In my July newsletter I listed 21 tips for using Facebook Pages (or Facebook Fan Pages as they were previously called).I thought I’d share 9 of those tips with you as my latest blog post.
I wrote about Facebook pages for a couple of reasons. The first is I am using one in my offline business with interesting results and some clear takeaways. The biggest being that engagement is the key to success and that setting up a page is the easiest part. The second is that for all the articles written about Facebook pages many entrepreneurs still don’t understand them and even less understand how they can be valuable to their business or how they differ from a Facebook profile. Facebook itself has lots of information about its pages… unfortunately much of it is buried (aka not very easy to find).
I’m far from knowing all there is to know about FB pages. But I thought I’d share a bit about what I do know from the perspective of a different kind of business. So here goes. The following is part of an article I shared in my Copywriting Ezine.
1. Setting up your Facebook page is the easy part. It’s just the beginning.
2. For your page to be successful, you must build your fan base (or your “like” base). Send an email to all your Facebook friends and ask them to “like” your page. You can also use the “suggest” to friends link in the top left-hand side of your page. Tell them what they can expect… tips, how-tos, discounts, offers, etc. Ask them to suggest your page to their friends too.
3. A page is not the same as a Facebook profile.
Pages are for business, profiles are personal and can only have one owner. You can have both a personal profile and a page, but you should use a page for business rather than a profile. Fans don’t have to be your friends to like your page.
4. When you post to your page, you appear as your business name. When you post to your personal profile, you appear as yourself. This is a benefit for those who wish to keep their business and personal profiles separate.
5. Get your vanity URL. You only need 25 fans to get one. It makes your page easy to find in Facebook Search. It also comes up in Google searches. The native Facebook default URL is quite ugly. Getting a vanity URL is a no-brainer.
6. If you currently have thousands of “friends” on Facebook and want to move these over to your page, be prepared for a struggle and the elbow grease. People are unlikely to simply move over; you may need to “incent” them to do so. And keep reminding them that you now have a page and what good things they will receive as a fan of your page. Research says that most people who “like” a fan page do so to receive discounts and special offers as well as to show support.
7. Think beyond text updates. I started with text content, however, have started adding video, photos and links. Do a quick video, post it on YouTube and link it to Facebook. (I discovered that using the native Facebook video upload gets more interaction than simply linking from YouTube). Remember people love to see photos, so encourage fans to post theirs too.
8. Get interactive and find ways of engaging your fans or your page will remain static. I recently ran a free giveaway, offering two prizes to anyone who suggested my page to their friends and wrote on my page wall. My traffic increased as did the number of fans I also got insights about what to do differently next time. There are all sorts of Facebook applications to enable you to run contests for your fans. Try them and see what works. You can also
offer coupons redeemable when they make a purchase from you and offer “fans only” specials
9. If you have a blog post your blog posts to your page with the NetworkedBlogs application rather than linking to your blog post. Networked blogs will automatically pull your blog posts into your page or profile.
There are many other tips for using Facebook pages – I am trying a few at a time and seeing what works. While I don’t think FB should be the hub of your marketing, if you have a business it’s another way to get exposure for your business through engagement. Some businesses are more a fit than others…however with some effort most businesses can (and should) use it to engage with fans rather than sell to them. Facebook pages should be a part of – but not your entire – marketing mix.
How about you? Are you using a Facebook Page? If not, why not? What’s been your experience? Please share your experiences so that we all learn something.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks. I will start to build a fan page. I think it is really helpful. Today, facebook is a powerful social networking site.
It’s very powerful and you should use that power. But you do still need a strategy and be sure to make your site and blog a central part of that strategy.
Hi, thanks much. I had an FB fan page which was just gathering dust. I just did the NetworkedBlogs application and feel very accomplished. Appreciate your info. Cheers!
Fabulous Liz.
It’s some time since I wrote this and Facebook has since made pages even more attractive to businesses and it is well worth having them for brand exposure and engagement. All the above still applies.I’ve been following their myriad of changes and they will make your head spin.
I hope to also point people in the direction of some good sources of info on Facebook Pages. Meanwhile if anyone wants to check out what I’ve done with my dance school Facebook fan page have a look at http://facebook.com/jivenationtoronto it will give you some ideas.
Found this post looking for info about Facebook pages. Very simple and concise. Thanks for the info.
You are welcome Alex… see my other comment below.
Good info. Will have to fire up my FB account again.
Good stuff Michael, stay tuned for more updates… Facebook is powering ahead and is going to be an important part of a business’s marketing but be sure your website and blog are central.
Thanks so much for your comments folks!
I’ve been so busy with my business it’s been hard to find time to write as much as I would like to. I will be back writing soon… it is fascinating to see how Facebook and social media in general is evolving. In fact it is VERY challenging to keep up with all the changes, particularly with Facebook. I hope to be able to give you some more tips on Facebook pages – they have changed yet again – from my perspective and experience, and perhaps point you in the direction of people who can also add value. I’ve built my other fan page from 60 to 377 fans however it isn’t easy and I still very much believe that your website and blog should be your business hub not Facebook. I will blog on that at some point.
So stay tuned.
Thanks for the info. I’m fairly new to FB and have been all over their help section trying to really “understand” pages and setting them up so I don’t do it wrong. Your information was quite helpful. Anyone have anything to add about how to chose a “category” ?
If you mean selecting categories that’s fairly easy by way of the drop down. If you mean how to decide which categories your business should be in then only you can make that decision. You have a top category and a sub category – which actually helps. For example Local Business > Arts and Entertainment.
I would look through them all and see which one best fits your business.