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How to Extend Your Brand, Engage Your
Audience, Win Fans & Standout on Facebook!
Audience, Win Fans & Standout on Facebook!
Introduction
Anyone who has run their own business for more than 5 years has witnessed a gradual shift in the way their products or services are sold.. Back in the “old days” many small businesses could get by with a listing in the yellow pages, an ad in the local newspaper and maybe even an occasional billboard, radio spot or magazine ad —for those determined to outmaneuver their competition. Then, as the internet began to mature it became clear that having a business website was really more of a necessity than a luxury. If we fast forward to the present we can look around and see that many successful small businesses today not only have a website to promote their products and services, they have a comprehensive online strategy that often incorporates online advertising, a blog, Twitter and Facebook fan page. Why? The reason is simple. |
Unfortunately, Facebook sometimes has a tendency to make things a little confusing. As a result, some terms that we use in everyday conversation end up being used interchangeably and incorrectly. Perhaps the most common example is with the distinction between setting up a personal Profile on Facebook and a business Page on Facebook. Let’s quickly cover the difference between the terms in order to set the tone for the remaining chapters and ensure that we’re all on the same page (pun intended).
What is a Facebook Page? (also known as a “fan page”)
According to Facebook, “Pages are for organizations, businesses, celebrities, and brands to broadcast information in an official, public manner to people who choose to connect with them. Similar to profiles, Pages can be enhanced with applications that help the entity communicate and engage with their audiences, and capture new audiences virally through friend recommendations, News Feed stories, Facebook events, and beyond.”
Okay, so what’s a Facebook Profile?
Profiles are for individuals and are not for business use. Facebook also reserves the right to remove your profile if you’re using it for business purposes. Similar to Pages, Profiles can be enhanced with applications that help you communicate and engage with friends and businesses that you “Like.” Suffice it to say that where Facebook is concerned, individuals have Profiles and businesses have Pages. Now that we’ve got that sorted out let’s move on to something more interesting like Chapter 2: Anatomy of a Fan Page.
It doesn’t cost you anything to create a basic Facebook Page for your business. Straight out of the gates every page on Facebook includes the same basic components. To get you acquainted with the elements of your page we’ve created a simple diagram of the Ripe Social fan page (see page 9) before we used our collection of custom apps to brand it and make it more useful.
1) Cover Photo - One of the most significant changes that came with Facebook’s Timeline design for brand pages, the Cover Photo allows you to make an immediate impact with a large image that captures the essence of your brand. Your Cover Photo should be sized at 851 x 315 pixels.
2) Profile Picture - Your Profile Picture slightly overlays the lower left corner of your Cover Photo and is the designated place for you to upload your company logo or icon. When creating your Profile Picture keep in mind that a smaller icon-like version will also be displayed next to each of your Timeline posts. Your Profile Picture size should be 180 x 180 pixels.
3) Apps - Apps (formerly known as tabs) appear just below your Cover Photo on the right side of the page. They may include native Facebook apps such as Photos and Likes, as well as custom apps that you’ve added to your page such as those offered by us (i.e., Our Welcome, Coupon, Win It, Video, and Portfolio apps, etc).
4) Like Button - When a visitor clicks your “Like” button either on your page, in an ad, or on content off of Facebook, they are making a connection. This connection may be displayed in their profile, on their Wall, and their friends may also receive a News Feed story about the new connection.
5) Status Bar - The Status Bar is where you get to write, upload or link to content that you want to publish and promote on your Wall.
6) Timeline - The Timeline (formerly known as the Wall) is where you can post messages, links, and other content that you think your fans will find interesting. Others can also write messages or post comments on your Timeline if you choose to let them.
Content tends to come more naturally when we are dealing with our personal Profiles. When it comes to posting a status update to the Timeline of your fan Page and you’re looking at an empty space and a blinking cursor you may find yourself at a loss for the type of content that is appropriate, relevant, or useful. Don’t freak out, this is completely normal. It just takes a little practice and an understanding for what you’re trying to accomplish with your Timeline posts and you’ll be a pro in no time.
First, have you given any thought to how you’ll interact with your customers (or prospective customers) on Facebook? If you haven’t, you’re prone to make mistakes out of a simple lack of experience such as over promoting your product/service or being too vague in your status updates.
Posting generic things like, “Our __________ is so great!” may satisfy your goal of regularly posting to your page, but over time it’s more likely to alienate your audience due to a lack of appealing to their wants/needs/desires/interests.
To properly engage your fan base offer something of value in your content even if that value isn’t directly related to your business. For instance, if you own a photography business and your Facebook fans include high school seniors you could post something like, “Big sale going on at __________ Boutique this week — Pick up something fab for your senior pictures! – www.__________.com”. Or sometimes it makes sense to spice things up with a promotional offer and call to action such as, “Book your session today and your Yearbook is on us! Mention Facebook when you call.”
The general rule of thumb to follow is this:
Be thoughtful and informative in whatever you decide to share. Your fans will love you for it and the trust you’ll build with them is sure to earn you the referral business you’re really after.