Tips to improve your Facebook contest visibility

When Facebook Timeline launched, Facebook contests received a facelift and gained more space and prominence on your Page. Facebook released free tools, that when used correctly, will help get your more Facebook contest visibility. Let’s review four ways to use these new tools to promote your Facebook contests.

Note: With these new tools, ensure that your contest support team has the role of “Manager” or “Content Creator” so they can edit, run, and monitor your contests on Facebook

1. Highlighted Posts. Draw attention to important posts about your contests by highlighting them. Simply hover over one of your posts and click on the star in the top right corner to expand it to cover the full width of your timeline. This allows your important posts to stand out from the rest.




2. Featured “Pinned” Posts – Show off your current contests by pinning a post to the top of your timeline. Take advantage of the “pin” feature to ensure visibility of a post that could otherwise get buried. When editing a post, click “Pin to Top” to pin the post to the top of your Facebook timeline. The pinned post stays at the top for seven days and after those seven days, the post will fall back to its original place within your timeline. Use this feature to acknowledge your contest and to direct your fans to mobile-friendly URLs.




3. Custom Contest Tab – House all your Facebook contests under the revamped custom tabs at the top of your timeline. Create a custom icon for your tab (111px x 74px) to highlight your featured contest with an enticing image. Branding your contest tab will allow your fans to find your contests with ease every time. The custom tab image can be swapped out to highlight your current contest.




4. Mobile Friendly URLs for your Contest- With mobile traffic up 35% since last year, it is essential to create a mobile friendly URL to promote your contest on Facebook. Be sure to use the mobile link instead of the Facebook link when promoting your contest. This allows users to see a mobile friendly version of your contest and makes it simple for your users to enter.

Bonus Tips

• Like-Gate your contest. Only allow customers to enter a contest or see contest details after they like your Facebook Page. This grows your brand’s presence on Facebook and allows you to engage more with your online audience.
• Guide customers directly to your Facebook contest by creating a redirect using something like this: http://www.YourWebSite.com/Facebook. You can feature this link on your website to direct customers directly to your Facebook Page, or even directly to the contest.
• With the new Administrator roles, ensure that your contest support team has the role of “Manager” or “Content Creator” so they can edit, run, and monitor your contests.

How are you driving engagement to your Facebook contests? Tell us about it in the comments.