Promotions On Facebook Now Easier To Administer

Source: allfacebook.com

Facebook Tuesday announced updated guidelines for promotions on the social network, and the most prominent change was the removal of the requirement that promotions be administered via applications only.

The changes were detailed in a blog post on the Facebook for Business page:

We’ve removed the requirement that promotions on Facebook only be administered through apps. Now, promotions 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.
• Utilize likes as a voting mechanism.

As before, however, businesses cannot administer promotions on personal Timelines.

Accurate tagging is required in promotions.

In order to maintain the accuracy of page content, our pages terms now prohibit pages from tagging or encouraging people to tag themselves in content that they are not actually depicted in. So, for instance:

• It’s OK to ask people to submit names of a new product in exchange for a chance to win a prize.
• It’s not OK to ask people tag themselves in pictures of a new product in exchange for a chance to win a prize.

A Facebook spokesperson said in an email to AllFacebook:

This capability makes it even easier for smaller businesses to help build awareness for a new product, promote the opening of a new location, sell inventory, or advance other business objectives. Say, for instance, a local pizza parlor wants to give away free pizza for a month to the 100th person to like its post. Now the business can do this right on its page (and increase awareness of the post via promoted posts) without needing to work with a third-party to build an app.

ShortStack CEO Jim Belosic weighed in on the impact of Facebook’s announcement in an email to AllFacebook:

Today’s change will be helpful for small business owners, making it easier for them to host promotions. Is this the end of apps? No, because when you have a large following, getting Facebook likes and comments is only the first step. Savvy marketers know that the real work is done when  you collect and leverage data for ongoing promotions and marketing efforts, and apps make that possible.