In addition to hosting the promotion on your timeline, you can also manage your contest through an app. Using apps like I have reviewed below, can help you capture more lead information like email address. This could help you increase the ROI of your marketing spend.
We have put together a short list of products that can help you get your contest out to your fans and start increasing traffic to your page.
Best Facebook Contest Apps:
SweepWidget
With SweepWidget, you can run contests for over 30+ different social media platforms with 90+ entry methods. Plus, they offer leaderboards, instant coupons / prizes, 30+ API integrations, and a host of other cool features.
Their security is top notch as well. SweepWidget’s advanced fraud protection does a great job of blocksing the cheaters and only permitting the legitimate participants.
You can easily manage all of your entries in the advanced user management system. Randomly / manually select winners, delete / disqualify users, and export all of your data into a CSV file.
SweepWidget is one of the leaders in terms of bang for the buck. It’s a great option for both small blogs / startups and enterprise clients.
WishPond Contest and Promotion Apps
WishPond is a social contest and promotions app that allows you to run unlimited photo contests, sweepstakes, and campaigns. They also offer a number of other tools like landing page creators, email marketing automation, retargeting ads, and paid ads via Facebook, Google AdWords, etc.
Pricing starts as low as $44/month if you’re willing to pay annually, and scales as high as $78 or $139/month to get access to everything (including email marketing automation, leads database, A/B testing, popups, landing pages, and white-labeling). Worth checking out, especially if you want more than just a Facebook contest app.
ShortStack
With ShortStack you can create custom tabs and contests on your fan page. Their custom contest functions allow you to easily add videos and pictures to your contest or promotion. Check out the ShortStack website.
AgoraPulse
AgoraPulse is an awesome all-in-tool to manage your Facebook page. You can easily create apps, engage manage, qualify, and measure your results. Check them out here!
WooBox
A little while ago, WooBox launched a cool application called Instant Win. This application lets your fans enter your contest and see if they won instantly. You can set the odds of winning, retry interval, and the prize.
Another cool app from WooBox is their photo contest application. According the the Facebook Promotion Guidelines, you cannot require participants to upload a photo to your timeline in order to participate in a contest. This app allows you to have your fans upload pictures to participate and does so within Facebook’s outlined guidelines.
Heyo Free Contest Builder
Heyo is a drag and drop Facebook contest platform that many businesses are using to drive engagement, capture emails, get likes, and convert sales.
Heyo also makes contest template recommendations that convert across all industries. For example, Squaw Valley ran a Facebook contest that captured over 4500 email addresses in under 10 days.
Another business, Nicolette Island Inn, captured 25% of all their fans email addresses using the Heyo Contest Template which asks users to enter their email, then click “like”, “share,” and “tweet” for their chance to win.
One of the best aspects of Heyo is that with every contest you build, they automatically make it mobile-optimized and even provide a smart URL for you to use in your marketing. Click here to start Heyo’s free trial.
Easy Promos
Here is another cool option for you to check out. Nice thing here is you can try it for free to see if it is a good fit for you. They offer three different levels of the product so you can pick what works best for you.
Update August 29, 2013: Facebook has changed their terms of service to make it easier for companies to run promotions right on their Facebook timeline! Exciting news that should have every Facebook marketer geeking out. Check out the official blog post from Facebook.
What do you recommend?
There are a ton of options out there on the market for you to check out. This has just been a sampling, but it will help you as you seek out the option that best works for you. Have you used a contest or promotions application of your Facebook page or participated in a contest that you liked? Please let me know in a comment!