How To Create a Stellar Facebook Fan Page: Five Easy Steps

1. Customize your landing page.
What page you want your visitors to land on when they visit your fan page depends on why you are using a facebook fan page in the first place. Is it more important to you that a visitor immediately see the conversations that are taking place between you and your customers so they can understand that you offer great customer service or advice? Make your wall your landing page. Is it more important to you that they see they will get special insider offers as a fan of your page? Make your landing page a customized page with a big shiny graphic advertising the latest deal. This step can be easily done through your facebook settings.

Example: Best Buy's facebook landing page directs viewers to their website, presumably to drive sales.

2. Optimize your photo albums to showcase what’s important.
Facebook is about community and transparency. Instead of slapping a bunch of stock-like product photos in the photos section, put some thought into what message you want to send. If appropriate, create an album of people who make up the company and put some faces behind the brand. You could create a portfolio album of work if suitable. Be sure to add captions to the photos and name your albums something pertinent.

3. Give your fans a way to interact.
In other words, give them something to do. You could create a video box with relevant videos for them to watch. Ask your fans their opinions about relevant issues on your wall to get the comments rolling. Let them know you want to hear what they have to say. A great tactic is to create a contest of some sort for your fans.

Marshalls created a contest through their facebook page that gives fans the chance to win a $5000 wardrobe. You could create a contest for existing fans, also.

4. Take advantage of the Static FBML application.
The Facebook Markup Language (FBML) application basically allows you to create blank-slate boxes. You can then customize these boxes with your own content and your own label in the tab. You could create your own “About Us” page. You could just insert a big graphic advertisement. The door is open.

5. Try a facebook post tree.
A facebook post tree is just a structured content-posting schedule. Aside from talking to your fans, posting your insights and answering unique comments, a post tree could help you stay on track with making regular posts. What do your fans want to hear about? If you are a restaurant, the answer may be something along the lines of specials, coupons, etc. With a post tree, you just assign topics to days of the week. So my restaurant’s post tree may be:

• Monday: Weekly specials
• Tuesday: A special fan coupon offer
• and so on…

When it comes down to it, the way to really create a stellar facebook fan page is to know what your audience wants out of your facebook fan page. This takes a lot of thought and a little—maybe a lot—of trial and error. If something’s not working, try a different approach! And remember: the amount of effort you put into something is usually equal to the results you’ll yield.