As you get started with your Facebook promotion, there are a number of important elements to think through.  This article by Mashable gets you started by defining what you plan to achieve and how you plan to achieve it.  This means getting specific about the action you are trying to drive, and keeping users focused on that one key action.  The goal could be growing your social media followers/fans, having customers sample or purchase a product, or having them provide useful customer data.

These are some examples of the potential end-customer objectives we define with our clients, as we begin a campaign:

1. Newsletter signup

2. Product sample (e.g., free trial)

3. Document download (e.g., free whitepaper or article)

4. Sharing a photo of video of them using the client’s product/service (or other forms of testimonials)

5. Liking posts or commenting on posts to encourage engagement and exposure to friends through the newsfeed

With the specific objective defined, the next step is to design the actual campaign and this article outlines the 3 common strategies, as well as specific tactics, like coupons and contests, that you can select from.

It is also important to be aware of Facebook’s terms of conditions and the various constraints they’ve outlined for how Facebook can and cannot be used to support promotions you run on your Facebook page.   Things are changing with the launch of Timeline, so be sure to read the section of the article that speaks to some of these contraints and then follow the link to Facebook’s page that outlines these rules in full.

A Facebook campaign can be a great way to encourage fan engagement and sharing and increase loyalty, while driving specific actions, so be sure to check out the full article here.