We believe in taking small steps, and building a Facebook Page is a great step.
On March 10, 2011, all new and existing Facebook Fan Pages will automatically migrate to the new format. The following tips and terminology pertain to the new Facebook layout and navigation.
Tips to Help You Find Success with Facebook from the Start:
Getting Started
Title your page carefully. You can’t change the name later, after your page reaches 100 “Likes”. Usually choose your business name or DBA that people will recognize.- Fill in ALL information about your business. Don’t leave any fields blank.
- Add a clear profile photograph; you have 180 pixels (wide) by 540 pixels (long) space to work with. Make it count! Here’s some great examples of great profile pictures.
- Go into “Edit Info” and then into “Manage Permissions” and make sure you select “All Posts” (This is rumored to be changing, but for now it’s important for the best fan interaction)
- Add your website to your information or in the space provided by some templates under your profile photo.
- Add photographs and links to make it interesting and seem active BEFORE you invite people to your page.
Simple Things to Remember
- “Like” your own page.
- Invite your friends to “like” your page. This is critical. Your page remains in a bit of a vacuum until people find out about it.
- Tell your co-workers/staff about the new page and make sure they join the page. Again, this is very important.
Where to Post Links to Your Page
- Add a link to your Facebook page to your email footer. You send many emails each day, and this is a simple, free way to promote your Facebook page.
- Mention your Facebook page on your newsletter, invoices, business cards, or anything that leaves your office.
- If you do ads in newspapers or other trade publications, make sure you add Facebook.
- Add a link to your website to your Facebook page.
- Create a blog post telling people you’ve added a Facebook page.
- Post your Facebook page on your LinkedIn profile.
What to Post
- Update your Facebook page daily with news, pictures, articles, links, questions to engage fans.
- Consider adding a custom Facebook page and/or landing page to increase results.
More Information and Inspiration
- Follow Vivid Image on Facebook for help and information on using social media tools, including Facebook
- Subscribe to the Vivid Image blog, dedicated to helping small businesses market online, including articles about Facebook (upper right corner of this screen)
- Contact Vivid Image to make an appointment to discuss taking Facebook to the next level, (320) 587-8974
If you need more information about the changes Facebook is making to Fan Pages this month, you may like the article, “Take Advantage of the New Facebook Features for Business.”
The hard part is when you share your post on the Facebook fan page and also on your personal Facebook wall. It feels like spamming my friends everyday
Problem is because not all of my friends are on the Facebook fan page
Very true. There is a balance. I think it’s good to pick and choose. Obviously you need your posts on your fan page, but sometimes I like to single-out what goes on my personal or if I simply post a link on a friend or clients’s page that is highly relevant to them, etc.
We have a fun term we use in our household called “family spam” which can mean too many posts coming via Facebook and email that include everyone. Now, if all of your friends would simply join your fan page, your troubles would be over, right?