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Facebook has the ability for a business to create a unique page for your company. Officially called Pages, they have acquired the common name of “Fan Pages.” Should you create a Facebook Page for your business? What should you consider if you build this type of presence on Facebook?
Benefits of Facebook Pages
Remember, Facebook Pages are public. This allows search engines to search and index these sites. So people can use search engines to discover your Facebook Page, and it becomes another opportunity besides your main site for customer to discover your business. Pages can also include links back to your main site, and this helps you with building off-site in-bound links to your main site.
Another benefit of Facebook Pages is the ability to send updates to people who follow or becomes “Fans” of your page. This ability to communicate with your Facebook Fans is an important engagement method. Regular updating and new content is a requirement for successfully building the number of your Facebook Fans.
One viral marketing advantage for Facebook pages is that that when someone joins, it is published in their News feed and shared with their friends (unless turned off). This allows your updates to be seen by the friends of Fans on Facebook, which leads to more discovery by others.
Two way Interactions
In programming your Facebook Page, remember social media is about people interacting with each other. Make sure your strategy includes giving something to your participating consumers (offering instead of asking). This is a great way to have people become fans and remain involved. Think about offering coupons, weekly deals, limited offers (free shipping) and other product items that are unique or first offered to your Facebook Page audience. People like to feel special, and you are part of their social circle. Friendship is a two way street.
While starting a page is free and easy, Facebook Pages also let you add Facebook Applications to your Page. Some of the best companies pages (CocaCola) utilize Facebook Apps to help create a rich and sticky environment. Keeping away from the standard Facebook Page layout can make a big difference to encourage people to become a Fan of your Page. The best Pages use rich graphics, strong creative and engaging content, encourage fan communication, and make strong use of videos and images. This is not your official website, so you may want to play with the Page editorial voice and tone to match the medium.
The ongoing care and feeding of a Facebook Page can build a rich and rewarding engagement platform with your customers, but this also requires you to address the concerns and challenges that people post about your company on your Facebook Page. It is important to have established a practice strategy about who and how at your company will address any problems or concerns.
Analytics – Measuring your Success
Besides two-way interactions, measurements are the core of interactive marketing. The Facebook Pages insights tool includes your Fans’ engagement with posts from your Page. You can see how many comments Fans make on your posts, and also track the Fans’s viewing your posts in News Feeds. By watching your posts and Facebook Page analytics, you can see what type of content and interactions your Fans like the most on your Page. This can then be used to change and improve your ongoing content strategy.
Don’t stop at a Facebook Page
While a Facebook Page is a great way to interact with your customers who are on Facebook, don’t ignore the other social networks. Connecting multiple social platforms through your main website as a hub can help connect and direct your customers across the web.
Make sure you focus on the demographics of each site. Quantcast.com can give you demographic information about the various social networks. Facebook has a much different user compared to Linkedin. Depending on your business, you will want to develop a unique social network presence at multiple networks to help grow and expand your customers across the different social media networks.
Get Started
Before you get started, you should be clear about your campaign needs and goals. How will you define success with your Facebook and other social media presence? What is your ongoing content programming strategy? Who from your company will be responsible for the two way relationship building?
My friend and colleague, Robert Gonsalves built the award-winning, online success of Disney Online and Warner Bros. Online, and now consults to CEOs in all industries to grow new and existing brands online, and to build new revenue streams and bottom line profits on all interactive platforms. Check out his site at www.robertgonsalves.com.
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