A Facebook Contest Gone Wrong

There are no shortcuts when it comes to social media contests... only diverging paths

Contests run via social media are no shortcut to “viral” success and overnight Return On Investment.

Over on the Innovation Excellence blog, Braden Kelley relates a negative experience with a Facebook contest that backfired due to poor planning and inconsistent application of its own rules. Of particular interest is the lack of integration Kelley mentions: “I never saw the contest mentioned anywhere – including in my utility bill [it was for a non-profit energy organization] – a friend of mine who enters contests as a hobby suggested that I enter – so I did.”

It’s not uncommon to see companies where the social media manager has been walled off from the marketing group, resulting in skewed expectations around how social media efforts ought to perform and in some cases an antipathetic relationship. An organization that follows a framework approach to social media and leverages a cross-functional team drawn from different parts of the organization stands a much better chance of avoiding these pitfalls.

Tagged as: contest, facebook, return on investment, social media framework, social media shortcuts, sweepstakes