So you’ve heard that having a Facebook fanpage is great for your business and you set one up (hey, it’s free!) but now you’re not having fans flock to it in droves. What’s going on?
The number one reason fanpages fail and fizzle is that people don’t know how to create them properly or how to manage them properly. I can honestly say that this is one task that is truly not as easy as it looks. While anyone can create a FB fanpage for free, that doesn’t mean that you’re naturally going to know what to do with it.
If you’re finding yourself in the that same boat, here are some tips. No matter what industry you’re in or what niche you fall under, these general rules will apply:
Is your fanpage lacking in spice? Do you have a boring cover photo and avatar- or even worse, no images at all? It’s time to revamp!
Get a professional design or build your own with Heyo, Shortstack or similar programs. When possible, use your own face or avatar in the design for increased personalization. This doesn’t work for some brands (Like Pepsi or McDonald’s) but any time there is a human at the head of a company or brand, we should see them in the social media design somewhere.
hubspotA custom cover photo cover that includes that, the name of the business and some other eye-catching graphics will make all the difference. Since Facebook has loosened their rules for cover photos, you have even more freedom to let loose. Add a call to action, link to your free giveaway or share a promotion. For a good example of how to do this, check out HubSpot’s Facebook cover image.
Then you want to finalize it all with some custom tabs- do you have any videos or a YouTube channel? If not, shortened versions of some of your webpages would be good, too. Or maybe an FAQ. Can you come up with some sort of contest or promotion and host it from the fanpage with a 3rd party app (to stay in FB’s contest rules)?
doggieclotheslineDoggie Clothesline uses tabs to create photo slideshows of their dog clothes as well as a sizing chart and their blog feed and Twitter stream. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your tabs. I am setting my newsletter sign up list to be one of my tabs. And promotional tabs are also a popular choice.
Post Regularly
The other problem that I see is people not posting regularly. Posting regularly does not equal spam. 3-5 posts a day is a good sweet spot- less if you still have a small page following. And don’t just syndicate a feed and let it auto-post for you. I have unfollowed several friend’s pages recently because I don’t think they’ve logged on them in 6 months. All I see are autoposts from an RSS. No one wants to see that- they could just follow you with a feed reader. Fanpages are about interaction.
You can post news, updates, great blog posts by others in your niche, your own blog posts, polls, motivational images and posts and more. Be sure to follow up on your posts and answer questions, “like” posts and follow up to questions. Don’t just post and ditch. Show your fans you’re really listening to them.
Get with the Program
FB-Ads-Insider-3-250x250There are some excellent programs out there to help you learn how to make the most from your FB fanpage. I would highly recommend Amy Porterfield’s FB Ads Insider and FB Influence programs because they will help you crash-course in what you need for boosting the page VERY quickly. I was a social media community manager/marketer for years before I had access to Amy’s programs and I learned new tips on the very first session. You will learn how to gain more fans/likes, increase engagement and jumpstart your page into one that will really impress and engage your followers.
Combine Facebook and Pinterest
Are you on Pinterest? You might be surprised to know that any business can benefit from Pinterest if you learn how to do it correctly. I highly recommend Melanie Duncan’s Power of Pinning course.
It talks about how to make money from Pinterest (both product and service-based). Melanie specifically talks about how to get the biggest amount of impact in the shortest period of time. I was a big-time Pinterest fanatic but after I watched Melanie’s Power of Pinning webinar, I already knew I was missing out on things, specifically how to convert my following to customers. The biggest key here is she tells you how to integrate your Facebook and Pinterest marketing: 2 birds, one stone.
A blog is a great way to increase your reach. Content marketing via a blog can include anything from recipes, blog posts and stories to videos and podcasting. This also gives you something to post on the fanpage. Even if you
can only commit to one post per week, it’s a start. It builds a following and shows your fans you know your stuff. A great blog will help establish you as an expert. I know blogging can be a bit intimidating at first, especially to those who are new to writing regularly but once you get the hang of creating and sharing great content, you’ll be a pro in no time!
Who Are You and Why Should We Care?
This is the ultimate question to answer. Fanpages are a dime a dozen and what it really comes down to is showing people who you are and why we should care. I high encourage you to bring out more of your personality with your social media. Let us get to know you and why you do what you do.
Most of all, cut the crap and create a fanpage that rocks. Stand out from the crowds and do something unique, interesting and true to you!
