Promotions are easy, and abundant, users of Twitter, and other social media services run them daily.  Most importantly though, promotions are legally regulated in the United States and the rest of the world.  Promotions on Facebook are no different. By publishing official promotional guidelines which govern the publicizing and administering of any sweepstakes, contests, competitions or other promotions on Facebook, the social media leader aims to adhere to the law and protect its users.

Boiling the rules down to a few short, but important notes, you can ensure you are following the rules of Facebook and remain in compliance with the law.

1. Read All the Promotions Guidelines
Start by reading the guidelines, here. Using terms and examples, Facebook outlines the rules for running a Facebook promotion, making it simple to determine if your campaign can move forward.

2. Get Facebook’s Blessing
Anyone who wants to run a promotion on Facebook first needs to get approval from an account representative at the company. In order to access a representative, though, a typical promotion budget of $10,000 is usually required.

If your promotion is housed on your own site, or blog, using Facebook only to alert consumers of your promotion, prior approval is not necessary.

3. Do Not Forget Local Law
Certain country and state-specific laws create various restrictions on promotions with Facebook. For example, promotions for “gambling, tobacco, firearms, prescription drugs, or gasoline,” are not allowed on Facebook. Further, the prize cannot include; “alcohol, tobacco, dairy, firearms, or prescription drugs.”

4. Format is Paramount
Facebook has a very specific way in which promotions may interact with their platform, again, a good idea to read these before designing your contest.

You can only administer a promotion through an application available on the Facebook platform. These include; “Buddy Media, Context Optional, Wildfire, Fanappz, Involver, theKbuzz, Votigo, and Vitrue,” an only have users enter the promotion in specific locations on your Page.

Further, specific language needs to be included noting that Facebook does not endorse the contest, in addition to designating someone as the primary contact person for communication associated with the promotion.

5. Fan Action is Only Condition
Your promotion cannot ask or require that entrants do anything, other than becoming a fan of your page, as a condition of entering the contest. Automatic entry by you of fans is not allowed, notifying winners by Facebook message or profile posts, and requiring entrants to sign up for Facebook are also prohibited.

Running a promotion on Facebook can be a great way to generate buzz and awareness for your brand, however it will only be a success, and allowed, if you follow Facebook’s rules and the laws governing promotions.

Have you run a Facebook promotion for your business or have you participated in a promotion for a company you are a fan of? Share your experiences and if you have any questions about Facebook promotions feel free to submit your question either by email or via Formspring.