The Refer-a-Friend Template is part of out popular suite of Contest Templates. This template allows you to create a contest in which fans receive a referral link to share out with their friends. When someone clicks on the referral link (and signs up for the contest), the fan who shared the link gets points toward your prize.
Here, we will take a closer look at the Refer-a-Friend Template, its features, and how to customize the template to fit your needs!
Note: Users must be logged into Facebook to participate in the Refer-a-friend.
Like all of our Contest Templates, the Refer-a-Friend template comes packed with easy-to-customize widgets and mobile optimization that will propel your giveaway to success. As a prebuilt template, we’ve done the hard part for you, and created a mobile optimized version of your campaign.
Refer-a-Friend Template features include:
To use the Refer-a-Friend Template, open the Contest Templates section under the Templates tab (1). This will bring up a selection of Contest Templates to choose from. The Refer-a-Friend Template should be the second option on that list (2).
Once you’ve selected the Refer-a-Friend Template, be sure to click “Save and Start Editing” before moving on (3).
This will switch you to the “Content” tab and allow you to start editing the different widgets of the template. You can customize the Refer-a-friend template by selecting from the options on the right (1), or by hovering over and clicking on the template widgets directly (2). Each widget that can be edited will highlight when you hover over it.
First, let’s change the Contest Image. Start by clicking on the image on the template, or the tab titled “Contest Image” on the right, to open up the widget options.
The recommended image size is 443px by 276px, the image should be a JPG or PNG file, and the file size limit is 2MB. If your image is larger than that consider resizing the image using Photoshop or pixlr.com.
Once your image is ready, click “Upload” in the widget options (1). Select the image you want to upload and then click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the screen (2).
You’ll no doubt have noticed the text underneath of the Contest Image – this is the text box for the campaign. Here you can let your fans know what they are entering and what they could win.
To edit the text, click on the text on the campaign canvas to open up the widget options.
Note: You do not type directly onto the campaign canvas. An editor will open up in the widget options on the right hand side of the screen.
When you’re done editing the text, click “Save Changes” at the bottom-right to continue.
A key element of a successful giveaway is brand recognition. Tying the contest in with your brand builds trust between your company and your fans. The easiest way to include brand recognition is to include your logo on your refer-a-friend contest.
To add your logo, click on the “Header Image” at the top and follow the same steps as you did for the previous Contest Image – just upload or link your image in the option on the right and you’ll be good to go!
Note: The recommended image size is 426px by 83px to maximize use of the space, however, you can be liberal with the width (the 83 px height is the most important limitation).
Click “Save Changes” to continue.
Let’s turn our attention to the Countdown Widget. You can change the ending date and time associated with the Countdown Clock by clicking on the widget and opening the widget options on the right.
In the options, select the date and time when you want your contest to end. We recommend running a contest from 7 to 10 days for maximum effect. However, you know your audience best – if they’ve responded well to month-long contests in the past, go for it!
You also have the ability to customize the colors of the numbers and text on the countdown using the “color” and “background” hex options (1). If you’d like to change the wording of the countdown, use the “Labels” drop-down just below the hex colors (2).
Remember to click “Save Changes” at the bottom when you are finished.
Next up is the email Form. If you use Aweber, Constant Contact, MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, Infusionsoft, Mad Mimi, or Ontraport to collect emails, you can connect those services to the form by clicking on the widget and selecting the service you wish to connect.
If you use a different email collection service, or you don’t have a service at all, not to worry! Heyo collects the emails from the Refer-a-Friend Template into a CSV file which you can export at anytime to the email address of your choice.
Once connected to your service, you can then customize the form to your liking. Please check out our Form tutorial here if you’d like some more help setting it up.
Once you’ve customized every widget in the “Content” tab on your template, be sure to check out the “Options” tab on the upper right-hand side of the screen.
Here is where you can customize the Meta Data (1) that appears on Facebook for your campaign, customize your background (2), as well as add Tracking Script (3) to track stats specific to your campaign. You also have the ability to add Google Analytics to your campaign (4) – instructions on how to use these options can be found here.
You have a few options to customize the background of the Refer-a-Friend Template. You can upload a background image using the upload button, select a background color using the Heyo Color Picker, or select one of Heyo’s preset backgrounds.
After you’ve finished setting your options, click “Save & Preview” at the bottom to move to the final stages before publishing.
When you’re ready to publish your sweepstakes, publication instructions can be found here!
When a fan enters your Refer-a-Friend Contest, a popup appears with their referral link and instructions on how to win the contest. It also contains “Share” and “Tweet” buttons to help spread the contest. Right now, this pop-up cannot be edited. In addition to the pop-up, an auto-generated email is sent directly to the entrant with their unique referral link and instructions so they don’t lose it. The entrant’s referral link is also contained in the CSV along with other important data.
Is there an issue I didn’t cover in this overview? Contact us at support@heyo.com and we’ll help you out!
