It's a change for sure. It's an opportunity as well.
Does it end the need for contest tools to be run on tabs? No.
It's simply another tool in the marketing toolbox that savvy marketers can use!
The new Timeline Contests opportunity, based on Facebook Promotion Policy Change, (read more on TabSite blog ) loosens the rules and provides new possibilities. As well, it has limitations and some question marks. Let's dive in a bit deeper...
Facebook Pages can now:
The Limitations:
The Opportunities:
A specific idea example of a Timeline news feed contest:
A small business with a few thousand fans is nearly ready to launch a new product, so to generate buzz and awareness the company can:
No, I don't see it. Tab Contests continue to offer a more complete range of tools for businesses to brand contests and capture leads such as email addresses on tabs. As well, tab contests offer more advanced tools including:
Each contest type can have its place, it all depends on needs, goals, and overall marketing strategy objectives.
There is a place for this new, Timeline Contest option. It makes it easier to run basic promotions and increase some buzz. It does not replace the value of tab contests which offer more features as noted. It's all about the overall marketing strategy and what tool can help the business meet their objectives. It's not a replacement, it's another tool in the toolbox to consider for use.
What remains to be seen?
Facebook made some announcements recently about wanting to show users "high quality content". If this is the case and companies can try to "game" engagement by having fans comment to potentially win a prize, is that authentic quality? Since commenting is part of the algorithm that impacts how much of future content a user see's, brands that successfully get fans to comment often to potentially win a prize are potentially going to use Timeline Contests to increase reach whether it is truly a "quality" post or not. There's some gray area here. I think time will tell what happens with this.