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Many social media users love contests. Businesses use this tactic to gain visibility, followers, and page activity in a short period of time.
Even though contests offer several short-term benefits, it is important to space them out so that your page doesn’t become oversaturated with contests. Remember that contests allow you to reward your customers. The key is to vary the content and hold a contest every now and then.
Conversely, if you hold a lot of contests, you will attract people who are only interested in contests.
It is quite possible that the people exposed to your contest have never set foot in your store.
It is quite possible that the people exposed to your contest have never set foot in your store.
Your job is to ensure that your contest complies with best practices and, of course, the law.
In Quebec, the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ) regulates publicly held contests. The Régie’s goal is to ensure that your contest is clear and fair to participants and that you are protected in the event of a dispute. You may face repercussions if your contest does not comply with its regulations.
This does not apply to you if you are outside Quebec; nonetheless, it is important to remain vigilant. You should provide regulations for prizes valued at over $100, as this will help you avoid unfortunate situations with your customers.
How do you create a contest?
How do you create a contest?
Step 1: Select a prize
Step 1: Select a prize
Regardless of what you choose—gift cards, an in-store product, or an expense-paid project—it’s important to assign your prize a value.
What is the value of your prize?
Step 2: Define the participation mechanics
Step 2: Define the participation mechanics
Above all, your contest mechanics must be simple and easy to understand. Furthermore, Facebook strictly prohibits certain participation methods.
You are not allowed to ask people to do the following to be eligible:
- share your post or page
- share your post on a friend’s page
- tag friends in your post’s comments
Instead, we recommend that you ask people to “like” or comment on the post to participate. As of recently, you can also ask people to “like” your page to be eligible.
Example of accepted mechanics:
To participate, LIKE and LEAVE A COMMENT on this post telling us who in your entourage loves BMR the most.
Important: while asking people to like your page is tempting, think twice before doing so! Facebook doesn’t like sudden large increases of new followers on a page and may remove your new subscribers after your contest ends.
Facebook has recently developed an app that allows you to create and customize contest entry forms. Members of your community can also enter your contest using this app. *Note that the free version limits the number of entries. Facebook encourages companies to pay for additional features.
If you prefer a free participation method, opt for a traditional Facebook post.
Step 3: Register the contest
Step 3: Register the contest
In Quebec:
- If the value of your prize is greater than $100, you must register your contest with the RACJ and pay a fee of 10% of the prize’s value. It is very important to do so, otherwise you may be fined.
- If the value of your prize is less than $100, you do not need to register your contest.
Outside Quebec:
- There is no prize restriction.
Step 4: Prepare regulations
Step 4: Prepare regulations
If you need to register your contest, the RACJ will ask you to provide regulations and advertisements for your contest, i.e. your contest visuals or texts.
In the Template section, you will find a regulation template that you can use and adapt to suit your contest.
If you do not need to register your contest, be sure to provide all essential information to your participants:
- Contest participation mechanics
- Prize value
- Draw date and time
Quick tip: in your post text and regulations, add a note that the winner must travel to the store to obtain their prize. This will ensure that your winner is from the region.
Step 5: Prepare your post
Step 5: Prepare your post
Compose the text of your post so that it is as clear as possible for participants.
For example:
Enter our contest! LIKE and LEAVE A COMMENT on this post telling us about your next renovation project. Participants will be entered into a draw for a $100 BMR gift card.
The draw will take place on August 15 at 6 p.m. The winner must pick up their prize in store.
Quick tip: prepare an eye-catching visual to go with your post. Beautiful images draw users’ attention without fail. If necessary, you can call on the BMR Group graphic design team. Go to the Graphic Designer Template/Brief section to obtain a copy of the procedure.
Step 6: Post your contest
Step 6: Post your contest
Post your contest at the right moment.
Quick tip: if you have written complete regulations for the RACJ, post them as an article before launching your contest on your Facebook page. This will allow you to add a link to the rules in the contest post.
Step 7: Draw the winner(s)
Step 7: Draw the winner(s)
Once the contest is over, the winner(s) must be drawn. Several websites can help you with this.
Woobox – This free website extracts the names of those who commented or liked your contest post in CSV format and converts the data into an Excel file.
You can even draw the winner(s) directly on the platform.
Random.org – This free site draws from the total number of participants by exporting the list of names to an Excel file via the Woobox platform. Simply enter the maximum number of participants and the winner(s) will be randomly selected automatically. Then, retrieve the Xth participant from your Excel list.
You can then make a new post with the winner’s name or simply leave a comment on your initial contest post announcing the winner.
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