Today I’ll be focusing on the elements that can help make your Facebook Fan Page for your office/business/organization remarkable and tips on how to promote it.
Facebook Fan Pages used in the most effective way are gateways; one-stop-shops. What do I mean by that? Think of your fan page as the exterior of a house. You want it to look as welcoming as possible; lawn trimmed, a little gnome here and there, a welcome mat, you know what I mean. It sets the stage for people to enter the home, connect, and go deeper. You don’t want to target your Facebook Fan Page to be a destination, but an open door to the separate rooms in your house. Your facebook fan page should be set to point your target audience in the right direction of what they’re looking for and help them connect on a deeper level (whether that means groups, link to your website, social media, etc.).
Before anything is started marketers usual ask the question, “Who’s our target?” I’m going to be honest with you. It kind of matters, but it doesn’t matter. Target everyone, not anyone. The better question organizations can ask is, “Who are we and how do we want to represent ourselves to everyone?”
Look at these numbers:
1. Facebook Demographic Statistics (allfacebook.com)
2. istrageylabs reports: 2009 Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report: 276% Growth in 35-54 Year Old Users
With these numbers and your Facebook Fan Page being a one-stop-shop gateway do you REALLY want to ignore all these users? It’s their choice if they want to enter and go deeper. Let them decide.
What does this mean for the Facebook Fan Page?
The picture you select is more important than you think. It represents your brand to everyone. Do you want to go with a logo, a more organic photograph, simple text? It will be different for everyone. I chose to go with the organic photo route for our office because I think a logo looks too rigid and doesn’t send the right message when representing a volunteer office. Here’s the photo I went with:
I found a picture that I felt could represent service, but not show faces or specific action. Our target is everyone, not anyone. If we focus on a picture of someone serving, we brand what a volunteer looks like, what volunteers are doing, and possibly unintentionally alienate people. Focus on everyone, not anyone.
Important Notes for a Remarkable Fan Page
- Choose your title wisely. It’s what will be a “badge” on profiles and also serve as your keywords for search engine optimization.
- Don’t launch your fan page bare. Facebook has a great feature where you can work on your fan page before you publish it. Use that to your advantage and have everything you can set before you start to promote it.
- Watch clutter. Know your brand and what’s necessary and not necessary. Games may enhance user experiences for some, but not for others.
- Make it easy for others to connect, whether through wall discussion, forward to blogs, pictures, etc. Make it easy to connect and find what they want. It will help convert fans as well as give people a reason to visit your fan page
- Open communication is key. Watch, listen, discuss, and help where you can. People take notice when organizations take time to add to discussions and help. Send periodical updates through the update feature, but don’t be spam.
- Have the mentality that your page is OUR page, not your page or my page.
Applications I Use & Recommend
- RSS-Connect - Pull your RSS Feeds directly into your page
- Static FBML – With basic HTML knowledge you can create custom boxes to cater to your needs. I used them to create a box to direct users to our social media sites.
- YouTube Box – Integrate YouTube videos from your account (*can add to clutter)
- Other then that I use the default applications: photos, videos, etc. I don’t use Notes due to RSS-Connect
Notes on Promotion
While you can’t send mass invites for Facebook Fan Pages to the people you’re not Facebook friends with (use suggestion feature for that), fan pages are easy to build a buzz around. How can you get your word out?
- Tell people your fan page exists. We have an e-mail distribution list we notified & are including some links in our press releases.
- Let others evangelize you. When people become fans it shows on the profile as well as their mini-feed. Post photos/videos of your community. As pictures become tagged (and show up in their profiles) your community will become infused with your fan page. Even just ask people to help out. Some people will do it for free, others may require incentives.
- Be creative. During National Volunteer Week there will be a campaign asking people to donate their status in support of volunteering & become a fan of our page. If you’re a bar run a promotion that cover is free on a certain night if they’re a fan of your page. Give away free things. The possibilities are endless! Use the analytics with the fan pages and see what’s worked for you.
- Transfer members from your group and notify them. Starting a fan page and already have a group? No problem! Collegewebeditor.com outlines some great instructions. *Note: Facebook has discontinued transferring groups to pages.
I hope these ideas help you get started on your road to creating a remarkable fan page. Comment up your thoughts or if you think anything else needs to be added!
