I often hear this question from clients. It is asked because Facebook is still perceived by many to be a social networking site where only young people gather to communicate with one another. This perception most likely exists because Facebook membership was once limited to college students before it opened it up to anyone aged 13 and over nearly two years after its launch in 2004. Today, three years after they opened the floodgates to everyone, Facebook has more than 250 million active users worldwide and they include college students, professionals, celebrities, world leaders, and you guessed it – companies.
In case you’re asking yourself what a fan page is, let me explain. On top of user profiles, Facebook offers two networking tools: groups and pages. According to Facebook, a group is meant to be created around shared topics of interest and is application-based, requiring users to add the application to their profile to become part of the group. A Facebook page is a public profile that enables you to share your business and products with Facebook users – who by the click of a button can become fans, allowing them to interact and receive notifications when you update the page. Pages, unlike groups, are visible to unregistered people, which allow them to be indexed by search engines – an important feature for SEO. For the most part, pages are more practical for a brand’s marketing plan.
If your company is already engaged in social media, then a Facebook fan page most likely is a smart addition to your online marketing efforts. If you are thinking about getting involved in social media, a Facebook fan page is a great place to start. Here are three questions you can ask yourself to help understand whether or not the fan page is appropriate for your business:
Does our target audience use Facebook?
Before attempting to answer this question, reassess your “target audience” by expanding it to not only include your customers and potential customers, but also anyone who is in the industry and is present in the online space around your subject matter – think of them more as your “online audience”. The more people that can help spark conversation on the page will help enhance exposure to a broader group, which in turn can attract more customers. And with a network of over 250 million users, it’s likely a large number of your customers are on Facebook.
Do we have the content to create a resource?
Convincing users to become fans requires your page to offer valuable content that presents itself as a resource that will help keep them informed. Conduct a quick audit to identify industry news, articles, expert advice pieces, upcoming events, and current marketing assets that you will be able to leverage on the page. If you have information that will benefit your target audience and are able to share it, a fan page is an appropriate and effective spot for it.
Are we set up to manage the channel?
Retaining your fan base requires an ongoing effort to manage the page. Starting discussions, encouraging participation, and facilitating the conversion will help keep fans interested and attract new users. Be sure to have a strategic plan in place and a representative or a team designated to carry out the strategy before launch.
If you answered yes to the three questions, then hit the ground running after you have a go-to strategy in place.
Also, keep in mind that the Facebook fan page compliments SEO and brand reputation management. With Facebook’s recent announcement of their Vanity URL program, which allows you to create a unique, search-friendly URL for your page; and the Facebook Fan Box, which allows you to embed a mini-version of the fan page on your website, this channel is positioned to gain more visibility and drive more traffic.