How strict are Facebook regarding competition rules to promote a business?

_Whimsical_

If you use the usual means to promote a competition on Facebook ,like this page and share this post to enter etc,are you likely to be caught by fb ? I know someone considering this to promote a small local business that would be unlikely to net likes of over a couple of hundred. Is it safe enough to presume that this will fly under the radar or is not worth taking the chance?

MarkScully

Hi Whimsical,

From experience, it is worth keeping in mind the terms and conditions noted on Facebook's site -

http://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php

Particularly these sections -

D. Offers

Facebook may not be a suitable place for every type of offer, and you are solely responsible for determining if Facebook is the appropriate forum for your offer. If you create an offer using Facebook’s offer creation tool, the following policies apply:
i. You may only run an offer if you are the merchant for or the manufacturer of the product or service you are promoting.
ii. You are responsible for ensuring that your offer complies with these terms and all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Offers are subject to many regulations (such as alcohol discounts and offers marketed to minors) and if you are not certain that your offer complies with applicable law, consult with an expert.
iii. If there are any restrictions on your offer (such as expiration date or limitations on redemption), you must disclose those restrictions to users in the terms and conditions section of the offer.
iv. You are solely responsible for improper redemption, fraud or other issues that arise from the distribution and/or redemption of your offer.
v. If your offer may be redeemed at a merchant not operated by you, it is your sole responsibility to communicate with the participating merchant.
vi. You must not use Facebook’s offer creator to offer the equivalent of a gift card, gift certificate or stored value card.

E. Promotions

If you use Facebook to communicate about or administer a promotion (such as a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including the official rules, offer terms and eligibility requirements (e.g., age and residency restrictions), and compliance with regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered in connection with the promotion (e.g., registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals). Please note that compliance with these guidelines does not constitute the lawfulness of a promotion. Promotions are subject to many regulations and if you are not certain that your promotion complies with applicable law, please consult with an expert.
i. Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.
ii. Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
a. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
b. Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
c. Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.
iii. 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.
iv. 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.
v. You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion.
vi. You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages.
vii. Definitions:
a. By “administration” we mean the operation of any element of the promotion, such as collecting entries, conducting a drawing, judging entries, or notifying winners.
b. By “communication” we mean promoting, advertising or referencing a promotion in any way on Facebook, e.g., in ads, on a Page, or in a Wall post.

_Whimsical_

Thanks Mark. God that rules out quite a lot. That " like our page and share this post" competition format is completely gone then. Is there an alternative that is free and likely to get a similar amount of people to your page?

MarkScully

To be perfectly honest, I have ran such competitions before and didn't follow the above rules very strictly.

Is the end goal for you to achieve more 'Likes' to the page?

I did utilize Facebook Ads in the past to target specific demographics with promotional messages which worked quite well. But, as you mentioned a free methods, I'm not sure what the best approach would be.

I rather not offer you incorrect advice but if you're a small business, you should be fine to hold a simple competition if you ensure the rules are clearly displayed on your page and adhere to them.

TsuDhoNimh

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

are you likely to be caught by fb ?

It's nearly impossible to automate the detection and it's not something that Facebook have the time, resources or inclination to monitor so they don't do manual checks on it. The chances of being caught by Facebook are somewhere between negligible and non existent.

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Is it safe enough to presume that this will fly under the radar or is not worth taking the chance?

It's not worth taking the chance.

The risk isn't that Facebook will catch you, it's that a competitor will report you. Once a complaint is made in relation to a breach of the rules Facebook wouldn't hesitate to take action. Facebook themselves wouldn't really care that much (it's not like Google catching you for webspam and deindexing your site for their own reasons), it's for legal reasons that it isn't allowed.

If Facebook ignored an official complaint they'd potentially land in hot water themselves (I believe it'd be the California State Gaming Commission that'd be the ones they'd be in issue with, for allowing illegal gambling on their site, but open to correction there on the specifics), so they'll always act when a complaint is lodged.

To be fair, the rules aren't actually that hard to adhere to. Using a 3rd party app you can easily set up a competition where the requirement for entry is liking the page and then submitting your email addy. Assuming you create the terms and conditions to match, you then gain permission to social market to the person using Facebook (at least until such time as they block/delike the page) and to email market to them. (Just one option that is available that stays within the rules, there are lots of others too)

_Whimsical_

Thank you very much for the very helpful replies. I will look into how to integrate an app into the competition and see if that might be easy to do (not a technical expert!). Otherwise maybe I'll give the "like and share" idea a go and hope that it will not get reported, as it's a small business with mostly only local appeal I think it could be safe to risk without fear of being reported. I'll investigate the legit route first that you outlined TsuDhoNimh. All three of you have been great,it's much appreciated. Any other suggestions let me know please!:)