Social Media and PR
How Facebook Pages Boost Customer Interactivity
Written by Anna Lempereur for Gaebler Ventures
Facebook launched a feature in 2009 that is designed to help companies reach out to their consumers. Read more to find out how to use this feature to grow your business.
In March 2009, Facebook launched a new feature that took business and product advertising to the next level: Facebook Pages.
A Facebook Page is similar to a Facebook Profile, except it contains more tools to help both big and small companies reach out to their consumers on a more social, personal level. These pages enable users to become "fans" which gives them the opportunity to receive updates and interact with other fans of their same interests.
Getting Started
The first step that you will be asked to do when you start your page is to choose a category that best suits your business. If you cannot find the exact category that fits best, pick one that is closest to it. After that, you will be able to come up with a name to identify your company. Keep the name simple – ideally, it should be the exact name of your business. For example, The New York Times' page is named "The New York Times." The name should be one that users will recognize, allowing them to easily use Facebook's search engine to find your page and become a fan.
The second step will be uploading your main profile picture. This is the picture that will show up in search engines and news feeds. It should be an image that best represents your business, and will allow customers to identify you. A company logo or an image that your business uses often would be ideal for this profile picture. Since it will appear as a thumbnail throughout fans' profiles, make sure the quality is high so that the image will be clear even after it is shrunken down.
Creating Content
Click "Add Information to this Page" underneath the profile picture to add information to your page. This should answer the basic questions that customers will have about your business: who you are, what you do, where you are located, where they can buy your products, and why they should be interested in your company. The more specific you are, the better. This is your chance to show customers what is unique about your business and why they should become a fan and come back to your page.
Your page will have three default tabs: a Wall tab for content sharing, an Info tab for your company's information, and a Boxes tab for applications. You can create new tabs on your page in order to add new features while keeping your page clean and organized. Some tabs that you can add are Photos, Video, Events, Reviews, and Discussions. Creating multiple tabs will allow a variety of media to be posted on your page, which will improve interaction of fans and allow them and yourself to update as many ways possible.
Viewing Statistics
By using the Insights Tool, you can view the activity on your page on a daily basis. This tool allows you to see the number of page views, unique users, wall posts, discussion topics, photo views, and video plays that come across your page. You can also keep track of your total number of fans which can also be divided based on age and gender. This is a great way to keep track of your audience and determine what areas on your page need improvement.
Anna Lempereur is a freelance writer interested in writing about small business. She is currently a Journalism major at the University of Albany in New York.
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