If you own a business, one of the best ways to boost your social media following and attract new customers is to host a sweepstakes over social media. This is an endeavor that sounds simple, but that can come with some unexpected intricacies along the way. To make sure your sweepstakes goes smoothly, here are some sweepstakes management tips to follow throughout the process. 

1. Check into your social media outlet's regulations first.

Most social media websites have regulations as far as what can and cannot be given away under a sweepstakes. They may also have rules regarding what information you can share and collect from those who enter. Review the rules put forth by your chosen social media platform before you start your competition to ensure you don't break any of these rules.

2. Be specific in what you are offering.

You would not be the first person to host a sweepstakes event, only to have the winner claim you did not award them the prize they expected. So, be very clear in what you are giving away. If you are offering a 50% discount on one massage, for example, be sure to specify that it is on ONE massage -- not on the winner's whole service package. 

3. Encourage others to share the sweepstakes.

The problem with sharing the sweepstakes on your social media page is that only your current followers will really see it. If you want to use the sweepstakes to gain more followers, then you need to encourage those to see the post to share it with others. There's an easy way to encourage it. Require that the person who wins has shared the post. For example, you could state "To win, a follower must like this post and also share it on their wall." 

4. Announce the winner in a timely manner.

There's nothing worse than having a sweepstakes end and then never finding out if you won. This will anger your customers and certainly won't help you gain new business. As soon as you determine a winner, message that winner... and then ask them if they are okay with their win being shared publicly. If they are not, you can just post that the winner has asked to remain anonymous. This at least gives those who did not win some closure. Do not share the winner's information without first asking them if you can do so.