Facebook Fan Page Tricks & Tips

Facebook fan page tricks and tips to help you create a successful Facebook fan page, group-page or company page.

Facebook is still one of the highest traffic websites on the internet with well over 800 million registered users. Facebook is no longer just for kids - Interestingly the largest growing demographic is age 35 - 65 (you know.. the people who control the wallets!) If you're not using Facebook for your business yet, you are missing out on one of the largest and fastest ways to directly interact with consumers. This is a great opportunity for growth in your business!

One of the cool thing about using a Facebook fan page (as apposed to your personal account) is that it allows you to keep your business life and your personal life separate on Facebook. Plus you can have as many fans as you want, and customize your page with lots of interactive and useful apps.

Facebook lets you grow your fan base - engage with your fans - and sell more products and services.

Use the simple facebook fan page tricks below to build a successful facebook page for your business. A well built facebook page will result in more fans and more leads to your website.

You will get to select what type of business you are from the menu, then agree that you are authorized to represent the business with your facebook fan page.

Now Its time to create the page

STEP 1

First of all, you will want to get your basic business (or group) info in there. Click "edit the page" - scroll down to the information section. Click on the pencil icon "edit". Not a lot of space to be creative yet. Here you will simply enter your website, address, and hours you are open. That's about it.

STEP 2

Now its time for a snazzy Facebook profile image! You can use your logo, but if your logo is a little boring and/or corporate, I would really not recommend it. I suggest you choose an image that represents your company, product or service and is also exciting and eyecatching. This is one of your best pieces of "realistate" on the page, so choose a good image!

Keep Reading for more Facebook Fan Page Tricks!

Pet Names

This is very simple!

After your page is created and you have at least 25 people who "like" your page go to this page: Facebook/Username

Use the drop down menu to select your page - then simply choose a username.

Note: You must have at least 25 fans before you can set up a custom URL

If you don't have 25 fans yet - try some of the tricks on this page for getting new fans - OR list your fan page on our "Tell us about your Facebook Page" Comment section.

Facebook fan page tricks and advice to make your page more successful

Start a Discussion!

One of the best ways to promote your page and drive traffic to your website and product is by starting a meaningful conversation on your facebook page.

Ask Questions!

I really like posting good questions on my facebook fan pages - A good question will spark lots of replies and likes. If people are commenting on your posts it will show up on their wall - this is good exposure and advertising for you, because everyone they are friends with can see it!

Here is a facebook group I "Like" they do a good job of asking fun questions that spark conversations Date Ideas Group

Free Stuff and Competitions

Everyone loves a free giveaway! Offering free stuff or creating other competitions on your facebook page is another great way to get people to be involved on your page. you might try a raffell -- individuals will be added to your raffel if they comment on your post. Or maybe offer a prize for the best answer to a question. Be creative and make your page a fun place to be.

Twitter Integration

Facebook offers an integration feature with Twitter - If you have a twitter account you can set the two social media sites to talk to each other. When you post from one it will auto post to the other. -- This will help you to draw more fans to your page from your twitter following.

Add the Facebook Widgets to Your Blog &/or Website

Make sure your website and blog readers can easily find your fan page with a like button or facebook widget. Here is a link to the Facebook Developer tools "Like Button" and here is one to the facebook widget box There are some other neat options in the facebook developer panel as well, so take a look!

Create an FBML Landing Page

There is some discussion about weather a FBML Landing page is better than landing visitors on your "wall". Either way it is a good option and nice to have up your sleeve. Creating an FBML Page is not too complex, but does require a little technical no-how, here is a link for more complete instructions Mashable Article

Make Frequent Updates

The more you post to your wall (questions, polls, funny jokes etc...) the more people will see and be exposed to your page. Getting people to interact on your facebook fan page wall will keep you showing up in their news feed and more of your users friends will also see your page.

No Spam!

People don't want to get spammy or overly promotional offers in their news feed. Find ways to be creative and offer value to your users. For example; a special deal or promo code will look much better than a post that says "Jeans are on sale"... Use promotions and deals sparingly - getting people involved in meaningful conversations on your facebook fan page wall will do more for your business than you can imagine!

Keep Reading for more Facebook Fan Page Tricks!

The Perfect Profile Image

Facebook recommends that you make your profile pic just 200px wide, (and the height can vary). However there is also a thumbnail that Facebook uses across the system which is generated from your profile picture - and you want to make sure you optimize for that as well.

Facebook will crop your image when generating the thumbnail -- so if you are not careful you might loose some of your information around the edge of your picture. After some simple testing, I have determined that there is a "Safe" area within all images. When you create your profile image that's 200px wide, leave a 12 pixel border around your important information (such as text or your logo).

When you first land on a facebook page what is the first thing you notice? Their profile picture right!? First impressions are vital - especially when it comes to your facebook fan page. Make your profile picture exciting and eye-catching, but also professional and in line with your brand and product. You want to leave a good first impression - and your image should tell the story of who you are and what you do.

Learn more about timeline here:

TIMELINE

How successful has your facebook fan page been at sending leads to your website or blog?

Right click and choose "Save Image As" to save this image to your computer.

If you have an email list this is a great way to get the word out about your new facebook fan page!

Here is what you do:

From your Facebook Group/Fan page click on Edit Page

Click Marketing

Then Tell Your Fans

You can upload a list of email addresses and they will each receive an invite to your page from facebook!

Try adding a "Like Me" arrow (or hand) to your facebook page. With some clever messaging you will be able to get a lot more of your page visitors to "like" you. If you compile this with the content hiding feature (which only allows people to see your page if they "like" you first) you are going to see more fans following your facebook page.

Use the facebook pages below to get ideas for your own page

Companies like Pizza Hut and Red Bull do a great job of getting fans to engage in their conversations - Visit the facebook pages for each of the below companies - you will find some very neat facebook page tricks and ideas.

How to write a good status update on your Facebook Page wall

Some Helpful Tips and Tricks to Make your Facebook Fan Page Wall More Useful:

Write updates that are both relevant and compelling -- Don't just tell people boring facts about your company or products… Be witty and find interesting ways to phrase what you want to say. Keep your updates short and too the point.

Focus on GOOD NEWS - Find things that will make people smile

Ask Good Questions - Create a fun pop quiz or survey for your users. Ask for tips or helpful insight. Just don't ask questions that require too much thought - if people can't answer quickly they often will not answer at all.

Share Interesting Things - Links to your latest product or service may not captivate your audience. However links to a funny video or neat story will.

Discuss things that people like! Talk about common things that people will have something to say about - chocolate, current events, good movies etc…

Just because you have a business page, it does not mean you have to be boring! Find clever ways to promote your brand without being spammy or overly promotional.

Changes to the Facebook Page Layout and Functionality

Here is a list of the recent Facebook fan page changes -- Facebook is constantly evolving, so here are some updates.

Facebook is constantly updating so some of these "New" updates are actually obsolete..

NEW If you havenet heard!

Overall, facebook pages were improved by these changes. Pages have been made to look and feel much more like individuals profile pages.

List of Changes

1-Photo strip above the Wall (with most recent photos you posted or tagged)

2-Tabs move over to the left panel, in the form of a list (maximum of 6 above the fold)

3-Profile picture reduced from 200 x 600 pixels to 180 x 540

4-Blurb box that was below the Page picture moved to info tab

5-Pages can Like other Pages, not just favorite them

6-Featured Pages and Admins

7-Page category

8-Choice for Wall posts between "Everyone" and Page posts only

9-Mutual Friends and Interests section

10-Ability to interact on Facebook as your Page

11-Ability for admins to post and comment around the site under their Page's alias

12-News feed of updates from Liked Pages

13-Pages can now feature iFrame tab applications

14-Email notifications when users post or comments

Keep Reading for some more great Facebook Fan Page Tricks and Tips!

Transferring a Facebook Page to Someone Else

It is a little bit tricky, but absolutely possible

Facebook claims that you can not transfer a Facebook Page to another user. But, that is actually not completely true.

Here is what you do:

Simply have someone else like your page - then make them an administrator of the page. You can then be demoted to a regular fan. Once that happens, they become the pages new "owner".

Keep on reading for some more fun Facebook Fan Page Tricks!

How do I remove this tag!

I am embarrassed to admit this..... It took me nearly 20 minutes to figure out how to remove myself from a picture I was tagged in. I opened my Facebook page and found I was tagged in about 5 spammy advertisements for a facebook application.

It turns out, un-tagging yourself is actually really simple - Just find your name in the list of people tagged in the photo and simply click the button that says "remove tag"

Pretty easy...

Facebook offers insights into your fan base. Essentially analytics for your facebook pages and groups. Check out facebook insights

Taging Friends In your Facebook Status or Comments

This is REALLY easy!

Simply type an @ sign and start typing the name of the person you want to tag -- Facebook will bring up a menu automatically for you to select the friend you want to tag.

Take a look at the content of these articles - I selected a few of the articles that I found most helpful. When you are building your facebook page these are good things to keep in mind.

Click on the image to view the download links

Replace # with your name ;)

Ok... So this really have very little to do with facebook fan pages.... But Its Facebook related =) And it's a lot of fun.

# feels like getting some work done...and so he is sitting down until the feeling passes.

# is color blind and trying to solve a Rubik's cube... This could take a while...

# dreams of a better world...where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.

# is proud of herself. She finished a jigsaw puzzle in 6 months and the box said 2-4 years.

# doesn't suffer from insanity... he enjoys every minute of it.

# is wondering where Noah kept woodpeckers on his ark.

# whoever says paper beats rock is an idiot. Next time I see someone say that I will throw a rock at them while they hold up a sheet of paper

# Good morning...I see the assassins have failed.

# Be nice to nerds, chances are you will be working for them.

# would rather check her Facebook than face her checkbook.

# believes that if you tell your boss what you really think of him, the truth will set you free.

# Don't waste money on expensive i pods. Simply think of your favorite tune and hum it. If you want to "switch tracks", think of another song you like and hum that instead.

# is "writing this to entertain the losers who take the time to actually read what others ""status"" is"

# Most of us can keep a secret. It's the people we tell it to who can't.

# My favorite mythical creature: The Honest Politician.

# The winner of the rat race is still a rat.

# Teenagers drink twice as much as they did 10 years ago. Mind you, they were only aged between 3 and 9 ten years ago.

# I have to take my paycheck to the bank. It's too little to go by itself.

# The day when Youtube, Facebook & Twitter combine to form "YouTwitFace"

# Why must the phrase, "It is none of my business" always be followed by, "but"?

# is getting a grip on reality..and choking it to death.

# is out making some changes in his or her life...leave a message and I'll get back to you. if I don't return your message you are one of the changes!

# is normal..it's everyone else that's weird.

# is proof that God has a sense of humor...

# is rejecting your reality and substituting it with his own.

# is thinking so what if Jesus turned water into wine... I turned a whole student loan into beer once. Your move, Jesus.

# is joining the army. He hears it's a great way to meet people. Then kill them.

# is tired of chasing his dreams. I'm just going to ask where they are going and hook up with them later.

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Also please note that a few of the graphics and statistics on this page are not uniquely mine. I have tried to give appropriate credit to the content owners - however if there is anything on this page that you believe has not been sited correctly PLEASE let me know! I would be more than happy to remove the content or give appropriate citation.