Facebook Contests

Everytime, without fail, as I am aimlessly scrolling through my news feed I encounter more and more posts such as this

Great Picture, and awesome polo. But I am amazed by the amounts of companies who do not know the terms and conditions for a Facebook Contest. I think most would agree. This is a epidemic. "Like this photo and share it for chance to WIN" is something I see everyday. I guess it is a good way to garner followers and get some exposure. But I think there are two fundamental problems.

1. This practice simply doesn't follow code. The Terms may not be the most read thing on Facebook, but they are worth noting, especially if your a business. To have an official promotion you need to use an app. Facebook wants things to be legit. They also want you to use their apps. Hey, They make the rules. Using a liking feature, sharing a picture, none of those things are legit ways to run a promotion or contest.

 2. Is this creating real followers or number of likes? Are these people really interested in your brand or are they just hoping that they will win the weekend stay at one of your luxurious cabins the mountains (real promotion)? This is great exposure. I would not know of the brands if not for their giveaways. I don't think that giveaways will sustain true followers. That's not to say they shouldn't be used. If used properly, they way Facebook intends, they can be helpful to get your name out. At the end of the day you can hype people up over free stuff as much as you want, at some point you have to do something that will compel people to actually buy something.