So your business is on Facebook, and brand engagement is up thanks to some savvy social media strategy. You may even be interested in further distinguishing your brand by building a custom landing page for your account.
But what kind of value does a custom Facebook Fan Page offer? What are your fans looking for on a social network that they can't get from your business website? For some insight, let's check out how some big-name brands have stepped up their engagement by investing a little more TLC into their Facebook presence.
Interactivity
Social networks are not passive, so your Facebook landing page shouldn't be either. It's nice to have a great looking "Welcome" splash, but users are going to want to do something when they arrive.
Facebook is all about sharing, and The Gap has an ingenious promotion on the Baby Gap tab of their Fan Page. The simple splash image has a link to one of their photo albums where fans can upload pictures of their babies wearing their favorite Gap denim gear.
This kind of campaign provides a wealth of free, user-generated content that displays Gap products, and best of all, the functionality of photo uploading is already built into Facebook -- no development necessary. This is an interactive idea that any small business could implement.
The Home Depot has built a bit on the shareability of Facebook actions with their DIY Gifts app. From Home Depot's Fan Page, you can grant the app access to share your gift purchases with the recipient and your friends. While this approach may not work for everyone, it's a step toward increasing consumer visibility on Facebook -- a growing trend.
A Full Website Experience Within Facebook
Some companies go all out when it comes to their Facebook presence, integrating fully fledged mini-websites right into their Fan Pages. Adidas sneakers is a good example. They've added a multimedia content hub under the tab "Your Area" that offers photos, videos, and events based on your region. The site is built entirely in Flash and isn't all that interactive, but it offers a rich media experience without ever leaving the boundaries of Facebook.
Dell's Design Studio page is another example of a full-tilt Flash site inside Facebook. This one lets you browse and tweak custom artwork for your new laptop before linking you over to the corporate site to complete the purchase. You can also share your design choices with friends, all without connecting a single Facebook app to your account.
Deals!
The key to Facebook, and any social network, is to keep pushing out content that your fans are interested in. Many businesses do a great job keeping their fans apprised of deals and discounts through status updates.
Another great way to keep content fresh and visual within Facebook is to promote special offers on a custom tab. This may be something new visitors see when they land on your Fan Page, or a rich destination you can link back to in a post.
Walgreens does it very simply. Their landing page is a nice branded splash image that simply touts their "Exclusive Offers for Our Facebook Fans." Their promotions are in their updates, but this simple, static custom page encourages users to become fans without any bells or whistles. They leave the deals to the built-in functionality of Facebook, and your business can too.
By simply changing the image on your custom page, you can call attention to a new product or promotion that your fans will see whenever they land there. It's an easy way to keep your page looking fresh, in addition to regular updates.
Conclusion
These examples have been built for large companies that probably have more web development resources than the average small business. But if you're serious about your commitment to Facebook engagement, consider taking some inspiration from these examples and exploring the possibilities that custom pages and apps can offer your business.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
How to: Create a Facebook Fan Page
If you’ve recently graduated from college, it’s hard to imagine your college life apart from Facebook. Catching the latest gossip, becoming friends with that college superstar who has never heard of you and staying up-to-date on the latest happenings. And of course, everyone knows it’s not official until it’s on Facebook! However, Facebook is no longer just for college students. Many people reading this may have parents and even grandparents with an account now. Time Magazine even went as far as to publish an article recently called “Why Facebook is for Old Fogies“.
Facebook has not only become a place for young people to connect and network, but it has also become another avenue for businesses and organizations to connect, network and promote their organization. The main way to network on Facebook is of course by creating a profile or even a group, which can be a little more professional then just a profile. However, if you really want to network and promote yourself, business or organization, then creating a Facebook Fan Page is the best way to do this.
To create a Facebook page navigate to this page and click the big green button.
To create a Facebook page navigate to this page and click the big green button.
It can be a little difficult finding on Facebook where to begin a fan page, so you’ll have to go to the main page for creating a fan page. When beginning a fan page, you’re given the basics, which make it look like a glorified profile page. A raw fan page includes a wall, feed, photos, videos and list of fans. Although this can suffice, if you really want to attract fans who don’t justconsist of your circle of friends, you’ll want to make some upgrades to your page.
Making your fan page interactive and graphically appealing are two of the most important ways to attract new fans. Making it interactive can easily be done with Facebook’s Application Directory that has a wide-range of applications that can be added to your page with a couple clicks. If you have the resources (web developer/designer), or have some experience there yourself, it’s not too hard to develop a Facebook application. The advantage of this is that you can put your brand on the application and personalize it the way you want. I’ve seen people develop a facebook application in as quick as a few days. Putting interactive applications on your page gives users a reason to not just become fans, but to continually visit and interact on your page.
Along with making your fan page interactive, it’s important to give it some personality by making it look attractive. Facebook allows you to upload a logo or photo for your fan page, but that just isn’t enough. Give your page some flare. Put a sharp graphic linking to your website or a flashy banner along the side bar that promotes a contest. Doing something like this offers fans and potential fans a reason to not only visit your fan page often, but to also visit your company’s website or blog. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve visited a website, just to immediately leave because there was little effort put into the design of the site.
Facebook has not only become a place for young people to connect and network, but it has also become another avenue for businesses and organizations to connect, network and promote their organization. The main way to network on Facebook is of course by creating a profile or even a group, which can be a little more professional then just a profile. However, if you really want to network and promote yourself, business or organization, then creating a Facebook Fan Page is the best way to do this.
To create a Facebook page navigate to this page and click the big green button.
To create a Facebook page navigate to this page and click the big green button.
It can be a little difficult finding on Facebook where to begin a fan page, so you’ll have to go to the main page for creating a fan page. When beginning a fan page, you’re given the basics, which make it look like a glorified profile page. A raw fan page includes a wall, feed, photos, videos and list of fans. Although this can suffice, if you really want to attract fans who don’t justconsist of your circle of friends, you’ll want to make some upgrades to your page.
Making your fan page interactive and graphically appealing are two of the most important ways to attract new fans. Making it interactive can easily be done with Facebook’s Application Directory that has a wide-range of applications that can be added to your page with a couple clicks. If you have the resources (web developer/designer), or have some experience there yourself, it’s not too hard to develop a Facebook application. The advantage of this is that you can put your brand on the application and personalize it the way you want. I’ve seen people develop a facebook application in as quick as a few days. Putting interactive applications on your page gives users a reason to not just become fans, but to continually visit and interact on your page.
Along with making your fan page interactive, it’s important to give it some personality by making it look attractive. Facebook allows you to upload a logo or photo for your fan page, but that just isn’t enough. Give your page some flare. Put a sharp graphic linking to your website or a flashy banner along the side bar that promotes a contest. Doing something like this offers fans and potential fans a reason to not only visit your fan page often, but to also visit your company’s website or blog. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve visited a website, just to immediately leave because there was little effort put into the design of the site.
How to Make a Facebook Fan Page
A Facebook fan page is a great way to promote businesses, organizations, blogs, bands, books...essentially anything for which you want to build an audience. This guide will walk you through how to make a Facebook fan page.
Facebook fan pages can be created for virtually anything - for celebrities, athletes or for specific events or businesses. Creating a fan page isn't difficult, but you do need a general idea of how Facebook works to pull it off successfully. You'll need to log on to Facebook using your personal account information, head to the advertising section to create the page and then decide specifics for how you want to design the page.
Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the world, with over 300 million registered users.http://mashable.com/2009/09/15/facebook-300-million/1 Creating Facebook fan pages has become a popular way to get your product, business or idea into the minds of those users. Facebook fan pages allow you to network and connect with those outside of your immediate circle of Facebook friends, without necessarily revealing a lot of your personal information. You can use this easy-to-follow guide to make a Facebook fan page, turning some of those 300 million users into customers.
Facebook fan pages can be created for virtually anything - for celebrities, athletes or for specific events or businesses. Creating a fan page isn't difficult, but you do need a general idea of how Facebook works to pull it off successfully. You'll need to log on to Facebook using your personal account information, head to the advertising section to create the page and then decide specifics for how you want to design the page.
Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the world, with over 300 million registered users.http://mashable.com/2009/09/15/facebook-300-million/1 Creating Facebook fan pages has become a popular way to get your product, business or idea into the minds of those users. Facebook fan pages allow you to network and connect with those outside of your immediate circle of Facebook friends, without necessarily revealing a lot of your personal information. You can use this easy-to-follow guide to make a Facebook fan page, turning some of those 300 million users into customers.
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