How to Win Awards for Facebook Marketing

Knowing how much marketers like winning awards, Facebook launched its annual Facebook Studio Awards in 2012.

Entries are still being accepted, and brands and agencies from all countries can enter. Yes Trini marketers, you can start compiling your submission. The deadline is January 31.

I know a communications manager who will be happy to read this, especially since her boss just challenged her department to start winning awards for social media marketing.

Work published between February 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014 is eligible. Judging takes place between February and March, and winners will be honoured at a ceremony in New York City later this year. There are no categories and entry fees.

Past winners include Nike, Oreo, Frito Lay, Heineken, the Commonwealth Bank, and KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art.

 

The Facebook Studio Awards are noteworthy for three reasons.

  1. Marketers and agencies get international recognition, fulfilment, and bragging rights – a fitting, psychological reward for all the work and money they’ve poured into social media marketing.
  2. You get to see top case studies, which provide ample inspiration and lessons about strengthening your Facebook strategies.
  3. You get key checkpoints to use to ensure that your Facebook campaign is on the right track.

 

Apart from being creative and innovative, your campaign must be Facebook-centric, use Facebook marketing tools, such as ads, pages, and advanced targeting, and you must show how you integrated Facebook marketing with other media. The judging criteria are obviously geared to Facebook’s ulterior motives, regarding the tools they want brands to use. Still…even if you aren’t entering, the submission guidelines are useful for critiquing your campaigns – whether you’re a big brand or small business.

Here are the three areas Facebook Studio Awards judges will focus on.

I’m listing them exactly as Facebook presents them.

 

Craft and Execution

  1. Was there a focus on high quality visuals, aesthetics and copywriting?
  2. Did your creative add to people’s experience in News Feed?
  3. Did the work exemplify the brand voice, and was it relevant for the audience?

 

Scale & Targeting

  1. Did you reach all of the people who matter to you?
  2. Did you reach them where they spend the most time—in News Feed and on mobile?
  3. Did you use Facebook marketing products to extend the reach of your message?

 

Business Results

  1. What metrics did you establish for your campaign?
  2. How did your Facebook campaign drive the overall business goals and ROI for the client?

 

It’ll be good to keep tabs on the 2014 submissions to get some social media marketing inspiration. To get more information about submission requirements, and to view past winners, visit www.facebook-studio.com/awards.

 

Update: View the list of 2014 finalists here.