Introduction
The purpose of this document is to outline the do's and don’ts when it comes to using Facebook to market and advertise your Competition Business. With a focus on reducing the risk of having not only your posts but your whole page from being restricted on Facebook.
The information here is from our experience working alongside clients to stay within Facebooks guidelines. We’ve done our best to ensure this is relevant and up to date for you but always recommend going over Facebooks guidelines yourself to ensure you’re in line with their requirements.
Where Can You Post?
Facebook is clear that the only place competitions or raffles can be posted is actual Facebook Pages. You can NOT post from your personal pages. This also means asking your customers to share on their own personal profile is not allowed.
Page Must-Have's
First of all, be clear what it is you do, don’t try to be ambiguous about the fact it’s a Raffle site.
You need to have easily accessible rules; raffle rules, who is eligible to enter (age, location etc), entry requirements, any details on consent and data privacy. This normally would be a link to a rules page on your website.
State that you’re in no way sponsored or endorsed by Facebook and that Facebook can’t be held liable for anything related to your promotions.
Post Must-Have's
Again, just be clear that it’s a competition and be careful that you’re not posting like the raffle is a guaranteed win.
In text of the post share the rules, even if it’s just a link to your site state that rules/criteria can be found there.
State that “Facebook does not own, endorse or manage this competition.” Within the
post.
Prizes You Raffle
We always suggest checking the prizes you’re raffling off don’t breach Facebook
guidelines as we’ve seen multiple occasions, that what initially may be deemed harmless get flagged by the guidelines even though it’s only a prize.
• Drugs and pharmaceuticals
• Weapons, ammunitions or explosives
• Tobacco and related products
• Alcohol
• Health and wellness
• Online gambling and games
• Endangered and protected species (wildlife and plants)
• Historic artefacts
• Hazardous goods and materials
• Body parts and fluids
We’ve linked the full details link at the end but some recent items we’ve seen getting
flagged are anything to do with skin care cosmetics i.e. laser treatment appliances and similar.
Example Bad Post:
Handling Restrictions
Your post has been restricted, now what? First thing is take your time to read through why Facebook has restricted your page. Don’t just read the note but go to the quoted rules page they have stated and check through the latest guidelines.
If you feel you may of breached the guidelines, accept it and change your post.
If you believe you’re within the guidelines, dispute the restriction with a reasonable
response in why you believe it’s within the guidelines.
Remember there’s a human on the other end of the dispute so avoid going off on one, haha. In some instances the admins may object the dispute and send it to a 3rd party
reviewer, again as long as you’re within the guidelines just be polite and state the facts.
Recurring restrictions? If you’re seeing post/page restriction recurring it’s worth cooling down the activity on your page and reviewing where you’re going wrong.
Otherwise if you keep up with loading up on restrictions you could lead to a complete
page ban. A few days of no posting, is much better than no page at all, while you
update how you post and the information on your page.
Tips and Tricks
• Have a link to your website’s rules page and make it obvious on your page.
• Having a second backup page is never a bad idea. • Put the disclaimer that the competition is nothing to do with Facebook in your media. Kind of like how Gambling or Alcohol adverts have at the bottom.
• Don’t solely rely on Facebook for your marketing; the internet is a huge place with customers all over!
• Take action on restrictions, don’t ignore them and assume you’re in the right. It’s Facebook’s platform, so we must play by their rules.
Summary
Ultimately Facebook is an undeniably fantastic marketing platform for your business and making use of it will help you grow.
There’s no exact guide or instructions from Facebook themselves on how you should runa competition/raffle Page so all we can do is ensure we keep well within their guidelines.
You’ve got to play their game; ensure everything you do is as clear and transparent as possible. If you do start having problems, don’t ignore it and revaluate how and what you are posting to keep your page in Facebook’s good books.
Reffle Are Here to Help
This guide was written by the team at Reffle to assist you in navigating running your competition site’s Facebook Page.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need any further help or advice. Not just with Facebook but anything around running your business we’re here to help!
Important Links and References
Below is links & references to read up on to aid this document and your knowledge.