We talk about Facebook a lot – it is the largest (over 300 million registered users) and quickest growing social networks. Marketers are interested in Facebook not only because of the sheer size and growth, but because the user base is extremely active – 50% of Facebook users login every single day.
The Fan Page is one of the most popular ways to market brands online – but just creating a fan page isn’t enough. You have to have a plan for your fan page to actually add value. There are currently over 1.4 million Facebook Pages and they collect over 10 million fans every day.
Here are some tips to get more out of your Facebook Fan Page.
1. Create a content plan
Don’t just create a fan page and forget it. Create a plan of what content you will add and how frequently you will add it. Remember that your fan page updates show up in the newsfeeds of your fans. This can be a great way to reach your fans with relevant content. Create a content calendar that consists of multimedia (ie. links, text, photos and videos) to maximize your fan page and keep your fans engaged. Remember – provide them with something interesting or useful – don’t just update for the sake of it.
2. Extend your Fanpage
There are a lot of different plugins for Facebook Fan Pages. Plugins will allow you to do more with your fan page. If you are active on other social networks (twitter, Flickr, Youtube) you can set your fanpage to automatically pull that content in. To add to your Fan Page look in the administrator options under applications. You can add things like polls, contests, and many other fun things to engage your fans.
3. It isn’t Just about Selling
While direct marketers will be tempted to use Facebook to drive sales immediately, Facebook often works best with an indirect sales pitch. Rather than talking about your brand and product (which people may not care about), talk about the things related to your product that they are passionate about.
4. Provide Unique Value
The Dell Social Media for Small Business fan page is one of a number of fan pages from Dell. This page is a resource on Social Media for Small Business Owners. It features a guide to social media. This Fan Page has almost 35,000 fans and a lot of activity on the wall and discussion forums. By adding value you can engage with your fan base.
5. Refine with Analytics
One of the most powerful things about Facebook Fan Pages vs. Groups is that you have access to analytics. Facebook analytics allow you to track information about your fan base including – interactions, demographics, engagement, etc. Regularly looking at your analytics will help you to understand how engaged your fan base is. You can also use this to refine over time based on what works and what doesn’t work.
6. Integrate with Multi-Media
The Coca-Cola Facebook fan page has almost 4 million fans who are extremely active. The wall is full of Coke fans posting their own photos of coke. There are over 3,500 photos posted by fans on the fan page. By Coke fan page is engaging because it encourages fans to actively participate.
7. Run a Contest
The Tide fan page provides unique value to fans through coupons and contests. When you become a fan you get a $1 off coupon for a Tide Stain Pen. They also have weekly contests where you can win by uploading photos and engaging on Facebook or Twitter. This drives value and engagement for fans. The Tide Fan Page has over 100,ooo fans and hundreds of “likes” and “comments” – not bad for a laundry detergent…..
8. Get Found
Search engines are working to integrate Facebook into their search results. By using keywords in your profile and status updates you can enhance your SEO efforts both on Facebook and in regular Search Engines. Search Engine Optimization is often an unintended yet powerful result of effective social media marketing.
9. Integrate it with Other Campaigns
The Victoria’s Secret fan page integrated videos from a model casting into their Facebook Fan page. The result? They have over 2 million fans and their video about their model search has over 2400 likes and 200 comments.
They also use their fan page to promote their iphone app – the post on the iphone app has over 1400 likes and 80 comments. The engagement (liking or commenting) is especially powerful since it shows up in the news stream of the fan.
10. Be a Resource for your Community
The Toyota Prius facebook page includes an “ask an Expert” section where users can ask experts questions about Prius. The result? They have over 45,000 fans and an active discussion board. By being a valuable resource you can increase engagement with your fans.
Want to learn more? One great resource to check out is this list of 100 Resources for Facebook Marketing, organized by subject area.
