Subject: “Like Us” Contests
Category: Social Media – Facebook
As an avid Facebook user, I’ve seen a lot of posts lately by either my friends or pages that I follow where I am asked to share the picture or like a page for a chance to win some prize. Before taking this course, I thought of these kinds of posts as a waste of time and disregarded them completely; however, lately, every time I see one I have been thinking about how effective these contests actually are.
If the goal is to get the most shares or likes, then a contest sounds like a good idea. I believe liking a page gives the company access to more information about the user that likes it. But does this user actually like the company or do they just like it for the contest? Are these users going to be aware and listening to the company’s future posts? Basically, if the goal is simply to raise awareness and hopefully convert a very small portion of them to loyal followers, then this strategy might work. However, it’ll be difficult to manage so many users and some of the data collected would be a misrepresentation of the actual market data.
On the other hand, if the goal is increasing customer engagement and developing a relationship with it’s customers then this approach seems inappropriate. This type of company would only want to focus on its loyal followers. At the same time, these loyal followers are more likely to be aware and listening to what the company has to say.
Personally, I believe that effective social media is about engaging with your customers, so I do not see the value in contests whatsoever.
Have some free time? Check out these links:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/27514/5-Examples-of-Like-Gating-to-Generate-Facebook-Fans.aspx
http://socialmouths.com/blog/2012/09/04/facebook-contests-mistakes/
#Cheers