Due to the recent policy guideline changes Facebook has made, impacting promotions, it is important for small businesses and major brands to make sure that their agency, consultant(s), and internal staff are well aware of the compliance requirements. Should your company fail to comply, you risk removal of your Fan Page from Facebook – a disaster for all parties involved.

Some of the most important changes that went into effect, include specific prohibitions on prizes awarded on Facebook (alcohol, prescription drugs, etc). Most importantly, Facebook now requires that any promotion ‘living on Facebook’ must have prior approval. In order to have your promotion reviewed, you must have a dedicated sales representative and, here’s the biggest change in the fine print, a minimum ad spend with Facebook that exceeds $10,000 per month. That’s correct, $10,000 per month during your promotion period.

So, how do you ‘get around’ this requirement? Microsites. Facebook will still allow you to ‘publicize’ your promotion on their platform, however, you may not ‘run’ the promotion on the platform without the afore-mentioned requirements. So the workaround is to have your Fan Page publicize the sweepstakes, or promotion, and then send your fans, via a link, to a website (microsite, or your business’ website) where the fan can participate in the promotion.

Make sure your service vendors, consultants, and staff are well-aware of these changes – failure to comply may result in Facebook shutting down your Fan Page. To view the full guidelines, visit Facebook’s official Promotions Guidelines Page.

Jason Small
Social Media and the Big W
Founder
www.SocialMediaandtheBigW.com

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