By now, most everyone has heard that Facebook is changing the look of all business and community “fan” Pages to match the Timeline format now being used on personal profiles.
If you’re still wondering if you need a business “fan” Page, the primary benefit it that Pages are the only feature inside Facebook that is fully indexed by Google. Of course, this means greater visibility and SEO benefit for your business.
I still recommend you use your personal profile for both personal family connections, people you know, and strategic professional networking. You do that by adjusting the privacy settings and making friend lists. Use the fan page as an extension of your brand, blog and Twitter presence.
To make the most of your Page, here are a few tips:
1. Get a custom cover image. The large image at the top of your Facebook Page is prime real estate to promote your brand. You can feature a captivating image that represents your brand. The image size is now a very large 850 x 355 pixels so you have ample room to make a powerful brand impact. Just be careful to follow Facebook’s rather strict guidelines on what you can and cannot include in this image.
For example, overly promotional wording within this space, like your business phone number and email for example, will get you into hot water with Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/about/pages for specific rules.
2. Get a vanity URL for your page. If you haven’t already done so, visit www.facebook.com/username to claim a customized page name so your Fan Page URL includes your business name (ex: www.facebook.com/getknowngetclients). Your business will look more professional and it’s easier to refer people to your page.
3. Designate a page admin. Be sure someone in your business monitors your fan page daily. Tasks like monitoring discussions, posing questions, linking to your blog, uploading vides, adding events, responding to posts and questions from your fans can be easily delegated to an assistant, virtual assistant or social media manager to keep track of. You must be responsive to your fans or you risk losing them.
4. Maximize interaction with rich, information-laden content. You want to keep content on the fan page almost all business-related, but make it interesting enough to keep people coming back for more. For example, post links to your blog articles, add discussion topics weekly to keep fans engaged. Answer most frequently asked questions and even post cool videos of you answering the questions on camera!
Most importantly, do something! The new Facebook Timeline format for pages becomes mandatory on March 31, 2012 whether you like it or not. Make the most of the new space – especially that cover image!