Redochre Report post Posted July 7, 2014 (edited) Has anyone tried using a Facebook competition for promotion? For example "like & share for a chance to win the product in the photo" Edited July 7, 2014 by Redochre Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HippieLee Report post Posted July 7, 2014 Never done it from the supply side but I've won more than a few free concert tickets from the consumer side. IF you can afford to give it away, it is probably fun for the users who have a shot but I'd put in a clause that says something like "must reach a thousand shares" or some other number that suits you. You don;t want one guy to share and have to give it to him and get nothing out of it since, I presume, eyeballs on your site is the goal. Be sure to think about whatever terms and conditions apply. "Hey folks! IF this post reaches 500 likes and shares you could win this fabulous real leather thingamabob!" "Winner will be picked at random from qualified sharers" Must by 18 or above to enter, Continental US only, etc ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NVLeatherWorx Report post Posted July 9, 2014 Although the idea is a nice one, and even though I do have a Facebook page, I do not focus my efforts on the social media wing of life because the majority of those swimming in that pool are just out to find something to like in hopes that they will receive the same in return. There really is no major value to using the the social media realm as a main push for exposure. The reality of it is that what we do is not an important enough topic in everyday life to attract enough of an audience. I update my page once in awhile with event attendance listings but that is pretty much it. That is just my opinion but with all of the emphasis being on "what I have done today" or "guess who I like" or all of that other drama world garbage, Facebook is just another MySpace or other like collection of people who don't actually know what reality is. Those of us who have functioning brain cells, and it takes quite a few for us to what we do, really don't have anything to offer those kool-aid drinkers anyway, aside from a bunch of beautiful pictures that they will all add to their Pinterest pinboards (there is another waste of space). Social media is not what it was thought to be and if you want the proof of it, just look at what the real hot topics are within the SM realm. Not art, not reality, not current events; it is all about nothing important. I like your idea HippieLee about giving it a big target objective but the truth is that obtaining that number of 500 per se would take a very long time and I am not one who has the time to waste on monitoring this contest because my time goes towards working with a real client on a real project. It is a novel idea but there are better things for us to spend out time on. If anyone out there has done one thought it would be interesting to hear the details. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavenAus Report post Posted July 9, 2014 Wow, you really don't like the social media scene do you NV? I've had a very good relationship with my customer base on facebook. It's one of my best areas for generating interest. Having a facebook link on my cards and saying "Grab us on Facebook!" works wonders when we're doing events or even when we're just out and about and get chatting. I'm still building my presence on FB, just passed the 500 likes milestone. I've done one giveaway so far and would definitely consider another closer to our next big event. We've just had a big boost to likes following a successful alternative expo and I'm expecting more to come when the next batch of stock hits the site. I've been busy working on BDSM gear for a few weeks though which is a different FB and real life presence, and that side I have a lot more real life contacts spreading the word than facebook, but even there the likers on facebook are proving invaluable, they like something I post, their friends in the scene see it, they come to look, they like the page, and so on... I've already had some custome work from that and I've not been doing the adult side seriously until a month back - and that work has been from FB messages from friends of people who saw us at the expo. YMMV, but FB works for me. Perhaps it's more the social circles on your facebook? Paying for promo on FB is a waste of time but word of mouth really works. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Sioux Saddlery Report post Posted July 9, 2014 NVleatherworx I couldn't have said it any better! That is exactly how I feel about FB and the like. I joined a few FB groups, upon a friend's advice to boost exposure/sales, and all it did was take a lot of my time to correspond with a bunch of what a horse trader friend of mine calls "stall pissers". At one point I was spending up to two hours a day with these FB junkies, and seeing no return. I did not try what the OP is asking about, and I probably won't. I hate doing business through a keyboard, or just as bad, via texting on a cell phone. It seems to have become the communication method of choice today. I trade a few horses, and I am seeing that same thing there. How in the hell is a person supposed to do business that way? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I want to pick up the phone, talk to a real live person on the other end, and then if I'm still interested, go meet that person in real time, not virtual. I have started referring to these social media addicts as "keyboard cowboys" and it is pretty easy for them to be a "serious buyer" as long as they can hide behind a keyboard. When it gets down to the meat and potatoes of doing business, actually committing to a purchase and shelling out the dough, they vanish like a balloon when you let the air out of it and it flies around the room. Idk. . .maybe the FB thing helps more than I think, but it's the customer who picks up the phone, makes an appt, and drives to my shop that is going to spend the money 99 times out of 100. Sorry for the rant:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavenAus Report post Posted July 9, 2014 I'm going to be online a lot anyway - I'm a net addict I have a laptop in the workshop and I can discuss orders online quite easily. Last one I did we discussed what the guy needed half the night and I landed my largest single order because of that. The guy's an 11-hour drive from me, he's heading down to us in a couple of weeks and this was his preferred method of working out the details. Without the facebook groups that I'm going to be in anyway as they are my hobby groups (Steampunk) I'd never have got this order. It's not specifically marketing, it's using what I'm doing anyway to get interest. I'm on the pc most nights, I don't watch tv (hasn't been plugged in in a year) and I chat with friends, show them what I make and I run a group for steampunk and cosplay makers to market their wares. The makers group is Australia-wide and we even have some overseas members. I've some steady customers on there as well, just finished another order for one tonight, and that's just through Facebook contact. It's not the medium, it's how you use it. Join interest groups that, well, interest you and work from there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HippieLee Report post Posted July 9, 2014 ...I'm still building my presence on FB, just passed the 500 likes milestone.... You're at 521 now :-) Beautiful stuff, btw! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavenAus Report post Posted July 9, 2014 Thanks man! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidL Report post Posted July 10, 2014 Multiple small things lead up to big exposure. Big company spend their time promoting on Facebook, twitter, billboards, magazines, ect. Try every free online sharing site like twitter, pinterest, instagram, blogs, newspapers, or forums to promote your goods and spend a 10-20 minutes updating the site daily or every week until it gains interest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NVLeatherWorx Report post Posted July 15, 2014 It isn't that I don't like the Social Media scene, it is just that it isn't what everyone thinks it is. Social Media exposure is just like being set up every day at a local Flea Market; you get the interest and some looks but you are getting them from people who aren't really interested in what you do and they damn well aren't going to buy anything. That doesn't necessarily mean that you won't get an order or two from within these source areas but your chances are best when you are part of a specialty group that has an association with what you are doing. Take these forums for example; we all gather here to talk, ask and share our knowledge with those from all levels of experience. You can do that as well within Facebook, as long as you are a member of a special FB group that has some relationship to what you do; Steampunk is a great example of that. However, you would not get anything from just having a general Facebook page out to promote your business or your work because that is not what the common FB user is out there looking for. It is for that very reason that FB is not a priority for me to constantly dedicate my time to and there are several events that I participate in that promote their butts off via FB to the open market and their results from these campaigns are pretty much the same. FB is great for targeted group communications but that is where it ends. The rest of it is just for the common narcissist who just wants the world to love them. If this hurts anyone's feelings, oh well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidL Report post Posted July 15, 2014 (edited) It depends what your selling, which in turn will create the most response from FB campaigns. IF your selling wallets then a large portion are potential customers. If you sell saddles then less of the people there are potential customers since many people may not even live in a place where they can have access to a horse. Best way now is through google adsense where the advertisements go directly to people that are potential customers. If you ever seen an ad on youtube its specifically targeted to you. One second you searching for jobs and on youtube a specific ad comes up before a video for jobs.com. Same goes for your company that will come up in specific websites for example "horse forums.com" then your ad pops up for saddles. It takes time and money to get this type of ads to be done professionally and properly. Facebook fortunately is easy and mostly everyone is on it. Edited July 15, 2014 by DavidL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
