How to Build a Fan-Worthy Facebook Page Five steps to improve your branding power on the social network.
By Starr Hall
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
As Facebook continues to enhance its fan page options, businesses are not only struggling to keep up with the changes, but they also are still trying to figure out how to brand and market their pages. Because of some of the changes, strategies you used just last month to increase your "likes" and interactions with fans may not be as effective.
Here are a few quick branding fixes that will make it easier for prospects to find you, as well as some tips on getting more fans--or what I prefer to call interested prospects.
No.1 - Brand the URL. If your fan page URL is still set with a bunch of numbers, you are making it harder for prospects to find you and missing out on a branding opportunity. Facebook recently lifted the requirement that you get 25 "likes" before you can name your fan page URL. Now, all you need to do is go to www.facebook.com/username and set your name in the URL, which is great for branding purposes and easy link referrals. For example, instead of www.facebook.com/1283743hreu818, my link is now www.Facebook.com/StarrHalldotcom.
Related: New Tools to Create a Facebook Fan Page
No.2 - Name your page appropriately. Once you reach 100 friends, you cannot change the title of your page, so make sure you choose wisely from the start. Your brand name is the ideal title to make it easy for people to find your page when they search. You still can change the title if you have less than 100 likes by going to edit page, selecting Basic Information from the menu at left, changing the text in the Name field, and saving your edits.
No. 3 - Take prospects to a welcome tab, not your wall. When you send people to your fan page and have them land on your Wall, your posts probably won't be enough to entice them to "like" you. Posts are just you talking. Even if you're giving valuable information, prospects need a reason to be your fan. Instead of having them land on your Wall, set up a welcome tab. A welcome tab can include a greeting and an enticement, such as an e-book or video series, to encourage visitors to become fans. Such sites as woobox.com offer free trials and step-by-step tutorials to help you customize your page, including tabs.
Related: Understanding the Value of a Facebook Fan
No. 4 - Engage potential fans. You need to offer something that will engage people. For instance, you can use Facebook applications to create a poll or launch a game. These can be located on your welcome tab. Wildfireapp.com, for instance, provides a free trial so you can navigate its engagement applications. If you decide to use its programs, services start at $5 and go up from there, depending on which tools you use. SocialUps, a company that specializes in creating games for fan pages, starts at $300. One of SocialUps' most recent game apps was launched at www.facebook.com/vitalyte, a fan page for Vitalyte Nutrition Products that was started three months ago and now has nearly 100,000 followers. The downside of some gaming applications is that they can gain access to your page and randomly post messages.
Related: Is Facebook Advertising for You?
No. 5 - Check market insights. Is Facebook Advertising for You? Recent enhancements to fan page analytics make it easier to know your prospects, including their sex, age and where they live. Also, you can see which posts they like best and follow a viral report showing if they did something on your page that their friends could see. Such viral activity extends your reach to friends of friends. However, this option only allows you to see that your fans are talking about you to other people; it doesn't share information about whom they're sharing with.
Facebook fan pages are quickly turning into Facebook websites and interactive business tools. With access to millions of prospects, it's important to brand your page well, make it easy to find and keep the content up-to-date and engaging.
