Facebook is tricky; devious, even. Navigating the guidelines for operating successfully as a business is mystifying. Every day I catch companies doing something that violates the
Facebook terms of service or is an unsound practice in online marketing. A sampling:
- After posting as the business on the business page, the admin user is commenting on the post, again as the page. Here’s how to do this right.
- A random display of not necessarily relevant “likes” appear in the left sidebar. Here’s how to change that.
- Promoting a contest or offer that requires Facebook interaction. e.g., Like us and you’ll get . . . that’s not kosher according to Facebook rules.
Stay tuned for some tips on ways to use Facebook the right way to earn more fans.
oh man, I could come up with a long list for this one, good thing it’s too early in the morning for my brain to function. But good list.
@KenMueller Going for brevity here. At least the forthcoming list of what do, to do it RIGHT is longer.
Number 3 is always a shock to me because you always see SO MANY companies doing that very thing. Are there any penalties from Facebook for doing so?
I’m not so sure that these “giveaways” aren’t lotteries and not sweepstakes. Sweepstakes are random, while lotteries require some kind of consideration. The question is whether or not “liking” a page is consideration for an entry into a lottery. On one hand, the page owner is getting something, at least a “like,” on the other, the value of a “like” is close to de minimus. The distinction could be important because sweepstakes are generally legal, while lotteries typically aren’t (at least not without a license and some oversight from the state).
Whether FB cares or not might be the least of your worries if an Attorney General starts investigating.
Contests, by definition, require some skill to win (think of something like a baking contest).