Have you heard of the new Facebook offers that were launched last week? I’m going to provide you with some tips for maximising your success with any offers you create on Facebook – based on my experience and my observations.
If you would like a step by step guide on how to create your facebook offers, do check out Spiderworking’s post which also includes some good tips.
You need to have 400 fans to create an offer. The first offer you create is free and after that, you can decide on your budget which will determine the potential reach of your offer.
My Observations on Facebook Offers:
I created an offer on my Garrendenny Lane page on Monday offering 15% off online purchases until 1st October. So far, 39 people have claimed the offer which means the details were sent to their email address. I can’t tell who those people are. Only one person has used the offer code so far and the cut-off time will be 1st October.
My updates are usually seen by an average of 650 people (anything between 400-900) and I have 1670 fans. The offer update has been seen by 3630 people. Of course, the more people who claim the offer means that it will show up in the newsfeed for more people and hence, that number should still increase over the coming days.
Remember: Claiming the offer means that people receive the details of the offer. The more people that claim it means that more people will see it. What will be of interest is the percentage of people that then avail of the offer.
Tips For Creating A Successful Facebook Offer
What is success? Is it the number of people who see the offer? Is it the number of people who claim it? Or is the number of people who avail of the offer, who visit your premises and spend some money? It is probably all three. However, it takes some planning to ensure you maximise your success for all three.
1. Fixed Price or a % Discount? – A fixed price is probably more successful than a discount. That can depend on your business – it would be difficult for Garrendenny Lane to offer one item at a fixed reduced price so offering a discount works better. 15% is probably too low of a discount. The results would have been better if I’d offered 20-30% off.
2. Offer One Item Free – this seems to be working well. Offers such as a free glass of wine with a meal are being snapped up. Whether these will be redeemed or not, the individual businesses will have to wait and see. However, with the number being claimed, their offers are being seen by more and more people so it is increasing their visibility. I am thinking of creating an offer of a free Christmas tree decoration with every purchase in mid October and will let you know how it goes.
3. Use your Terms and Conditions – I saw one hotel that had an offer of €49pps sharing a double room see a huge uptake of 27,000 people. The offer has to be used by the end of November and is subject to availability. However, it is clear that the hotel won’t be able to accommodate all those who claimed the offer should they wish to book. Is it running the risk of many people being disgruntled? Think it through carefully before you post a great offer. Outline your T&Cs carefully – although they state it is subject to availability, perhaps limiting the claimed offer to the first 100 people (or the number you can manage) who book on a first come, first served basis might reduce people’s frustration and increase the uptake on the offer. Having it in the T&C makes it apparent to everyone when claiming the offer.
4. Expiry Date – it seems to refer to the date by which the promotion must be used. Set a reasonable expiration date. (I set mine as short as I wanted to see the result – will set one for 2 months next time and will compare the results)
5. Picture Tells a Thousand Words – The image with the offer is a square thumbnail – choose an image that demonstrates what the offer is about, for example, if it is a free glass of wine with a meal then choose a picture of the wine with the meal rather than a picture of the whole dining room or the menu.
6. Clarity – make it clear how the offer can be availed of. If you have an online shop and are offering a discount code, it is obvious. Equally, if you are creating an offline offer and people have to print out a voucher to present at the till, that is relatively easy too (ensure all your staff know about it!). It’s more difficult for a business such as this one at Write on Track – it doesn’t have an online shop facility nor is it a store so we have to work out an easy and clear method for people to use the offer they have claimed. I’m considering the easiest way would be to set up a website page that the offer directs them to, they can then follow the instructions on that page to contact us and avail of the offer.
7. Pin It – Remember to pin it to the top of your facebook page too so it can be easily seen by anyone who visits your page.
Once we reach the magic number of 400 fans on our Write on Track facebook page (13 to go as I type), we are going to create an offer. We have our thinking caps on trying to work out what people might want to see as an offer and what will help to improve our brand awareness as the offer gains reach.