In accordance with Facebook’s recent changes to their Promotion Guidelines , we’ve introduced additional options for adding Facebook ‘Likes’ to your sweepstakes and contests.

You can now choose whether entrants should ‘Like’ a page that you are an administrator of, a Facebook business page or the URL of any website, image, comment, etc. You now have complete flexibility with how to integrate Facebook ‘Like’ entry methods into your promotions.

For Facebook pages

If you are adding a Facebook ‘Like’ entry (whether as a requirement or a bonus entry option) to your giveaway, you can simply enter the URL of the Facebook page and check the box for ‘This is a Facebook Business Page’. This will allow the entry form to use the ‘Like Box’ instead of the ‘Like Button’.

Many giveaways include Facebook ‘Like’ entry options for pages that they do not manage; this is particularly common when a promotion has a sponsor, is co-branded or to include the prize’s Facebook page. For these instances you can just paste in the full URL of the Facebook page (including http://www.Facebook.com) and select the option for ‘This is a Facebook business page’. This will generate a ‘Like’ box for the Facebook page.

URLs that are not Facebook pages

Any URL on the web can be ‘Liked’ and now Facebook allows these pages to be used within promotions. To add a ‘Like’ button for an item that is not a Facebook business page just paste in the URL that you want to be ‘Liked’.

Additional options for ‘Likes’ in giveaways

Display name
In the entry form this is the name that will be used next to the ‘Like’ button for URLs that are not Facebook pages. Unlike the ‘Like’ box, which can be used only for Facebook pages, the ‘Like’ button does not automatically display information about the URL to be be ‘Liked’. The display name helps your entrants understand what they are ‘Liking’.

In your reports you will see the display name used for each of the Facebook ‘Like’ entry options for your campaign so that it is quick and easy to distinguish between your various entry options.

Validation
With PromoSimple you have the option to enable validation for Facebook ‘Likes’. This means that when a user enters your promotion they will be required (one time only) to authorize a PromoSimple Facebook App. This App verifies with Facebook, via their API, that the entrant has completed the action of ‘Liking’ the page or URL that you’ve specified. It also records the entrant’s Facebook name to make it quick and easy for the entrant to submit your entry forms.

Expand / Collapse (Bonus entries)
This option allows you to specify whether the Facebook ‘Like’ entry option is displayed when the user first sees the bonus entry options. You can also collapse the entry option to save vertical space in your entry form. Users will see Facebook ‘Like’ {Display Name} when the entry is in the collapsed format.

Entries (Bonus only)
Set the number of additional entries (chances to be selected as the winner) that a user will receive for completing the Facebook ‘Like’ bonus entry.