image and turn listeners off. Vary the copy in your Facebook posts so you aren’t tagging every post with “like this if you…”.

4. Linking Twitter to Facebook
There’s a reason Facebook and Twitter are both independently successful- they’re different! The language is different for each platform, and so is the ideal frequency of posts. If you have your Twitter account linked to Facebook, you may be alienating listeners with hashtags and abbreviations they don’t understand (or welcome- After all, it’s Facebook, not Twitter). You may also be sharing too often on Facebook, as the daily target frequency is more for Twitter than Facebook.

5. Using it as a One-Way Medium
It’s called ‘social’ media because social platforms are designed for two-way interaction. Make sure your team is connecting with listeners and creating conversations around topics. Posting engaging content is only half the battle; you must use that content to establish relationships.

6. Making It All About Likes
Likes are important, but there are other ways to measure your social media success. Track your progress using more than one metric to get a clear picture of your strategy’s results.

7. Making It All About You
Be more interested in engaging with your listeners than selling the station or show to them. Be authentic and focus on the relationship with your listeners. It’s what you can provide them, and not the other way around. Keep your priorities straight and you’ll create appealing content to gain the attention of new listeners, and strengthen relationships with P1s.

 

Want to make it eight deadly sins? Tell me what I’ve missed in the comments and I’ll add it!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: arbitron, contest, facebook, facebook contest rules, promotions

Facebook’s Recent Contest Rule Changes: What Now?

June 14, 2011 by Stephanie Winans 2 Comments

Last week we told you that Facebook’s new Promotion Guidelines change the way radio stations run Facebook promotions. Many of you panicked! Instead of calling your station attorney, you emailed us for answers (and we’re taking that as a compliment).

“What now?”
Don’t let these new rules squash your creativity. Remember, radio station promotions were successful before Facebook. Here are a few general options to legally integrate Facebook into your station or show promotions.

1.      Use your station Website to build the promotion. Set up the contest registration and rules on your Website, and use Facebook to promote the contest. Post status updates about the promotion, and include the direct link for listeners to register on your Website.

Pros: It doesn’t cost you any money to use the station Website, and you can build your loyal listener program.

Cons: By asking people to leave your Facebook page to enter, it isn’t a “real” social media promotion.

2.      Use a third-party app to run your promotion on Facebook. This allows listeners to register without leaving your page, and is now the only legal way to execute a promotion within Facebook.

Pros: You can run a viral social media campaign on Facebook to grow your fan base. Most apps offer the “fan gating” option, requiring listeners to “Like” your page before they can enter the contest.

Cons: These apps aren’t free. The cost varies based on which app you choose and the services you need.

Here is a list of contesting apps that offer the services to meet radio station needs, have proven success with big brands, and have received solid reviews:

Wildfire
North Social
Momentus Media
Votigo
Vitrue
Context Optional
Bulbstorm
Friend2Friend
3.      Use your station text club. Post status updates telling your listeners to text to win, including the short code and message required to enter.

Pros: It’s free to use the text club you already have, and you can build text club membership.

Cons: By asking listeners to take another action, it isn’t a “real” social media promotion.

If you have used one of the above apps to build a successful Facebook contest, comment and let me know. I would love to hear about it.

 

-written for The Randy Lane Company

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: apps, contest, facebook, facebook contest rules, promotion

Big Changes for Radio Facebook Promotions

June 3, 2011 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

Many radio stations have been successfully using Facebook for contesting.  Requiring listeners to comment, like the station or show page, or upload a picture to enter are common variations of recent radio promotions.

On May 11, 2011, Facebook’s new Promotion Guidelines were released, making these loosely regulated contests a thing of the past. Facebook’s new guidelines are all about removing them from the liability of your station or morning show promotions.

Moving forward, you will need to install a third-party application to run contests on Facebook, or use Facebook to link to a contest hosted on your station website.  You will no longer be able to use any of Facebook’s inherent features (liking, commenting, photo uploads) as a requirement for contest entry… unless you don’t mind an uncomfortable chat with the station attorney, permanent deletion of your Facebook account, or a lawsuit (eek!).

written for The Randy Lane Company

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: contest, facebook, facebook contest rules, promotion

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