As of August 27th, Facebook page owners are now permitted to run promotions on page timelines. Today, Rafflecopter has announced a new app to make running this type of promotion very easy.

The new Facebook flash giveaway app makes it easy for any Facebook page admin to randomly select any number of individuals that have liked or commented on a Facebook page update that has been set up for the purposes of giving out a prize to a random winner.

And the best part — it’s free!

In order for you to be offered this functionality, you’ll be asked to grant the app permission to access your public profile (universally required by all Facebook apps) and to manage your Pages (which will allow Rafflecopter to access your giveaway posts to choose winners).

Once connected, you’ll find the process intuitive and magical. 
There are three steps:

1. select a page you’re an admin of
2. highlight a post where you’ve run a giveaway
3. click the ‘pick a random winner’ button

Individuals that liked or commented on your page status will be chosen at random and displayed on the bottom of the page. Clicking on the winner will take you to their Facebook profile, where you can message them to coordinate how they’ll accept the prize (contacting winners on Facebook is now permissible).

Prior to August 27th, there were a total of seven rules pertaining to running promotions on your Facebook page. Those seven rules have just been whittled down to four, making Facebook promotion guidelines much more transparent, giving page owners more flexibility in how a promotion might be administered.

Facebook Promotion Guidelines: 
The Four New Rules. If you use Facebook to communicate or administer a promotion (ex: a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including:

• The official rules;
• Offer terms and eligibility requirements (ex: age and residency restrictions); and
• Compliance with applicable rules and regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered (ex: registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals)

[Translation] It’s your responsibility as a business to take care of all legal aspects surrounding your promotion.

2. Promotions on Facebook must include the following:

• A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
• Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

[Translation] You must make sure your promotion makes it clear to entrants that the promotion is endorsed by you,  and not Facebook. If you can’t tell, Facebook doesn’t want anything to do with your promotion.

3. Promotions may be administered on Pages or within apps on Facebook. Personal Timelines must not be used to administer promotions (ex: “share on your Timeline to enter” or “share on your friend’s Timeline to get additional entries” is not permitted).

[Translation]: Your promotion cannot incentivize entrants to have direct interaction with their personal timeline. Asking entrants to update their personal status update or sharing some content on their timeline isn’t allowed.

4. We will not assist you in the administration of your promotion, and you agree that if you use our service to administer your promotion, you do so at your own risk.

[Translation] Your promotion is being run at your own risk & is your responsibility. Not Facebook’s responsibility.

Read the entire article here.
UPDATE * It’s possible some of the contents of this article are outdated. Check out Facebook’s Promotion Guidelines page for current info.