So I thought I should probably bet this out there before they change everything about Facebook fan pages. Should I even continue to call them that? What are they now... LIKE pages? That just sounds... like... 80's valley girl? Maybe they will evolve to be known as "brand pages". In any case, I think that this content is still relevant. These are some tips and lessons learned that came out of my first foray into designing a Facebook page for a client.
The page was for the Realize Adjustable Gastric Band (http://www.facebook.com/realizeband if you're curious). Perhaps the most notable thing about this project was that it was for a medical device for bariatric surgery - so, a heavily FDA regulated surgical device. Due to its nature, one may not think that a social networking site is a natural fit and it certainly created lots of interesting challenges when considering how to make something "social" when it would have to be monitored so carefully. Shortly after the launch of the Facebook page, I also designed a YouTube channel for the client which gained the attention of AdAge for just this reason. Read the AdAge article here: http://adage.com/article?article_id=137726 .
In any case, I think that these tips may relate to a lot of other brand pages (I'm coining the phrase now... if it hasn't already been done). Most are around content update strategies and frequency. I hope that you find some useful nuggets in here.
Content & Updates
Facebook users tend not to revisit Facebook pages unless an update is broadcast. Also, many new fans come from the "sharing" done by existing fans. Thus, some serious thought needs to go into content and update frequency to ensure the continued success of the page.
Types of Content Updates
Status UpdatesDepending on the relationship that the company has with its customers, it might be a good idea to keep simple status updates to a minimum except where they will be meaningful to the audience. For example, a small company in which the owners have a personal relationship with customers might get away with frequent friend-style status updates while a larger company might reserve these for important messages only.LinksPosting links as opposed to simple text-based status updates can be a better way to communicate and to drive Facebook users to the brand's other web properties. Facebook will automatically pull available thumbnail images and metadata from the link URL to create a link description or the description can be manually entered.EventsEvents do not automatically broadcast updates to page fans. Administrators can choose to invite fans specifically to the event or broadcast a message to fans about the event. A message can be targeted to local fans by country/state/city.PhotosPhoto updates will be broadcast to fans by photo album and date - one update per album/date combination. So, if the administrator adds 3 new images to a single photo album in the same day, fans will only see one update in their streams. Note: photos on fan pages *can* be tagged, but the tagging options consist of the administrator's friends - not fans of the page. The resulting broadcast will also be to the administrator's friends instead of fans.VideosVideos work similar to photos except that they are not contained within an album. Each video upload will appear on the page Wall tab and trigger a broadcast to fans.NotesA truncated section of a new note will also appear on the page Wall tab and broadcast an update to fans. This is a great way to communicate longer, more meaningful content than what might be posted as status updates.
Update Frequency
The frequency with which a brand should (or can) broadcast updates is highly dependent on several factors:
- How close is the brand with its customers?
- How compelling is the content of the updates?
- How quickly can the maintenance team turn around new content?
- How stringent is the brand's approval process for content?
Update Strategy
It's a good idea to develop an update strategy for a Facebook page prior to launch. Determine the types, frequency, and topics that will form updates for at least a few months out. The early updates should target increasing the fan base with later updates both increasing and retaining fans. Other marketing objectives may be tied in as well, such as external links and conversions. As the updates take place, the fan activity can be monitored to determine the effectiveness of the strategy, which can then lead to adjustments over time.
Lessons Learned
Be prepared for unexpected changes
Facebook changed its format for fan pages twice during the release of the aforementioned fan page. Due to the stringent design and content approval processes required by this client, this set our timeline back a bit. There was little warning and no clear definition of what the changes would be prior to the switch. Also, due to the nature of Facebook, updates can happen at any time during the life of a page. Administrators should try to keep abreast of possible changes coming and be prepared to react quickly should they occur without warning.
Promote the fan page
Facebook is not really a "if you build it, they will come" kind of thing. Depending on the type of product and its relationship with consumers, fans might find it by searching for it on Facebook, but most initial fans will find the page either via advertisements or links. Once an initial fan base is established, it will become more viral and there will be less need to drive links.
Here are some ways to get an initial fan base established:
- Put a Facebook icon/link on all other brand web properties
- Send press releases or emails to customers notifying them of the Facebook presence
- Encourage employees and vendors to become fans of the page
- Purchase external banner or search advertising
- Advertise within Facebook
- Create viral Facebook applications that link back to the fan page
Have some future content ready to go
Unless there is a resource tasked to create content for the brand page on a full-time basis, it might be helpful to create a large batch of content up front which can be posted as updates over time. Even a single post per week can be difficult to keep up with.
Monitor page and fan activity closely
Watch for these in particular:
- Are you seeing fans remove themselves? If so, it is most likely that you are either posting updates too frequently or the content of the updates is not meeting your fans' expectations.
- Fans posting inappropriate comments or "spam". If you have a page that allows commenting, you might need to create a strategy up front for dealing with these issues as well. Maybe the brand wants to be seen as more "honest" by allowing negative posts, but remove offensive posts and spam.
- Fans requesting content. Try to meet these requests when appropriate. The fans will love you for it.
- Fans requesting customer service or supplying product feedback. This may become an unexpected conduit for customer service and it may be very important that customers see that the brand is responding quickly and positively to the feedback. Be sure to create a process for handling of this feedback to ensure that the response is timely.
User Comments
Under normal circumstances, user comments cannot be disabled by page administrators. If there are special circumstances (such as FDA regulations), Facebook must be reached and must disable commenting on the back end before the page is published. Facebook will require proof that the product is FDA regulated. Having commenting suppressed on a fan page does not carry over onto standard applications that are included on the page.
Further Reading
How Adobe used Facebook to connect with students and spread awareness of student software discounts.
Tutorials and code references for building Facebook applications using Flash or Flex.
Tutorials and code references for building Facebook applications (web-based, desktop, or mobile).
A widget that can be put on any website to help drive traffic and increase fans on Facebook.
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