Advertising Your Facebook Contest

We all love a good contest and we enjoy winning them even more! Facebook contests are a lot of fun and can really boost a business online. They also allow you to easily collect data about your fans, data you can use to better target ads and specific posts.
There are right way and wrong ways to promote your contest. Setting up and posting once or twice, leaving the rest to fate is wrong. Actively promoting it and advertising your Facebook contest is the right way to go. You’ve spent time and money on your contest app and set-up, and you want to make sure everyone has a chance to enter. Posting the link and hoping they will come isn’t a realistic approach. Active promotion is.
When promoting/advertising your Facebook contest, consider the following:
1. Pin the link to the top of your Facebook page. While I know that research shows that fans do not typically come back to the actual page after liking it, you never know who may be visiting for the first time. It’s prime real estate on your Facebook page and a perfect way to showcase your contest.
2. Promote a post announcing the contest. This is one of the few times I think using promoted posts is okay. You want to make sure everyone knows about your contest. Be careful, though, because any pictures used are subject to Facebook’s 20% text rule. Check out this tool before you upload your image to make sure it’s compatible.
3. Runs a news feed-only ad and target people not currently connected to your Facebook page. The promoted post will, by default, show up to just your fans and their friends (though there are other targeting options available). Running a news-feed only ad allows you to target potential followers, bringing new fans to your page. With this type of ad you specifically target a certain market or group of people.
4. Promote it on other social media sites & your website. If you have accounts on Twitter or Google Plus or Pinterest, create a contest post and share it frequently. While you have a small percentage of fans following you on all platforms, the majority do not. With a different audience on each platform you want to maximize potential new fans and contest participants. Make sure you also have a link or graphic on your website to catch those who may not be connected with you via social media.
These four tips will ensure your Facebook contest has the best chance for success. Have you found other successful ways to promote a Facebook contest?  If so, please share in the comments!