Why does Justin Bieber have a Facebook Page? Or Katy Perry, Adam Sandler, and Barack Obama, for that matter? They (or, more likely, their marketing agents) have realized that Facebook Pages are a powerful way to strengthen and expand a personal brand. These people all have Facebook Pages ranked in the top 50, with fans growing in the hundreds of thousands every week. But it’s not just high profile public figures that are reaping the benefits; boatloads of small businesses, brands, and entrepreneurs have success stories to celebrate as well. So if you haven’t done so already, there is no better time than the present to give your personal brand a leg up by leveraging the power that Facebook Pages have to offer. With the right advice and a few simple tools, anyone can create a personalized Facebook Page that has the potential to strengthen their brand.
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Why Do I Need a Facebook Page For My Brand?
Facebook is host to more than 500 million active users and continues to grow more every day. This means that no matter what mold your “customer” fits into, they will most likely be on Facebook reading, sharing, listening, browsing, and buying. It is up to you to reach them with your brand, and a Facebook Page is a great way to do that. However, don’t make the all-too-common mistake of creating a Page and then just waiting for the magic to happen, or, perhaps worse, posting uninteresting content into the oblivion. Make sure your Facebook Page has purpose and personality.
What Should I Do To Personalize My Page?
By default, when visitors land on your Facebook Page, they land on your Wall. Your Wall displays the latest comments and shared items posted there by you and your fans. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you can do so much better! In this age of ever-diminishing attention spans, most people will make up their mind in a matter of seconds about whether or not they “like” your page, and a Wall full of comments and clutter isn’t the most effective way to do this. It is imperative to give visitors a clear and simple reason to stay put.
Custom photos are a great way to spark interest in your brand and capture more fans. Tools such as PosterMyWall will help you easily create a custom Facebook cover photo design where you can present just the right brand message to your visitors and potential fans from the get-go. Do you want them to “like” your page? Do you want them to “click here” for a free copy of your eBook? Sign up to your email list? Browse your store? Whatever it is you want your Page’s visitors to do, personalized Facebook cover photos make it easy to convey your message and get your fans to take action. You control the impression your brand will have on each new visitor.
After your cover photo has succeeded in converting a visitor into a fan, that new fan will most likely poke around the rest of your Page to find out more about you.
What Should I Do, Say, and Post on My Page?
First and foremost, be sure to fill out as much of the “Basic Information” area as possible with important details and links about your brand. This will show up on the “Info” tab of your Page, which is an important resource for information to your visitors.
Next, when deciding what type of content to post to your Wall, think about commentary, links, video, or photos related to your brand and personality that will also be interesting to your fans. Ask yourself this question every time before posting something new to your Wall: “Will my fans like, interact with, or share this?”. If the answer is “yes”, then it is post-worthy. Need a bit of inspiration?
Here are a few tips:
- Comments and questions should either aim to start a conversation or be directly helpful to your fans.
- Contests and giveaways should not require much effort on the part of your fans but should offer something real and valuable to them.
- Photos and video should stir up curiosity, laughter, a smile, or a “wow”.
- Be sure that your content is relevant to your brand so your fans are getting a consistent message.
- Constantly posting this type of content will intrigue and engage your fans and keep them coming back to your Page day after day.
Any Other Tips For My Facebook Page?
Sure! As with any marketing effort, a successful Facebook Page takes creativity, consistency and continual maintenance. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t reach your fan/sales/signup goals by the end of your first week! If you know your audience and consistently provide content and resources that they want, your Facebook Page will continue to grow. You can also help this process along by promoting your new Page to your existing friends, creating custom tabs, interacting on Facebook as your company/brand, and experimenting with Facebook Ads to attract more fans.
With more people becoming actively involved on Facebook every day, as well as an increasing number of businesses jumping on the bandwagon to market there, it is now vital to have a Facebook Page as an integral part of your marketing plan. But don’t be one of those that “get on Facebook” just because you heard that you should be there; make it count with a personal Facebook Page that represents and strengthens your brand.
